Deck 18: The Outer Solar System

Question 1

Belt and zone circulation

A) occurs on Jupiter.
B) occurs on Saturn.
C) is caused by rising and sinking gases.
D) is more obvious on Jupiter than on Saturn.
E) All of the other choices are correct.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

____________ in Saturn's rings is/are produced by the gravitational interaction of Mimas with the particles in the rings and appears as a large ____________ in the rings.

A) Cassini's division; gap
B) Cassini's division; clump
C) Moons; gap
D) Moons; clump

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The Roche limit is the

A) distance from the Sun within which a planet cannot retain an atmosphere.
B) minimum mass of an object in the solar system that would be classified as a planet.
C) maximum separation distance between the Sun and a given planet.
D) distance from Earth at which we lose radio communication with a satellite.
E) distance from a planet within which a planet cannot hold itself together.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Though Titan has a small mass , it is able to retain an atmosphere because it

A) is very cold.
B) is very hot
C) has an iron surface.
D) attracts gas from the solar wind.

Question 5

Liquid metallic hydrogen is found in the interior(s) of

A) Jupiter.
B) Saturn.
C) Jupiter and Saturn.
D) neither Jupiter nor Saturn.

Question 6

The ____________ of a planet is the region around the planet where the magnetic field is able to deflect the solar wind and other charged particles.

A) aurora
B) magnetosphere
C) hydrosphere
D) corona
E) Schwarzschild radius

Question 7

As a moon in a very elliptical orbit moves closer to and then farther from a planet, gravity flexes the moon with tides, and friction heats the interior. This process is referred to as

A) tidal heating.
B) occultation.
C) vaporization.
D) differentiation.
E) sublimation.

Question 8

The fresh, newly created surfaces of icy satellites of Jovian planets

A) appear dark in color with few impact craters.
B) appear dark in color with many impact craters.
C) appear very bright because fresh ice is very reflective.
D) generally show long bright grooves and a modest number of impact craters.
E) generally have small volcanoes that are active.

Question 9

The atmosphere of ____________ contains mostly nitrogen with some methane.

A) Jupiter
B) Earth's Moon
C) Callisto
D) Titan
E) Miranda

Question 10

At Jupiter's very center is a core of

A) heavy elements (molten rock and iron).
B) helium.
C) hydrogen.
D) heavy elements (molten rock and iron) and helium.

Question 11

Both Jupiter and Saturn

A) have liquid metallic hydrogen in their interiors.
B) have rings.
C) emit more energy than they absorb from the Sun.
D) have belt and zone circulation.
E) All of the other choices are correct.

Question 12

Which of these Galilean satellites is most geologically active?

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

Question 13

In what way is the rocky material of Jupiter's core different from the rocks found on Earth?

A) It is much cooler because Jupiter is further from the Sun.
B) It contains more liquid water.
C) It is much hotter and denser because of the extreme pressure at the core of Jupiter.
D) It is not composed of iron and nickel because this material will float of the surface.
E) It is composed entirely of ices that have frozen into a large rock-like structure.

Question 14

____________ are Kuiper belt objects that are in a 3:2 resonance orbit with the orbit of Neptune.

A) Plutinos
B) Charons
C) Protons
D) Lepton
E) Resonons

Question 15

The graph below indicates the temperature of Saturn's atmosphere as a function of distance from the upper cloud layer. Water will condense to form droplets at a temperature of approximately 270 K in the atmosphere of Saturn. At what distance from the upper cloud layer will clouds of water vapor form?

A) − 250 km
B) − 150 km
C) 0 km
D) 150 km
E) 250 km

Question 16

The Galilean satellites orbit

A) Jupiter.
B) Saturn.
C) Uranus.
D) Neptune.
E) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Question 17

The old surfaces of icy satellites of Jovian planets

A) appear dark in color with few impact craters.
B) appear dark in color with many impact craters.
C) appear very bright because ice is very reflective.
D) generally show long bright grooves and a modest number of impact craters.
E) generally have small volcanoes that are active.

Question 18

The grooved terrain found on Ganymede is believed to be

A) flow channels for liquid water.
B) flow channels for liquid methane.
C) a system of faults in the crust.
D) the peaks of water waves in a large ocean.
E) caused by meteor impacts with the surface of Ganymede.

Question 19

Which of the following objects may have organic particles on its surface as a result of the interaction of sunlight with methane in its upper atmosphere?

