Question 1

Io is believed to be mostly rock and iron,much like Earth.How does its density compare with Earth's density?

Accepted Answer

A)   With the same basic composition its density must be similar to Earth's.
B)   Io's density is smaller because it has a mantle of sulfur which is not very dense.
C)   Io's density is greater because at its greater distance from the Sun its materials are colder and thus more dense than similar materials on Earth.
D)   Earth's density is larger because it experiences more gravitational compression, and the same materials at Earth's core have greater density than they would at Io's core.E) A) and B)
F) B) and D)

Question 2

What is the dominant circulation pattern in Jupiter's atmosphere (i.e.,at the visible "surface") ?

Accepted Answer

A)   alternating bands of eastward and westward flow parallel to the equator, with light and dark ovals between the flows
B)   air rising at the equator, flowing north and south toward the poles, then sinking and returning to the equator at a lower level
C)   uniform eastward flow of the entire atmosphere, with occasional dark storms and turbulent swirls
D)   isolated storms and turbulent swirls, with little overall flow pattern in any particular directionE) B) and C)
F) A) and B)

Question 3

The internal structure of the two largest Jovian planets (from the center outward) is a(n) :

Accepted Answer

A)   iron-nickel core (from which the Jovian magnetic field arises) , a semifluid rocky mantle, and a solid rocky crust covered by a thin atmosphere.
B)   rocky core covered by a very thick gaseous hydrogen and helium layer.
C)   rocky core, a liquid "ice" layer, a liquid metallic hydrogen and helium layer, and an ordinary hydrogen and helium gaseous layer.
D)   rocky core, a liquid methane mantle, and a gaseous methane atmosphere.E) B) and C)
F) All of the above

Question 4

MOST of the satellites of Uranus orbit the planet in:

Accepted Answer

A)   the plane of the ecliptic and therefore almost at right angles to the plane of Uranus' equator.
B)   various directions, each one reflecting the satellite's trajectory at the time it was captured by Uranus.
C)   the plane of the planet's equator and therefore approximately in the plane of the ecliptic.
D)   the plane of the planet's equator and therefore in a plane almost at right angles to the ecliptic.E) None of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 5

There is a torus of material around Jupiter surrounding the orbit of Io.This torus consists of:

Accepted Answer

A)   large chunks of material that never formed into a ring.
B)   charged particles ejected from Io's geysers.
C)   fine dust particles, like the rings.
D)   charged particles ejected from Jupiter's aurorae.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 6

What observation technique was being used when Saturn's rings were originally discovered?

Accepted Answer

A)   ground-based photography
B)   momentary occultation of starlight as the planet moved in front of a star
C)   spacecraft photography
D)   visual observations through a telescopeE) B) and D)
F) C) and D)

Question 7

The physical mechanism that is thought to control the motion and position of material in the narrow F ring around Saturn is the:

Accepted Answer

A)   effect of the planet's intense magnetic field on the material.
B)   confining gravitational interaction between this material and two shepherd satellites.
C)   effect of sunlight focused on this material by the planet's atmosphere.
D)   complex gravitational interaction between the major moons of Saturn and the F ring material.E) All of the above
F) A) and C)

Question 8

Why would you expect to see no craters,such as those on the Moon or Mars,on Io,the innermost Galilean moon of Jupiter?

Accepted Answer

A)   The continuous water rainfall quickly erodes and washes away any trace of craters.
B)   Volcanoes are continuously depositing new material onto the surface.
C)   The liquid surface cannot maintain a crater, just as Earth's oceans cannot.
D)   The surface is always reentering the planet's interior by subduction in rapid plate tectonic motion, similar to but faster than that on Earth.E) A) and D)
F) A) and C)

Question 9

If we were to observe Neptune a quarter of a billion years in the future,what significant change would we see?

Accepted Answer

A)   The planet would have shrunk considerably as gravity continues to compress it.
B)   Triton would be gone and the ring system would be considerably enhanced.
C)   Triton's retrograde orbit would have become prograde.
D)   The rings will have disappeared.E) A) and D)
F) All of the above

Question 10

Where is the Cassini division found in our solar system?

Accepted Answer

A)   between two major ring systems around Saturn
B)   between two band systems on the visible "surface" of Jupiter
C)   between two major groups of asteroids in the asteroid belt
D)   between the terrestrial and the Jovian planets, occupied by the asteroid beltE) A) and B)
F) A) and D)

Question 11

What is the visual appearance of Neptune from space?

Accepted Answer

A)   reddish belts and light zones parallel to the equator with large red spots
B)   blue-green and featureless
C)   perpetually covered with yellowish, sulfur-rich clouds
D)   blue-green with white, high-altitude clouds and dark stormsE) None of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 12

How much more massive would Jupiter need to be to generate energy by nuclear fusion in its interior?

Accepted Answer

A)   1000 times more massive
B)   It already generates energy by nuclear fusion.
C)   only about twice as massive, as it is almost a star at its present mass
D)   75 times more massiveE) B) and C)
F) None of the above

Question 13

Jupiter has a magnetic field that is:

Accepted Answer

A)   much more powerful than that of Earth.
B)   about the same strength and extent as that of Earth.
C)   weak and variable, sometimes existing only above the Great Red Spot.
D)   very weak, almost nonexistent.E) A) and B)
F) None of the above

Question 14

The magnetosphere of Jupiter is:

Accepted Answer

A)   a narrow layer in which intense electric currents flow, just above the cloud tops in the planet's atmosphere, generating the planet's magnetic field.
B)   the inner regions of Jupiter, just beyond the solid core, that contain liquid metallic hydrogen, where electric currents flow to produce the planet's magnetic field.
C)   a doughnut-shaped region similar to the Van Allen belts around Earth containing high-speed protons and electrons, whose motions produce the planet's magnetic field.
D)   a large cavity created and maintained within the solar wind stream by the planet's magnetic field, filled with extremely hot, ionized plasma.E) B) and C)
F) None of the above

Question 15

In which way is there a similarity between Jupiter and Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)   Jupiter and Earth display the same colors when viewed from space.
B)   Auroras are produced by magnetospheres on both Jupiter and Earth.
C)   The atmospheres of Jupiter and Earth contain the same constituency of gases.
D)   Jupiter and Earth have similar average densities.E) A) and B)
F) C) and D)

Question 16

The Saturnian satellite Pan moves along the Encke gap.Suppose a rock is orbiting within the gap at an orbital radius slightly smaller than that of Pan.Which passage is a CORRECT description of the interaction between Pan and the rock?

Accepted Answer

A)   Pan catches up to and passes the rock. As it does so, it pulls back on the rock, slowing it and causing it to move in an orbit with a larger radius.
B)   Pan catches up to and passes the rock. As it does so, it pulls back on the rock, slowing it and causing it to move in an orbit with a smaller radius.
C)   The rock catches up to and passes Pan. As it does so, Pan pulls itself forward, making it move faster and causing it to move into an orbit with a larger radius.
D)   The rock catches up to and passes Pan. As it does so, Pan pulls itself forward, making it move faster and causing it to move into an orbit with a smaller radius.E) A) and D)
F) B) and C)

Question 17

What are the physical characteristics of the "other" (non-Galilean) moons of Jupiter?

Accepted Answer

A)   only 10 to 20 km in diameter and spherical in shape
B)   500 to 1000 km in diameter and irregular in shape
C)   less than 300 km in diameter and irregular in shape
D)   all sizes up to 1500 km in diameter, the smaller ones irregular and the larger ones sphericalE) B) and C)
F) All of the above

Question 18

What causes Io to be so active geologically?

Accepted Answer

A)   Its mantle has an unusually high density of long-term radioactive elements.
B)   It is still contracting gravitationally and gives out energy via the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism.
C)   It is in a highly eccentric orbit and thus is subjected to tidal flexing from Jupiter.
D)   It is in a very circular orbit, but it is subjected to tidal flexing from Jupiter because of orbital perturbations from the other Galilean satellites.E) B) and D)
F) All of the above

Question 19

The rings of Uranus are:

Accepted Answer

A)   intrinsically very bright, with 70% reflectivity, but they are hard to detect because they are very narrow.
B)   wide, dense, and very bright, with 70% reflectivity.
C)   broad, diffuse, and almost transparent, made up of almost nothing bigger than dust particles.
D)   narrow and very dark.E) A) and D)
F) All of the above

Question 20

Which of the Galilean moons of Jupiter appear(s) to have experienced tectonic activity in the past?

Accepted Answer

A)   Io only
B)   Europa and Ganymede
C)   Europa and Callisto
D)   all fourE) C) and D)
F) B) and C)

Exam 7: The Outer Planets and Their Moons

Where is the Cassini division found in our solar system?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The physical mechanism that is thought to control the motion and position of material in the narrow F ring around Saturn is the:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The magnetosphere of Jupiter is:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If we were to observe Neptune a quarter of a billion years in the future,what significant change would we see?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How much more massive would Jupiter need to be to generate energy by nuclear fusion in its interior?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Io is believed to be mostly rock and iron,much like Earth.How does its density compare with Earth's density?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the dominant circulation pattern in Jupiter's atmosphere (i.e.,at the visible "surface") ?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What observation technique was being used when Saturn's rings were originally discovered?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Saturnian satellite Pan moves along the Encke gap.Suppose a rock is orbiting within the gap at an orbital radius slightly smaller than that of Pan.Which passage is a CORRECT description of the interaction between Pan and the rock?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

MOST of the satellites of Uranus orbit the planet in:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The rings of Uranus are:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The internal structure of the two largest Jovian planets (from the center outward) is a(n) :

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In which way is there a similarity between Jupiter and Earth?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the Galilean moons of Jupiter appear(s) to have experienced tectonic activity in the past?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What are the physical characteristics of the "other" (non-Galilean) moons of Jupiter?

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What is the visual appearance of Neptune from space?

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What causes Io to be so active geologically?

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Jupiter has a magnetic field that is:

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There is a torus of material around Jupiter surrounding the orbit of Io.This torus consists of:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why would you expect to see no craters,such as those on the Moon or Mars,on Io,the innermost Galilean moon of Jupiter?

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