Question 1

What is the future of Triton?

Accepted Answer

In retrograde orbit, it will spiral inside Neptune's Roche Limit, to be broken up into a new, spectacular ring around the blue world.

Question 2

Which of the following rings of Saturn lies closest to the planet?

Accepted Answer

A)  the A ring 
B)  the B ring 
C)  the C ring 
D)  the E ring 
E)  the F ring 
A)  the A ring 
B)  the B ring 
C)  the C ring 
D)  the E ring 
E)  the F ring C

Question 3

The surface of Europa is most like the Earth's

Accepted Answer

A)  South Pole. 
B)  deserts. 
C)  Himalayan peaks. 
D)  Arctic Ocean. 
E)  tundra. 
A)  South Pole. 
B)  deserts. 
C)  Himalayan peaks. 
D)  Arctic Ocean. 
E)  tundra. D

Question 4

Io's surface volcanism is driven by phase changes of sulfur and its compounds.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Which was NOT a Voyager discovery about the rings of Saturn?

Accepted Answer

A)  There are hundreds of smaller moons imbedded in them, creating the gaps. 
B)  They have dark spokes that defy gravity. 
C)  The F ring particles are herded by two shepherd moons. 
D)  The E ring may have been made by volcanic eruptions from Enceladus. 
E)  They are made of tens of thousands of narrow ringlets. 
A)  There are hundreds of smaller moons imbedded in them, creating the gaps. 
B)  They have dark spokes that defy gravity. 
C)  The F ring particles are herded by two shepherd moons. 
D)  The E ring may have been made by volcanic eruptions from Enceladus. 
E)  They are made of tens of thousands of narrow ringlets.

Question 6

The Huygens probe of the ESA made a successful landing on

Accepted Answer

A)  Europa. 
B)  Titan. 
C)  Saturn. 
D)  Mars. 
E)  Triton. 
A)  Europa. 
B)  Titan. 
C)  Saturn. 
D)  Mars. 
E)  Triton.

Question 7

If Saturn takes about 30 years to orbit the Sun, and its rings were seen edge- on in 1995, when did they next appear most open at solstice?

Accepted Answer

A)  2002 
B)  1998 
C)  2005 
D)  2010 
E)  2007 
A)  2002 
B)  1998 
C)  2005 
D)  2010 
E)  2007

Question 8

One hemisphere of Enceladus may have the youngest surface of any of the jovian moons, with volcanoes spewing "ash" and "lava flows" of .

Accepted Answer

The answer of One hemisphere of Enceladus may have the...

Question 9

Which statement about Jupiter's rings is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  They were discovered by Galileo at the same time he discovered the moons. 
B)  They are larger than Saturn's, but darker. 
C)  They are made, in part, of material ejected by Europa's volcanoes. 
D)  They lie inside Jupiter's Roche Limit. 
E)  They are dark because their ices are dirtier than Saturn's. 
A)  They were discovered by Galileo at the same time he discovered the moons. 
B)  They are larger than Saturn's, but darker. 
C)  They are made, in part, of material ejected by Europa's volcanoes. 
D)  They lie inside Jupiter's Roche Limit. 
E)  They are dark because their ices are dirtier than Saturn's.

Question 10

Why are the rings of Saturn so bright?

Accepted Answer

A)  Light reflected off of gigantic Titan reinforces the sunlight. 
B)  They are made of glassy beads expelled by the volcanoes of Enceladus. 
C)  They are made of frozen metallic hydrogen. 
D)  They are made of young, fresh water ice. 
E)  They are made of metallic iron, never rusted by exposure to oxygen. 
A)  Light reflected off of gigantic Titan reinforces the sunlight. 
B)  They are made of glassy beads expelled by the volcanoes of Enceladus. 
C)  They are made of frozen metallic hydrogen. 
D)  They are made of young, fresh water ice. 
E)  They are made of metallic iron, never rusted by exposure to oxygen.

Question 11

How would most planetary scientists classify Pluto? Why was this not done when it was found in 1930, misleading generations of elementary school children?

Accepted Answer

It is the largest of the Kuiper Belt Obj

Question 12

What role did Percival Lowell play that led to the discovery and naming of Pluto?

Accepted Answer

He predicted the existence of "Planet X"

Question 13

When Saturn is at Equinox, its rings will

Accepted Answer

A)  lie in the plane of the ecliptic. 
B)  contract closer to the planet's surface. 
C)  lie perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic. 
D)  appear face- on to the Earth. 
E)  double the planet's brightness. 
A)  lie in the plane of the ecliptic. 
B)  contract closer to the planet's surface. 
C)  lie perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic. 
D)  appear face- on to the Earth. 
E)  double the planet's brightness.