A) Io
B) Titan
C) Mimas
D) Ganymede
E) Callisto

Question 20

Liquid metallic hydrogen is found in the interior(s) of

A) Uranus.
B) Neptune.
C) Uranus and Neptune.
D) neither Uranus nor Neptune.

Question 21

Triton has a retrograde orbit around Neptune. This means that ____________.

A) Triton orbits in the same direction as Neptune rotates on its axis.
B) Triton orbits in the opposite direction to the way Neptune rotates on its axis.
C) Triton does not orbit around Neptune. Instead, it stands still.

Question 22

Some narrow rings of Saturn are seen in space probe photos to be caused by

A) gravitational interactions between ring particles.
B) a spiral density wave which confines them.
C) the magnetic field which holds them in place.
D) small shepherd moons that orbit inside and outside the rings

Question 23

The rings of Uranus were discovered ____________

A) during an occultation of a star by the rings (as well as by the planet).
B) during an eclipse of one of the moons by the rings.
C) during a voyage to Uranus by astronauts
D) as Uranus and the rings passed behind Jupiter.
E) during an encounter by the Voyager 1 space probe.

Question 24

On its icy surface, Uranus's satellite Ariel has smooth valleys with few craters. Other areas are rough with many craters. Based on this, it can be concluded that

A) valleys are young and the rough areas are old.
B) the valleys are old and the rough areas are young.
C) both valleys and rough areas are young.
D) both valleys and rough areas are old.

Question 25

The reddish particles in Jupiter's ring are less than 1 percent as reflective as Saturn's whiter particles. Saturn's ring particles are thought to be ____________while Jupiters are thought to be ____________.

A) icy; rocky
B) rocky; icy
C) icy; also icy
D) rocky; also rocky

Question 26

Europa has few craters because

A) it is protected from impacts by Jupiter's gravity.
B) it does not have a solid surface.
C) it has erased craters nearly as fast as they have formed.
D) its surface is not strong enough to support craters.
E) it keeps one face always pointed toward Jupiter which screens it from incoming meteorites.

Question 27

The diagram below shows a cross section of the interior of Uranus. Which of the regions do current computer models suggest is composed primarily of partly solid water? The lowest pressure regions will be gaseous.

A) region 1
B) region 2
C) region 3
D) regions 1, 2, and 3
E) none of the regions

Question 28

Which of these are nearly 90 degrees to the orbit plane of Uranus?

A) Uranus' equator
B) the orbital planes of its major satellites
C) the orbital plane of its rings
D) Uranus' equator, the orbital planes of its major satellites, and the orbital plane of its rings.

Question 29

Which of the following are found on Triton?

A) craters
B) flooded basins
C) atmospheric clouds
D) a thick nitrogen atmosphere
E) craters, flooded basins, atmospheric clouds, and a thick nitrogen atmosphere

Question 30

Uranus and Neptune do not contain liquid metallic hydrogen because they

A) are not massive enough.
B) do not contain enough hydrogen.
C) rotate too slowly.
D) are too far from the Sun.
E) have magnetic fields that are much too weak.

Question 31

Uranus and Neptune appear blue or blue-green because

A) their atmospheres absorb blue light very efficiently.
B) their solid air-less surfaces are this color
C) their surfaces are covered with liquid water with no atmosphere
D) traces of methane in their atmospheres absorb red light very efficiently.

Question 32

The magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune are peculiar in that they are

A) highly inclined to their planet's axis of rotation.
B) very weak (virtually zero).
C) produced by the solar wind.
D) produced by disturbances caused by the orbits of the moons.
E) all of the above.

Question 33

Which of these wins the prize as the blandest appearing planet as revealed visually by space probes?

A) Jupiter
B) Saturn
C) Uranus
D) Neptune

Question 34

____________ is a satellite of Pluto.

A) Miranda
B) Charon
C) Venus
D) Krypton
E) Nereid

Question 35

The rotation of Uranus is peculiar in that

A) it is very slow, nearly zero.
B) it is much faster than is typical for Jovian planets.
C) it first turns in one direction, then stops and turns in the opposite direction.
D) the axis is nearly parallel to the plane of its orbit.

