Question 1

What appears to be the relationship between the surface of Europa and its interior?

Accepted Answer

A)  A solid ice layer extends from the surface to the rocky mantle. 
B)  A frozen ocean with one small, irregular "continent" overlays several mountain peaks rising above the ice. 
C)  A solid surface of ice overlays a layer of liquid water or slush. 
D)  A light, rocky surface and crust "floats" on a denser but partially molten layer of rock. 
A)  A solid ice layer extends from the surface to the rocky mantle. 
B)  A frozen ocean with one small, irregular "continent" overlays several mountain peaks rising above the ice. 
C)  A solid surface of ice overlays a layer of liquid water or slush. 
D)  A light, rocky surface and crust "floats" on a denser but partially molten layer of rock.

Question 2

What is the source of Jupiter's intense magnetic field?

Accepted Answer

A)  electric currents in ionized layers of Jupiter's atmosphere 
B)  electric currents in Jupiter's molten iron core 
C)  permanently magnetized iron core 
D)  electric currents in Jupiter's liquid hydrogen layer 
A)  electric currents in ionized layers of Jupiter's atmosphere 
B)  electric currents in Jupiter's molten iron core 
C)  permanently magnetized iron core 
D)  electric currents in Jupiter's liquid hydrogen layer

Question 3

Have astronomers observed differential rotation in the atmosphere of Jupiter?

Accepted Answer

A)  No. The entire atmosphere rotates together. 
B)  Yes. The polar regions rotate slightly faster than the equatorial regions. 
C)  Yes. The equatorial regions rotate slightly faster than the polar regions. 
D)  Yes. The equatorial regions rotate much faster (approximately half the period) than the polar regions. 
A)  No. The entire atmosphere rotates together. 
B)  Yes. The polar regions rotate slightly faster than the equatorial regions. 
C)  Yes. The equatorial regions rotate slightly faster than the polar regions. 
D)  Yes. The equatorial regions rotate much faster (approximately half the period) than the polar regions.

Question 4

The water in the ocean predicted to occur below the surface of Jupiter's moon Callisto is heated above its freezing point by heat from

Accepted Answer

A)  absorption of solar UV and visible radiation at this depth in the moon. 
B)  tidal distortions of the moon by the combined gravity of Jupiter and the other moons. 
C)  radioactive decay of heavy elements in the moon's core. 
D)  electric currents flowing in this conducting liquid, induced by the motion of the moon through Jupiter's magnetic field. 
A)  absorption of solar UV and visible radiation at this depth in the moon. 
B)  tidal distortions of the moon by the combined gravity of Jupiter and the other moons. 
C)  radioactive decay of heavy elements in the moon's core. 
D)  electric currents flowing in this conducting liquid, induced by the motion of the moon through Jupiter's magnetic field.

Question 5

Which of these sentences describes the motions of the particles in the rings of Saturn?

Accepted Answer

A)  Each of the particles moves in an almost circular Keplerian orbit around the planet. 
B)  The particles move in randomly oriented elliptical orbits and collide frequently with one another. 
C)  The particles move in zigzag patterns within the ring system because of interaction with the major moons. 
D)  The particles all move in concert as if they were a solid sheet because of electrostatic interaction. 
A)  Each of the particles moves in an almost circular Keplerian orbit around the planet. 
B)  The particles move in randomly oriented elliptical orbits and collide frequently with one another. 
C)  The particles move in zigzag patterns within the ring system because of interaction with the major moons. 
D)  The particles all move in concert as if they were a solid sheet because of electrostatic interaction.

Question 6

The existence of the Great Red Spot of Jupiter has been known since

Accepted Answer

A)  the arrival at Jupiter of Voyager 1, with its imaging cameras, in 1979. 
B)  the time of Hooke and Cassini in the 1600s. 
C)  first light at the 200-inch telescope on Mount Palomar, in 1948. 
D)  the first flyby of a spacecraft, Pioneer 10, in December 1973. 
A)  the arrival at Jupiter of Voyager 1, with its imaging cameras, in 1979. 
B)  the time of Hooke and Cassini in the 1600s. 
C)  first light at the 200-inch telescope on Mount Palomar, in 1948. 
D)  the first flyby of a spacecraft, Pioneer 10, in December 1973.

