Question 1

The cratered surfaces of Saturn's moons may look like our moons,but in reality they are made chiefly of ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The cratered surfaces of Saturn's moons may...

Question 2

Saturn's rings are edge-on and vanish when it is at:

Accepted Answer

A)  opposition. 
B)  conjunction with the Sun. 
C)  greatest elongation. 
D)  equinox. 
E)  solstice. 
A)  opposition. 
B)  conjunction with the Sun. 
C)  greatest elongation. 
D)  equinox. 
E)  solstice.

Question 3

What did the Huygens and Cassini probes find on the surface of Titan?

Accepted Answer

A)  rocks and no water 
B)  methane oceans 
C)  an ocean and some lakes of methane, ethane, and other hydrocarbons 
D)  lakes and oceans of water 
E)  no methane, no water; just rocks 
A)  rocks and no water 
B)  methane oceans 
C)  an ocean and some lakes of methane, ethane, and other hydrocarbons 
D)  lakes and oceans of water 
E)  no methane, no water; just rocks

Question 4

The atmosphere of Saturn is composed mostly of:

Accepted Answer

A)  methane and ammonia. 
B)  carbon dioxide and ethane. 
C)  hydrogen and helium. 
D)  hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. 
E)  nitrogen and oxygen. 
A)  methane and ammonia. 
B)  carbon dioxide and ethane. 
C)  hydrogen and helium. 
D)  hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. 
E)  nitrogen and oxygen.

Question 5

Why are Saturn's rings so noticeable?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are made of metallic hydrogen. 
B)  They are made of lots of fresh, bright icy particles from a recent breakup. 
C)  The particles in the rings are highly polished from numerous collisions with other particles. 
D)  They are made of nitrogen frost, like the bright surface of Triton. 
E)  Saturn is so bright, the rings reflect a lot of light from both Saturn and the Sun. 
A)  They are made of metallic hydrogen. 
B)  They are made of lots of fresh, bright icy particles from a recent breakup. 
C)  The particles in the rings are highly polished from numerous collisions with other particles. 
D)  They are made of nitrogen frost, like the bright surface of Triton. 
E)  Saturn is so bright, the rings reflect a lot of light from both Saturn and the Sun.

Question 6

Saturn's rings are widest open,doubling the planet's brightness,when it is at:

Accepted Answer

A)  opposition. 
B)  quadrature. 
C)  greatest elongation. 
D)  equinox. 
E)  solstice. 
A)  opposition. 
B)  quadrature. 
C)  greatest elongation. 
D)  equinox. 
E)  solstice.

Question 7

Relate differentiation to Saturn's excess internal heat.

Accepted Answer

Saturn's atmosphere has conspicuously le

Question 8

Contrast the orbital eccentricity and axial tilt of Jupiter and Saturn.

Accepted Answer

Saturn has a more ec

Question 9

If you could find a bathtub big enough for Saturn,the planet would:

Accepted Answer

A)  precipitate more helium. 
B)  float. 
C)  explode due to its liquid metallic hydrogen. 
D)  catch fire, as liquid sodium reacts with water. 
E)  sink due to its metallic interior. 
A)  precipitate more helium. 
B)  float. 
C)  explode due to its liquid metallic hydrogen. 
D)  catch fire, as liquid sodium reacts with water. 
E)  sink due to its metallic interior.

Question 10

Rhea,Saturn's second largest moon,might best be described as:

Accepted Answer

A)  having a very reflective, icy surface that is heavily cratered. 
B)  orbiting in a highly elliptical orbit, far from Saturn. 
C)  having the leading hemisphere six times darker than the following one. 
D)  being composed of the densest material of any Saturnian moon and dark in appearance. 
E)  being the only major moon of any planet not in synchronous rotation. 
A)  having a very reflective, icy surface that is heavily cratered. 
B)  orbiting in a highly elliptical orbit, far from Saturn. 
C)  having the leading hemisphere six times darker than the following one. 
D)  being composed of the densest material of any Saturnian moon and dark in appearance. 
E)  being the only major moon of any planet not in synchronous rotation.

Question 11

Saturn's orbital semi-major axis is almost twice Jupiter's.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

The asymmetrical surface markings on some of Saturn's moons are probably due to:

Accepted Answer

A)  all of the moons are located within the rings and they sweep up ring particles. 
B)  the moons of Saturn are made primarily of ices. 
C)  in most cases, the moons are tidally locked by Saturn's gravity into synchronous rotation. 
D)  comet impacts become progressively harder as you get closer to Saturn. 
E)  most of the moons show signs of ice volcanism driven by tidal interactions. 
A)  all of the moons are located within the rings and they sweep up ring particles. 
B)  the moons of Saturn are made primarily of ices. 
C)  in most cases, the moons are tidally locked by Saturn's gravity into synchronous rotation. 
D)  comet impacts become progressively harder as you get closer to Saturn. 
E)  most of the moons show signs of ice volcanism driven by tidal interactions.