Question 36

The narrowness of the rings of Uranus and Neptune is believed to be caused by

A) gravitational interactions between ring particles.
B) a spiral density wave which confines them.
C) the magnetic field which holds them in place.
D) the smaller mass of Uranus and Neptune as compared to that of Saturn.
E) small shepherd moons that orbit near the rings.

Question 37

The graph below plots the escape velocity of several solar system objects along the vertical axis and the surface temperature along the horizontal axis. The lines plotted in the figure are the speeds of the fastest gas particles as a function of temperature for various gases. Which of the objects in this diagram has the greatest surface temperature?

A) Ganymede
B) Pluto
C) Titan
D) Triton
E) Miranda

Question 38

Saturn's rings are

A) composed of ice particles.
B) in the plane of the planet's equator.
C) within the planet's Roche limit.
D) composed of ice particles, in the plane of the planet's equator, and are within the planet's Roche limit.
E) None of the other choices are correct.

Question 39

Saturn's atmosphere

A) has more distinctive zones and belts than Jupiter's.
B) is rich in free oxygen.
C) is hazy above the clouds.
D) has more distinctive zones and belts than Jupiter's, is rich in free oxygen, and is hazy above the clouds.
E) does not have more distinctive zones and belts than Jupiter's, is not rich in free oxygen, and is not hazy above the clouds.

Question 40

We can be sure the particles in the rings of Neptune are very small because

A) the rings are faint in forward-scattered light.
B) the rings are bright in forward-scattered light.
C) only small particles are produced in comet impacts with larger moons.
D) the magnetic field of Neptune would quickly force large particles out of the rings.
E) the larger particles would be quickly destroyed by impacts with the shepherd satellites.

Question 41

The visual wavelength image above shows four moons of Jupiter. The furthest one on the right is known as __________.

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

Question 42

What type of geological activity is seen on Neptune's moon Triton?

A) Plate tectonics and earthquakes are a common occurrence on Triton.
B) Volcanoes of molten lava, similar to Earth, have been seen there.
C) Geysers of liquid nitrogen are seen erupting from its surface.
D) Geysers of liquid water are seen erupting from its surface.

Question 43

On the night side and in the northern hemisphere of this Galilean moon is an eruption of small particles that scatter the light, as shown in this image that combines visual and infrared data. Based upon this information, which Galilean moon is in the image?

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

Question 44

Which moon of the Jovian planets has a thick, hazy atmosphere?

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

Question 45

Which planet is shown in the image above that combines both visual and infrared data?

A) Jupiter
B) Saturn
C) Uranus
D) Neptune

Question 46

Which moon of Neptune has a thin atmosphere and frosty polar caps?

A) Triton
B) Titan
C) Io
D) Charon

Question 47

As shown above, the solar wind is deflected around the _____________.

A) magnetic field lines
B) axis of rotation
C) planet
D) magnetosphere

Question 48

Why is Saturn's moon Titan able to retain an atmosphere?

A) Titan only contains light gases which are easy to retain.
B) Titan has a large enough mass and is cold enough.
C) Titan is biologically active.
D) It is so close to Saturn that Saturn's gravity retains Titan's atmosphere.

Question 49

Why is it believed that the rings of Saturn could not have formed just as the planet itself formed?

A) Over time the solar wind should have blown away the particles in the rings.
B) The particles in the rings should fall into the planet in a short period of time.
C) The rings are made of ice particles which would have been vaporized by the heat released as Saturn formed.
D) The outer planets do not have enough mass to hold on to the rings.

Question 50

Methane-rich atmospheric planets ______________ and ________________ probably formed closer to the Sun and migrated outward.

A) Jupiter and Saturn
B) Saturn and Uranus
C) Uranus and Neptune
D) Jupiter and Neptune

Question 51

What is one possible reasons Jupiter and Saturn radiate more energy than they receive from the Sun?

A) Magnetic and electric fields heat the planet.
B) Fusion reactions of hydrogen into helium inside the planet provide an additional heat source.
C) The planets are still radiating heat from when they first formed.
D) Friction between the planet and its moons heat the planet.

Question 52

Compared to Jupiter, Saturn's water, ammonia hydrosulfide, and ammonia clouds are at a ____________ altitude and at a/the ____________ temperature as indicated in the above graph.

A) lower, cooler
B) higher, hotter
C) lower, same
D) higher, same

Question 53

What causes the geological activity seen on some of the inner moons of Jupiter?