Question 7

What is helium rain?

Accepted Answer

A)  In Jupiter's large gravitational field, helium is condensed to liquid and falls until it becomes liquid metallic hydrogen. 
B)  Titan's thick atmosphere produces condensed helium, which falls like rain. 
C)  The cold temperatures in Saturn's atmosphere cause helium to condense and to fall toward the interior like rain. 
D)  Helium gas from Jupiter is conducted along the intense magnetic field lines to fall as rain on Europa. Europa is colder because it does not have the internal heating experienced by Jupiter. 
A)  In Jupiter's large gravitational field, helium is condensed to liquid and falls until it becomes liquid metallic hydrogen. 
B)  Titan's thick atmosphere produces condensed helium, which falls like rain. 
C)  The cold temperatures in Saturn's atmosphere cause helium to condense and to fall toward the interior like rain. 
D)  Helium gas from Jupiter is conducted along the intense magnetic field lines to fall as rain on Europa. Europa is colder because it does not have the internal heating experienced by Jupiter.

Question 8

Which of these techniques is NOT used to determine the size of the particles that make up the rings of Saturn?

Accepted Answer

A)  studying the fraction of visible light reflected from the rings 
B)  studying the fraction of radio waves reflected from the rings 
C)  studying the colors of the rings 
D)  measuring the orbital periods of the particles in the rings 
A)  studying the fraction of visible light reflected from the rings 
B)  studying the fraction of radio waves reflected from the rings 
C)  studying the colors of the rings 
D)  measuring the orbital periods of the particles in the rings

Question 9

Which of these chemicals is the MOST abundant in the outer atmosphere of Jupiter?

Accepted Answer

A)  H2O (water vapor) 
B)  CH4 (methane) 
C)  NH3 (ammonia) 
D)  CO2 (carbon dioxide) 
A)  H2O (water vapor) 
B)  CH4 (methane) 
C)  NH3 (ammonia) 
D)  CO2 (carbon dioxide)

Question 10

Like Jupiter, Saturn gives out more energy than it receives from the Sun. But unlike Jupiter, much of Saturn's excess energy comes from

Accepted Answer

A)  the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism. 
B)  radioactivity. 
C)  friction among the ring particles. 
D)  helium rain. 
A)  the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism. 
B)  radioactivity. 
C)  friction among the ring particles. 
D)  helium rain.

Question 11

Where in the solar system would one look for liquid hydrogen?

Accepted Answer

A)  on the polar caps of Mars 
B)  on the surface of Venus, beneath the clouds 
C)  Nowhere, because it is not cold enough anywhere in the solar system to liquefy hydrogen 
D)  in the deep interiors of Jupiter and Saturn 
A)  on the polar caps of Mars 
B)  on the surface of Venus, beneath the clouds 
C)  Nowhere, because it is not cold enough anywhere in the solar system to liquefy hydrogen 
D)  in the deep interiors of Jupiter and Saturn

Question 12

What appears to have caused the extensive cracking and streaking of the surface of Europa?