Question 14

The retrograde orbit of Triton dooms it to spiral inward toward Neptune, perhaps someday to make a ring system.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Contrast the volcanism of Io and Triton.

Accepted Answer

Both are driven by tidal flexi

Question 16

Probably the next satellite to get turned into ring debris will be Neptune's backward moon, Triton.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

The lakes on Titan have not been observed to have any waves. What does this suggest?

Accepted Answer

This suggests the pr

Question 18

Most astronomers now regard Pluto as the largest , and NOT a planet.

Accepted Answer

Kuiper Bel

Question 19

Which four moons are believed to have large bodies of liquid water?

Accepted Answer

Titan, Eur

Question 20

Pluto was discovered in 1930 by _ .

Accepted Answer

The answer of Pluto was discovered in 1930 by _...

What is the future of Triton?

Which of the following rings of Saturn lies closest to the planet?

The surface of Europa is most like the Earth's

Io's surface volcanism is driven by phase changes of sulfur and its compounds.

Which was NOT a Voyager discovery about the rings of Saturn?

The Huygens probe of the ESA made a successful landing on

If Saturn takes about 30 years to orbit the Sun, and its rings were seen edge- on in 1995, when did they next appear most open at solstice?

One hemisphere of Enceladus may have the youngest surface of any of the jovian moons, with volcanoes spewing "ash" and "lava flows" of .

Which statement about Jupiter's rings is true?

Why are the rings of Saturn so bright?

How would most planetary scientists classify Pluto? Why was this not done when it was found in 1930, misleading generations of elementary school children?

What role did Percival Lowell play that led to the discovery and naming of Pluto?

When Saturn is at Equinox, its rings will

The retrograde orbit of Triton dooms it to spiral inward toward Neptune, perhaps someday to make a ring system.

Contrast the volcanism of Io and Triton.

Probably the next satellite to get turned into ring debris will be Neptune's backward moon, Triton.

The lakes on Titan have not been observed to have any waves. What does this suggest?

Most astronomers now regard Pluto as the largest , and NOT a planet.

Which four moons are believed to have large bodies of liquid water?

Pluto was discovered in 1930 by _ .

Charting the Heavens: the Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: the Birth of Modern Science

Light and Matter: the Inner Workings of the Cosmos

Telescopes: the Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Interplanetary Matter and the Birth of the Planets

Earth and Its Moon: Our Cosmic Backyard

The Terrestrial Planets: a Study in Contrasts

The Jovian Planets: Giants of the Solar System

The Sun: Our Parent Star

Measuring the Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Star Formation in the Milky Way

Stellar Evolution: the Lives and Deaths of Stars

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Normal and Active Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Hubbles Law and Dark Matter: the Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: the Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

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Exam 9: Moons, Rings, and Plutoids: Small Worlds Among Giants

What is the future of Triton?

Which of the following rings of Saturn lies closest to the planet?

The surface of Europa is most like the Earth's

Io's surface volcanism is driven by phase changes of sulfur and its compounds.

Which was NOT a Voyager discovery about the rings of Saturn?

The Huygens probe of the ESA made a successful landing on

If Saturn takes about 30 years to orbit the Sun, and its rings were seen edge- on in 1995, when did they next appear most open at solstice?

One hemisphere of Enceladus may have the youngest surface of any of the jovian moons, with volcanoes spewing "ash" and "lava flows" of .

Which statement about Jupiter's rings is true?

Why are the rings of Saturn so bright?

How would most planetary scientists classify Pluto? Why was this not done when it was found in 1930, misleading generations of elementary school children?

What role did Percival Lowell play that led to the discovery and naming of Pluto?

When Saturn is at Equinox, its rings will

The retrograde orbit of Triton dooms it to spiral inward toward Neptune, perhaps someday to make a ring system.

Contrast the volcanism of Io and Triton.

Probably the next satellite to get turned into ring debris will be Neptune's backward moon, Triton.

The lakes on Titan have not been observed to have any waves. What does this suggest?

Most astronomers now regard Pluto as the largest , and NOT a planet.

Which four moons are believed to have large bodies of liquid water?

Pluto was discovered in 1930 by _ .

Charting the Heavens: the Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: the Birth of Modern Science

Light and Matter: the Inner Workings of the Cosmos

Telescopes: the Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Interplanetary Matter and the Birth of the Planets

Earth and Its Moon: Our Cosmic Backyard

The Terrestrial Planets: a Study in Contrasts

The Jovian Planets: Giants of the Solar System

The Sun: Our Parent Star

Measuring the Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Star Formation in the Milky Way

Stellar Evolution: the Lives and Deaths of Stars

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Normal and Active Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Hubbles Law and Dark Matter: the Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: the Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

Filters