A) Constant collisions with space debris provide a power source for geological activity.
B) The strong magnetic field of Jupiter heats the surface of the inner moons.
C) Tidal friction as a result of being so close Jupiter heats their interiors.
D) Solar radiation reflected of Jupiter's surface provides a power source for geological activity.

Question 54

Using the graph above, above what temperature would we find a clear hydrogen atmosphere and at what temperature?

A) -30 km, 130 K
B) -60 km, 200 K
C) -100 km, 275 K
D) 100 km, 150 K

Question 55

Pluto's density is 1.8 g/cm³. Iron is about 5 g/cm³. Rock is about 3 g/cm³. Ice or water is 1.0 g/cm³. This implies that

A) Pluto has a large iron-nickel core.
B) Pluto is about 35% water ice and 65% rocky material.
C) Pluto is all rock.
D) Pluto is all water or water ice.

Question 56

Use the above graph to determine which Jovian planet has a clear hydrogen atmosphere above 100 km at a temperature of 150 K.

A) Jupiter
B) Saturn
C) Uranus
D) Neptune

Question 57

In Jupiter's atmosphere, winds circulate _________ in the ________ hemisphere and ________ in the _________ hemisphere

A) clockwise, southern, counterclockwise, northern
B) counterclockwise, southern, clockwise, northern
C) clockwise, northern, counterclockwise, southern
D) counterclockwise, northern, clockwise, southern

Question 58

The graph below plots the escape velocity of several solar system objects along the vertical axis and the surface temperature along the horizontal. The lines plotted in the figure are the fastest speeds of gas particles as a function of temperature for various gases. Which of the gases plotted in this diagram could be retained by Miranda?

A) only CO₂
B) only NH₃
C) CO₂, NH₃, and O₂
D) He, H₂, CO₂, NH₃, O₂
E) none of the gases

Question 59

Saturn's F ring and the rings of Uranus are similar in that

A) they are made of dark material.
B) they are made of icy material.
C) they are found near large moons.
D) they show well-defined spokes.
E) they are very narrow.

Question 60

In which corner of the figure above is Uranus moving from fall to winter in the southern hemisphere?

A) upper left
B) upper right
C) lower left
D) lower right

Question 61

The one object in the solar system suspected of having a semi-liquid on its surface is ____________.

Question 62

Choose the correct pair of words to make a correct statement: Water condenses at a __ (hotter/cooler) ___ temperature and a ___ (lower/higher)__ altitude compared to ammonia.

Question 63

Pluto is no longer classified as a planet; instead it is classified as a(n) ____________.

Question 64

In the visual wavelength image shown above, the first moon on the left is known as ____________.

Question 65

The Jovian planets, in order of distance from the Sun today, are _____________, _____________, _____________, and _____________.

Question 66

The largest satellites of Jupiter are known as the ____________ satellites.

Question 67

The region of Jupiter that is responsible for the magnetic field is composed of ____________.

Question 68

The Cassini Division is in between which two rings?
I) A
II) B
III) C
IV) F

A) I and II
B) II and III
C) III and IV
D) II and IV

Question 69

The red line in the above picture is pointing to which season for the northern hemisphere of Uranus?

Question 70

Jupiter's ______________ and ______________ are the ingredients needed to generate its very large magnetic field.

Question 71

The existence and location of ____________ was accurately predicted and located based on differences in the expected and observed orbit of another planet.

Question 72

Small ____________ can confine sections of Saturn's rings to produce sharp edges or narrow ringlets.

Question 73

Jupiter's shape is ____________ because it is rotating rapidly and has a low density.

Question 74

Choose the correct term to make the statement correct: Rising and sinking of gas within the zones and belts are examples of ____ (conduction, convection, radiation) ____.

Question 75

____________________ discovered Uranus using a telescope that he built himself.

Question 76

____________ is the smallest of the large moons of Uranus and its surface has features called ovoids. These ovoids may have been formed by the upheaval of material by convection in the interior.

Question 77

Volcanism is apparent on many objects in the solar system. However, volcanic activity is known to be currently occurring only on Earth and Jupiter's satellite____________.

Question 78

The rings of ____________ were discovered when they occulted a star.

Question 79

The ____________ was a large cyclonic storm in the atmosphere of Neptune observed by Voyager 2.

Question 80

In the visual wavelength image shown above, a blue oval is labeled. This blue oval is a rotating ____________.