Accepted Answer

A)  shrinking of the satellite as it cooled, producing extensive wrinkling 
B)  impacts by cometary debris breaking up the surface 
C)  expansion of the surface as the ice froze, bending and wrinkling the surface 
D)  tidal flexing by Jupiter and its other moons, which broke the surface and released water that immediately froze 
A)  shrinking of the satellite as it cooled, producing extensive wrinkling 
B)  impacts by cometary debris breaking up the surface 
C)  expansion of the surface as the ice froze, bending and wrinkling the surface 
D)  tidal flexing by Jupiter and its other moons, which broke the surface and released water that immediately froze

Question 13

Neptune's predominantly blue appearance is caused by

Accepted Answer

A)  preferential scattering away from the planet of the blue end of the solar spectrum, in a similar process to that operating in Earth's atmosphere. 
B)  auroral emissions caused by solar wind particles exciting the atoms and molecules in Neptune's high atmosphere. 
C)  the fact that solar light has lost much of its red light by scattering in the interplanetary medium at the distance of Neptune. 
D)  absorption of the red end of the spectrum of reflected sunlight by the methane in its atmosphere. 
A)  preferential scattering away from the planet of the blue end of the solar spectrum, in a similar process to that operating in Earth's atmosphere. 
B)  auroral emissions caused by solar wind particles exciting the atoms and molecules in Neptune's high atmosphere. 
C)  the fact that solar light has lost much of its red light by scattering in the interplanetary medium at the distance of Neptune. 
D)  absorption of the red end of the spectrum of reflected sunlight by the methane in its atmosphere.

Question 14

What is the Great Red Spot?

Accepted Answer

A)  dark, polar hood in the clouds of Titan, a satellite of Saturn 
B)  large storm on Neptune discovered by the Voyager spacecraft 
C)  lava lake on Io, a satellite of Jupiter 
D)  large and long-lived, possibly permanent storm on Jupiter 
A)  dark, polar hood in the clouds of Titan, a satellite of Saturn 
B)  large storm on Neptune discovered by the Voyager spacecraft 
C)  lava lake on Io, a satellite of Jupiter 
D)  large and long-lived, possibly permanent storm on Jupiter

Question 15

One of the MOST important sources of heat in the interiors of moons that orbit close to giant planets is

Accepted Answer

A)  thermal energy from the moon's parental planets. 
B)  continuous tidal distortion from the planet and other moons. 
C)  reflection of sunlight from the planet's surface. 
D)  decay of radioactive elements within the moons. 
A)  thermal energy from the moon's parental planets. 
B)  continuous tidal distortion from the planet and other moons. 
C)  reflection of sunlight from the planet's surface. 
D)  decay of radioactive elements within the moons.

Question 16

The interior of Titan appears to include all of these EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

A)  rocks. 
B)  ice. 
C)  high levels of radioactivity. 
D)  liquid water. 
A)  rocks. 
B)  ice. 
C)  high levels of radioactivity. 
D)  liquid water.

Question 17

Which spacecraft visited Saturn in 2004 to image both the planet and its moons and to send a probe onto one of its moons?

Accepted Answer

A)  Voyager, on its next flyby of Saturn 
B)  Cassini 
C)  Hubble Space Telescope 
D)  Huygens 
A)  Voyager, on its next flyby of Saturn 
B)  Cassini 
C)  Hubble Space Telescope 
D)  Huygens

Question 18

Which one of these descriptions of Miranda, one of the satellites of Uranus, is correct?

Accepted Answer

A)  heavily cratered, icy surface with deformation and flowing due to heating in some regions 
B)  icy, frost-covered surface with vents of rising gas visible in the northern hemisphere 
C)  icy surface with chaotically varied terrain 
D)  rocky surface with active volcanoes 
A)  heavily cratered, icy surface with deformation and flowing due to heating in some regions 
B)  icy, frost-covered surface with vents of rising gas visible in the northern hemisphere 
C)  icy surface with chaotically varied terrain 
D)  rocky surface with active volcanoes

Question 19

The interior of Uranus has three layers. These do NOT include

Accepted Answer

A)  liquid hydrogen and helium. 
B)  liquid metallic hydrogen. 
C)  compressed liquid water. 
D)  rocks and metals. 
A)  liquid hydrogen and helium. 
B)  liquid metallic hydrogen. 
C)  compressed liquid water. 
D)  rocks and metals.

Question 20

The rings of Saturn are in which plane with respect to the planetary system?