Question 13

Compare the weather visible on the disks of Jupiter and Saturn.

Accepted Answer

Jupiter has much more striking

Question 14

Why do scientists think Titan has an atmosphere while the large moons of Jupiter (Ganymede,Callisto,Europa and Io)do not?

Accepted Answer

A)  The jovian satellites lost their atmospheres because of Jupiter's thermal radiation. 
B)  The jovian satellites never formed atmospheres because the solar nebula was too hot there. 
C)  The jovian satellites had their atmospheres stripped by Jupiter's gravitational pull. 
D)  The jovian satellites experienced too many collisions in their lifetimes to maintain atmospheres. 
E)  Titan got its atmosphere by accreting gases from Saturn. The jovian satellites were competing with one another to do this, so it was unsuccessful for any of them. 
A)  The jovian satellites lost their atmospheres because of Jupiter's thermal radiation. 
B)  The jovian satellites never formed atmospheres because the solar nebula was too hot there. 
C)  The jovian satellites had their atmospheres stripped by Jupiter's gravitational pull. 
D)  The jovian satellites experienced too many collisions in their lifetimes to maintain atmospheres. 
E)  Titan got its atmosphere by accreting gases from Saturn. The jovian satellites were competing with one another to do this, so it was unsuccessful for any of them.

Question 15

Most of the moons of Saturn have rocky,cratered surfaces,like Deimos and Phobos.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Saturn's cloud layer is over twice as thick as Jupiter's cloud layer.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Contrast Saturn's moon Titan with Earth's Moon.

Accepted Answer

Titan and Earth's Moon are sim

Question 18

How many large moons does Saturn have?

Accepted Answer

A)  4 
B)  3 
C)  2 
D)  1 
E)  0 
A)  4 
B)  3 
C)  2 
D)  1 
E)  0

Question 19

Saturn's 1990 white spot had some similarities to Jupiter's Great Red Spot.Discuss some of the similarities and differences.Speculate as to what might cause these.

Accepted Answer

Both storms show turbulent,oval flow pat

Question 20

Saturn's bands,oval storm systems,and turbulent flow patterns are powered by:

Accepted Answer

A)  convective motion and rapid rotation. 
B)  the Greenhouse Effect. 
C)  a liquid metallic hydrogen interior. 
D)  the fusion in Saturn's core. 
E)  the tides of Titan. 
A)  convective motion and rapid rotation. 
B)  the Greenhouse Effect. 
C)  a liquid metallic hydrogen interior. 
D)  the fusion in Saturn's core. 
E)  the tides of Titan.

Exam 12: Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

The cratered surfaces of Saturn's moons may look like our moons,but in reality they are made chiefly of ________.

Saturn's rings are edge-on and vanish when it is at:

What did the Huygens and Cassini probes find on the surface of Titan?

The atmosphere of Saturn is composed mostly of:

Why are Saturn's rings so noticeable?

Saturn's rings are widest open,doubling the planet's brightness,when it is at:

Relate differentiation to Saturn's excess internal heat.

Contrast the orbital eccentricity and axial tilt of Jupiter and Saturn.

If you could find a bathtub big enough for Saturn,the planet would:

Rhea,Saturn's second largest moon,might best be described as:

Saturn's orbital semi-major axis is almost twice Jupiter's.

The asymmetrical surface markings on some of Saturn's moons are probably due to:

Compare the weather visible on the disks of Jupiter and Saturn.

Why do scientists think Titan has an atmosphere while the large moons of Jupiter (Ganymede,Callisto,Europa and Io)do not?

Most of the moons of Saturn have rocky,cratered surfaces,like Deimos and Phobos.

Saturn's cloud layer is over twice as thick as Jupiter's cloud layer.

Contrast Saturn's moon Titan with Earth's Moon.

How many large moons does Saturn have?

Saturn's 1990 white spot had some similarities to Jupiter's Great Red Spot.Discuss some of the similarities and differences.Speculate as to what might cause these.

Saturn's bands,oval storm systems,and turbulent flow patterns are powered by:

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Radiation: Information from the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: The Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Earth: Our Home in Space

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Venus: Earth's Sister Planet

Mars: A Near Miss for Life?

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants,Dwarfs,and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust among the Stars

Star Formation: A Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae,Supernovae,and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: A Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone?

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