Question 1

Large regular moons probably formed

Accepted Answer

A)  when passing asteroids were captured by the gravitational field of their planet. 
B)  at the same time as their planets and grew by accretion. 
C)  after a collision between a planet and a large asteroid fractured off a piece of the planet. 
D)  after the period of heavy bombardment in the early Solar System. 
A)  when passing asteroids were captured by the gravitational field of their planet. 
B)  at the same time as their planets and grew by accretion. 
C)  after a collision between a planet and a large asteroid fractured off a piece of the planet. 
D)  after the period of heavy bombardment in the early Solar System. B

Question 2

If ultraviolet photons destroy methane,why does Titan have so much of it in its atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

Internal heating drives cryovolcanism on Titan,constantly releasing methane into Titan's atmosphere.

Question 3

How do particles from Enceladus wind up in Saturn's E ring?

Accepted Answer

A)  Volcanoes erupt and expel silicates into space. 
B)  Water geysers erupt from the surface and expel them into space. 
C)  Cosmic rays bombard the surface rock on Enceladus and expel them into space. 
D)  A collision with a co-orbiting moon knocked rocky debris into orbit around Saturn. 
A)  Volcanoes erupt and expel silicates into space. 
B)  Water geysers erupt from the surface and expel them into space. 
C)  Cosmic rays bombard the surface rock on Enceladus and expel them into space. 
D)  A collision with a co-orbiting moon knocked rocky debris into orbit around Saturn. B

Question 4

If a planetary ring had an inner diameter of 100,000 km,an outer diameter of 120,000 km,a thickness of 10 meters and a density of   ,what would be the total mass of material in this ring?

Accepted Answer

A)    
B)    
C)    
D)    
A)    
B)    
C)    
D)

Question 5

Which of the following moons do scientists believe most closely represents the primordial Earth,although at a much lower temperature?

Accepted Answer

A)  Titan 
B)  Europa 
C)  Io 
D)  Ganymede 
A)  Titan 
B)  Europa 
C)  Io 
D)  Ganymede

Question 6

By what process do some living organisms survive deep under the ocean near volcanic vents?

Accepted Answer

A)  Electrolysis 
B)  Photosynthesis 
C)  Chemosynthesis 
D)  Magnetosynthesis 
A)  Electrolysis 
B)  Photosynthesis 
C)  Chemosynthesis 
D)  Magnetosynthesis

Question 7

Jupiter's rings are made of material from

Accepted Answer

A)  its largest,innermost moons. 
B)  its upper atmosphere. 
C)  only Io. 
D)  only its retrograde moons. 
A)  its largest,innermost moons. 
B)  its upper atmosphere. 
C)  only Io. 
D)  only its retrograde moons.

Question 8

In terms of the surfaces of moons,brighter surfaces usually indicate older surfaces.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Phobos and Deimos,the two moons of Mars,are thought to have a unique origin.What is it?

Accepted Answer

Mars' two

Question 10

The oceans under Europa's icy crust could be very deep and could contain more water than all the oceans on the Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Why would a planet's rings reflect 50 percent of the sunlight they receive?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are made of ice. 
B)  They are made of silicate rock. 
C)  They are made of iron. 
D)  They are very old. 
A)  They are made of ice. 
B)  They are made of silicate rock. 
C)  They are made of iron. 
D)  They are very old.

Question 12

Where does Titan's thick,nitrogen-rich atmosphere come from?

Accepted Answer

A)  Photodissociation of methane in its atmosphere 
B)  Frequent volcanic eruptions 
C)  It has been deposited by cometary impacts over the age of the Solar System 
D)  Photosynthesis of algae in oceans that lie beneath its icy surface 
A)  Photodissociation of methane in its atmosphere 
B)  Frequent volcanic eruptions 
C)  It has been deposited by cometary impacts over the age of the Solar System 
D)  Photosynthesis of algae in oceans that lie beneath its icy surface

Question 13

Looking at the life forms found to exist in extreme environments on Earth suggests that there are probably three things needed for life.What are they?

Accepted Answer

The three things needed for li

Question 14

If a moon has a retrograde orbit then it

Accepted Answer

A)  orbits in the opposite direction that the planet rotates. 
B)  orbits in the opposite direction that the planet revolves around the Sun. 
C)  orbits in a clockwise direction as viewed from the planet's north pole. 
D)  All of the above 
A)  orbits in the opposite direction that the planet rotates. 
B)  orbits in the opposite direction that the planet revolves around the Sun. 
C)  orbits in a clockwise direction as viewed from the planet's north pole. 
D)  All of the above

Question 15

Ganymede is one of the largest moons in the Solar System.It shows some terrain that is ancient and heavily cratered,younger terrain with less craters,but no terrain that is free of craters.Why would Ganymede's geologic activity stop?

Accepted Answer

Ganymede's geologic activity p

Question 16

To be effective,backlighting should be done with wavelengths of light that are large compared to the size of the object.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Titan's thick atmosphere is believed to have been created when ultraviolet photons broke apart methane molecules,ultimately creating the observed smog-like conditions.This process,though,would likely remove all of the atmospheric methane in roughly 10 million years,yet we still see its presence today.How can this be?

Accepted Answer

A)  Cometary impacts periodically bring new methane to Titan. 
B)  Ethane rains down out of the atmosphere,combines with surface rocks,and creates new methane. 
C)  Infrared photons give atmospheric molecules enough energy to recombine into methane. 
D)  Volcanoes on Titan periodically release new methane into the atmosphere. 
A)  Cometary impacts periodically bring new methane to Titan. 
B)  Ethane rains down out of the atmosphere,combines with surface rocks,and creates new methane. 
C)  Infrared photons give atmospheric molecules enough energy to recombine into methane. 
D)  Volcanoes on Titan periodically release new methane into the atmosphere.

Question 18

Do a planet's rings last forever? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

Because ring particles collide

Question 19

Titan is a prime candidate for life outside Earth because it has

Accepted Answer

A)  liquid water. 
B)  a dense atmosphere like Earth's. 
C)  active volcanoes. 
D)  organic material. 
A)  liquid water. 
B)  a dense atmosphere like Earth's. 
C)  active volcanoes. 
D)  organic material.

Question 20

The yellow colored patches of Io's surface are fields of sulfur dioxide snow.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 11: Planetary Adornmentsmoons and Rings

Large regular moons probably formed

If ultraviolet photons destroy methane,why does Titan have so much of it in its atmosphere?

How do particles from Enceladus wind up in Saturn's E ring?

If a planetary ring had an inner diameter of 100,000 km,an outer diameter of 120,000 km,a thickness of 10 meters and a density of ,what would be the total mass of material in this ring?

Which of the following moons do scientists believe most closely represents the primordial Earth,although at a much lower temperature?

By what process do some living organisms survive deep under the ocean near volcanic vents?

Jupiter's rings are made of material from

In terms of the surfaces of moons,brighter surfaces usually indicate older surfaces.

Phobos and Deimos,the two moons of Mars,are thought to have a unique origin.What is it?

The oceans under Europa's icy crust could be very deep and could contain more water than all the oceans on the Earth.

Why would a planet's rings reflect 50 percent of the sunlight they receive?

Where does Titan's thick,nitrogen-rich atmosphere come from?

Looking at the life forms found to exist in extreme environments on Earth suggests that there are probably three things needed for life.What are they?

If a moon has a retrograde orbit then it

Ganymede is one of the largest moons in the Solar System.It shows some terrain that is ancient and heavily cratered,younger terrain with less craters,but no terrain that is free of craters.Why would Ganymede's geologic activity stop?

To be effective,backlighting should be done with wavelengths of light that are large compared to the size of the object.

Do a planet's rings last forever? Why or why not?

Titan is a prime candidate for life outside Earth because it has

The yellow colored patches of Io's surface are fields of sulfur dioxide snow.

Why Learn Astronomy

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

Gravity and Orbitsa Celestial Ballet

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Worlds of Gas and Liquidthe Giant Planets

Gravity Is More Than Keplers Laws

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

A Run-Of-The-Mill G-Type Starour Sun

Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium

Stars in the Slow Lanelow-Mass Stellar Evolution

Live Fast,die Younghigh-Mass Stellar Evolution

Our Expanding Universe

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

Modern Cosmology

The Origin of Structure

Life

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