Accepted Answer

A)  orbital plane of Saturn around the Sun 
B)  equatorial plane of Saturn 
C)  plane inclined at an angle to both the orbital and equatorial planes of the planet and to the ecliptic plane, which is why they can be easily seen face-on from Earth 
D)  ecliptic plane 
A)  orbital plane of Saturn around the Sun 
B)  equatorial plane of Saturn 
C)  plane inclined at an angle to both the orbital and equatorial planes of the planet and to the ecliptic plane, which is why they can be easily seen face-on from Earth 
D)  ecliptic plane

What appears to be the relationship between the surface of Europa and its interior?

What is the source of Jupiter's intense magnetic field?

Have astronomers observed differential rotation in the atmosphere of Jupiter?

The water in the ocean predicted to occur below the surface of Jupiter's moon Callisto is heated above its freezing point by heat from

Which of these sentences describes the motions of the particles in the rings of Saturn?

The existence of the Great Red Spot of Jupiter has been known since

What is helium rain?

Which of these techniques is NOT used to determine the size of the particles that make up the rings of Saturn?

Which of these chemicals is the MOST abundant in the outer atmosphere of Jupiter?

Like Jupiter, Saturn gives out more energy than it receives from the Sun. But unlike Jupiter, much of Saturn's excess energy comes from

Where in the solar system would one look for liquid hydrogen?

What appears to have caused the extensive cracking and streaking of the surface of Europa?

Neptune's predominantly blue appearance is caused by

What is the Great Red Spot?

One of the MOST important sources of heat in the interiors of moons that orbit close to giant planets is

The interior of Titan appears to include all of these EXCEPT

Which spacecraft visited Saturn in 2004 to image both the planet and its moons and to send a probe onto one of its moons?

Which one of these descriptions of Miranda, one of the satellites of Uranus, is correct?

The interior of Uranus has three layers. These do NOT include

The rings of Saturn are in which plane with respect to the planetary system?

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Motion of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Atomic Physics and Spectra

Exoplanets and the Formation of Planetary Systems

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Moon

The Other Terrestrial Planets

Vagabonds of the Solar System

The Sun: Our Extraordinary Star

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes: Matters of Gravity

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Quasars and Other Active Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters

Exam 9: The Outer Planets

What appears to be the relationship between the surface of Europa and its interior?

What is the source of Jupiter's intense magnetic field?

Have astronomers observed differential rotation in the atmosphere of Jupiter?

The water in the ocean predicted to occur below the surface of Jupiter's moon Callisto is heated above its freezing point by heat from

Which of these sentences describes the motions of the particles in the rings of Saturn?

The existence of the Great Red Spot of Jupiter has been known since

What is helium rain?

Which of these techniques is NOT used to determine the size of the particles that make up the rings of Saturn?

Which of these chemicals is the MOST abundant in the outer atmosphere of Jupiter?

Like Jupiter, Saturn gives out more energy than it receives from the Sun. But unlike Jupiter, much of Saturn's excess energy comes from

Where in the solar system would one look for liquid hydrogen?

What appears to have caused the extensive cracking and streaking of the surface of Europa?

Neptune's predominantly blue appearance is caused by

What is the Great Red Spot?

One of the MOST important sources of heat in the interiors of moons that orbit close to giant planets is

The interior of Titan appears to include all of these EXCEPT

Which spacecraft visited Saturn in 2004 to image both the planet and its moons and to send a probe onto one of its moons?

Which one of these descriptions of Miranda, one of the satellites of Uranus, is correct?

The interior of Uranus has three layers. These do NOT include

The rings of Saturn are in which plane with respect to the planetary system?

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Motion of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Atomic Physics and Spectra

Exoplanets and the Formation of Planetary Systems

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Moon

The Other Terrestrial Planets

Vagabonds of the Solar System

The Sun: Our Extraordinary Star

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes: Matters of Gravity

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Quasars and Other Active Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters