Deck 11: Planetary Adornmentsmoons and Rings

Question 1

Eruptions of water-powered geysers have been seen on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Lakes of methane, ethane, and other hydrocarbons can be found on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Of the giant planets, only Saturn and Jupiter have ring systems.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Which property of a moon might lead you to believe it was a captured asteroid?

A) It is tidally locked.
B) Its orbital axis is tilted by 5° compared to the planet's rotational axis.
C) It rotates in the opposite direction than its planet rotates.
D) Its surface is very smooth and lacks craters.
E) It is roughly the size of Earth's moon.

Question 5

Extremophiles exist on Earth in both extremely cold and hot environments, but only in places where sunlight allows photosynthesis to occur.

Question 6

The only planet(s) without a moon is (are):

A) Mercury
B) Venus
C) Mars
D) Mercury and Venus
E) Mercury, Venus, and Mars

Question 7

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

Question 8

Who first discovered moons around a planet in our Solar System other than the Earth?

A) Newton
B) Kepler
C) Galileo
D) Huygens
E) Einstein

Question 9

The presence of shepherd moons keeps the giant planets' ring systems completely stable and the rings will last forever.

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of regular moons?

A) They revolve around their planets in the same direction as the planets rotate.
B) They have orbits that lie nearly in the planets' equatorial plane.
C) They are usually tidally locked to their parent planets.
D) They are much smaller than all of the known planets.
E) They formed in an accretion disk around their parent planet.

Question 11

Moons in retrograde orbits are called irregular moons.

Question 12

There are over 170 known moons in the Solar System.

Question 13

It is theoretically possible for Earth to someday have a temporary ring structure.

Question 14

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

Question 15

Galileo discovered Saturn's rings and correctly concluded that they were formed by moons that had been tidally ripped apart.

Question 16

Large regular moons probably formed:

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
E) after a planet got kicked out of its orbit and was gravitationally captured by another planet

Question 17

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

Question 18

Regular moons orbit in the same direction as their parent planets rotate.

Question 19

Assume that we discover a new moon of Jupiter. It orbits Jupiter at a large distance and in the opposite direction that Jupiter rotates. It is much smaller than most of Jupiter's other moons and has a density close to that of Earth rocks. Therefore, this moon is most likely:

A) a regular moon that formed with Jupiter in the early solar system
B) an irregular moon that is most likely a captured asteroid
C) an irregular moon that is most likely a captured comet
D) an irregular moon that is most likely a protoplanet which collided with Jupiter in the early solar system and then was caught in orbit by Jupiter's gravity
E) more information is needed before any conclusion can be made

Question 20

Io is one of the most geologically active moons in the Solar System.

Question 21

Based on the photo shown below, this moon:

A) is geologically active
B) is possibly geologically active
C) was geologically active in the past, but is no longer active
D) is geologically dead
E) More information is needed before any conclusion can be made.

Question 22

Based on the photo shown below, this moon:

A) is geologically active
B) is possibly geologically active
C) was geologically active in the past but is no longer active
D) is geologically dead
E) More information is needed before any conclusion can be made.

Question 23

Based on the photo shown below, this moon:

A) is geologically active
B) is possibly geologically active
C) was geologically active in the past but is no longer active
D) is geologically dead
E) More information is needed before any conclusion can be made.

Question 24

What leads astronomers to believe that many large moons associated with the giant planets have compositions that are roughly half water?

A) Spectroscopic analysis indicates the presence of large bodies of water.
B) They have average densities midway between water and rock.
C) Space probes have drilled into the surfaces of many of the moons and detected water.
D) Rocks and other features that form only in the presence of water have been observed.
E) Astronomers have observed the gravitational effects of tides on those moons.

Question 25

Which of the following moons is thought to have a vast ocean of water beneath its frozen surface?

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

Question 26

Which of the following moons is NOT geologically active?

A) Callisto
B) Triton
C) Europa
D) Enceladus
E) Io

Question 27

What is the escape velocity from Europa, whose radius is 1,600 km and mass is 5 * 10²² kg?

A) 27 km/s
B) 7.0 km/s
C) 2.0 km/s
D) 0.5 km/s
E) 15 km/s

Question 28

Based on the photo shown below, this moon:

A) is geologically active
B) is possibly geologically active
C) was geologically active in the past but is not longer active
D) is geologically dead
E) More information is needed before any conclusion can be made.

Question 29

From where does Titan's thick, nitrogen-rich atmosphere likely arise?

A) photodissociation of methane and ammonia in its atmosphere
B) emitted by frequent volcanic eruptions
C) deposited by ongoing cometary impacts over the age of the Solar System
D) photosynthesis of algae in oceans that lie beneath its icy surface
E) released from underground reservoirs from early impacts.

Question 30

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

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.
E) Strong winds from Saturn blow material off of Enceladus's surface.

Question 31

Based on the photo shown below, this moon:

A) is geologically active
B) is possibly geologically active
C) was geologically active in the past but is no longer active
D) is geologically dead
E) More information is needed before any conclusion can be made.

Question 32

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. What is the most likely cause?

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.
E) Bacteria on Titan constantly replenish the methane in the atmosphere.

Question 33

Io has the most volcanic activity in the Solar System because:

A) it is continually being bombarded with material in Saturn's E ring
B) it is one of the largest moons and its interior is heated by radioactive decays
C) of gravitational friction caused by the moon Enceladus
D) its interior is tidally heated as it orbits around Jupiter
E) the ice on the surface creates a large pressure on the water below

Question 34

Which moon gives rise to the particles that make up Saturn's E ring?

A) Titan
B) Triton
C) Callisto
D) Enceladus
E) Thethys

Question 35

Titan is a high-priority candidate for the search for life outside Earth primarily because it has:

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

Question 36

Cryovolcanism occurs when:

A) molten lava freezes when it reaches the surface because of extremely low temperatures
B) volcanoes erupt underwater
C) an icy moon has volcanoes emitting molten lava from deep underground
D) low-temperature liquids explode through the surface because of increasing pressure underground
E) a comet hits an object and causes volcanic eruptions

Question 37

Which object has turned itself inside out numerous times, leading to a situation where lighter elements have escaped, sulfur compounds compose the crust, and primarily heavier elements make up its core?

A) Mercury
B) Titan
C) Callisto
D) Pluto
E) Io

Question 38

The varied colors found on Io's surface are due to the presence of various molecules containing:

A) sulfur
B) silicon
C) iron
D) mercury
E) magnesium

Question 39

Which of the following can be used as an indicator of the age of a moon's surface?

A) color of the surface
B) crater density
C) volcanic activity
D) radioactive dating
E) all of the above

Question 40

If a moon has a retrograde orbit then it:

A) orbits in the opposite direction than its planet rotates
B) orbits in the opposite direction than its planet revolves around the Sun
C) orbits in a clockwise direction as viewed from the planet's north pole
D) A and C
E) all of the above

Question 41

The density of particles in a planet's rings can be measured using:

A) infrared light
B) the Doppler shift
C) shadows cast by nearby moons
D) light from background stars
E) their proper motions

Question 42

Which of the following moons is geologically dead?

A) Callisto
B) Io
C) Europa
D) Enceladus
E) Titan

Question 43

How does the thickness of Saturn's bright ring system compare to its diameter?

A) It's about 10 times thinner.
B) It's about 1,000 times thinner.
C) It's about 10,000 times thinner.
D) It's about 100,000 times thinner.
E) It's about 10 million times thinner.

Question 44

Which of the following planets has the most complex and magnificent ring system?

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

Question 45

Saturn's rings disappear from sight every:

A) 40 years
B) 25 years
C) 15 years
D) 8 years
E) 6 months

Question 46

Two years after first being observed, astronomers reported that Saturn's rings vanished. What happened to them?

A) The old ring system dissipated, and since then a new one has formed.
B) The orbital plane of the rings was seen edge-on, and the rings were too thin to be visible.
C) Most telescopes used hundreds of years ago couldn't adequately resolve the ring system.
D) Astronomers were looking at the wrong planet, leading to the chance discovery of Uranus.
E) They were hidden behind some of Saturn's many moons.

Question 47

Of what are Saturn's brightest rings primarily made?

A) a thin, solid surface of rock and ice
B) an orbiting cloud of high-density gas
C) hundreds to thousands of smaller ringlets
D) a very diffuse collection of dust
E) house-sized rocks

Question 48

Which of the giant planets does NOT have rings?

A) Jupiter
B) Saturn
C) Uranus
D) Neptune
E) All of the giant planets have rings.

Question 49

Saturn's G ring, as shown in the figure below, is known as:

A) a ringlet
B) an arclet
C) a diffuse ring
D) a spoke
E) a crepe ring

Question 50

How do astronomers take such detailed, close-up pictures of ring systems?

A) They send satellites to the outer planets to take pictures for us.
B) They take them using backyard telescopes, just like Galileo did.
C) They take them using the largest optical telescopes on Earth.
D) They have astronauts in space take pictures of them.
E) They wait until the planet is closest to the Earth and use the Hubble Space Telescope.

Question 51

Jupiter's rings are made of material from:

A) its innermost moons
B) its upper atmosphere
C) its outermost moons
D) only Io
E) only its retrograde moons

Question 52

Astronomers originally planned to have the Pioneer 11 space probe pass through the Cassini Gap in Saturn's rings. Would this mission have been successful?

A) Yes, but they decided that it was more important to observe Saturn's moons.
B) Yes, but they decided to land on the rings instead.
C) No, because the Cassini Gap turns out to be too narrow.
D) No, because the Cassini Gap is not completely empty.
E) No, because the same gravitational influences that create the Cassini Gap would have destroyed the probe.

Question 53

If you wanted to search for faint rings around a giant planet by sending a spacecraft on a flyby, it would be best to make your observations:

A) as the spacecraft approached the planet
B) after the spacecraft passed the planet
C) while orbiting the planet
D) during the closest flyby
E) while orbiting one of its moons

Question 54

Which of the following is FALSE?

A) The sizes of planetary ring material ranges from tiny grains to house-sized boulders.
B) Some rings around giant planets are made from particles that are ejected by its moons.
C) Planetary rings can be made when a moon is torn apart by tidal forces.
D) The material in planetary rings orbit the planet while obeying Kepler's third law.
E) Planetary rings around the giant planets usually remain for tens of billions of years.

Question 55

On which of Saturn's moons did the Cassini-Huygens probe land in 2004?

A) Callisto
B) Io
C) Europa
D) Enceladus
E) Titan

Question 56

If the Moon had active volcanoes:

A) the Moon would have a thick hydrogen atmosphere
B) the Earth might have a ring
C) the Moon's surface would have more craters than it currently does
D) life could not exist on Earth
E) the Moon would have different phases than we see today

Question 57

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

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

Question 58

How do Uranus's rings differ from the ring systems of the other giant planets?

A) Uranus has only one ring made up of fine dust.
B) Uranus has the most spectacular ring system with many bright, wide rings.
C) Uranus has 13 rings that are narrow and widely spaced.
D) Uranus has rings that are clumped into several arc-like segments.
E) Uranus has rings that are solid enough to land on.

Question 59

Which of the following is NOT a way to renew particles in a ring system?

A) shredding an object that came within a planet's Roche limit
B) a collision between moons or other objects near the ring system
C) eruptions on a nearby moon, sending particles into space
D) a planet's gravity drawing particles from the nearby interstellar medium
E) impacts on a nearby moon, sending particles into space

Question 60

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 100 kg/m³, what would be the total mass of material in this ring?

A) 6 * 10²⁰ kg
B) 5 * 10²³ kg
C) 4 *10¹⁵ kg
D) 2 *10²¹ kg
E) 3 * 10¹⁸ kg

Question 61

By examining extremophiles on Earth, which of the following appears NOT to be a key ingredient for life?

A) liquid water
B) an energy source
C) oxygen
D) organic compounds
E) All of the above are key ingredients.

Question 62

Extremophiles on Earth have been found:

A) in the scalding waters of Yellowstone's hot springs
B) in the bone-dry oxidizing environment of Chile's Atacama Desert
C) in the Dead Sea
D) in the deep subsurface ice of the Antarctic ice sheet
E) all of the above

Question 63

Particles that make up the rings of Uranus and Neptune are composed of:

A) rocky material from tidally disrupted moons
B) organic material that has darkened due to bombardment by high-energy, charged particles
C) icy material from tidally disrupted comets
D) magma from volcanic eruptions on the surfaces of their moons
E) all of the above

Question 64

The color of a moon's surface contains clues as to its age. What is the typical relationship between surface color and surface age, and why does this relationship exist?

Question 65

Name three characteristics of a geologically active moon.

Question 66

All of the following ring structures are known to be created by shepherd moons EXCEPT:

A) braided rings
B) spokes
C) scalloped edges
D) ring gaps
E) knots and kinks

Question 67

Why is Io, a moon that is smaller and farther from the Sun than our own Moon, still geologically active?

Question 68

Ring particles range in size from tiny grains to:

A) house-sized boulders
B) basketball-sized boulders
C) city-sized chunks
D) tennis ball-sized rocks
E) fingernail-sized pebbles

Question 69

Rings of giant planets are very thin compared to their diameters mainly because:

A) of collisions between ring particles
B) moons that tidally disrupt have small diameters
C) energy is conserved when a moon tidally disrupts
D) the planets have large tidal forces
E) shepherd moons force them to be extremely thin

Question 70

Rings that project to look like they are intertwined (but are not) are caused by:

A) new laws of physics
B) ring material on highly elliptical orbits
C) the gravitational influence of small moons
D) electromagnetic interaction of the rings with Saturn's magnetic field
E) meteoroid impacts

Question 71

What are three characteristics of the orbits of irregular moons, and how are irregular moons formed?

Question 72

Explain how a planet obtains a regular moon orbiting it.

Question 73

What is the most likely reason that a planet's rings would reflect more than 50 percent of the sunlight they receive?

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

Question 74

Saturn's rings are much brighter than the rings of the other giant planets because:

A) Saturn is closer to the Sun and receives a higher flux of sunlight
B) the material in Saturn's rings is made mostly of ice rather than rock
C) Saturn's rings have over 100 times more material in them
D) Saturn's rings are tilted by a larger angle relative to our line of sight
E) the material in Saturn's rings is much hotter than material in other ring systems

Question 75

The mass of all of Saturn's bright rings is comparable to the mass of:

A) a small comet
B) a small icy moon
C) the Earth's Moon
D) Mars
E) Venus

Question 76

What are the orbital characteristics of a regular moon?

Question 77

Ring material:

A) is made primarily of fine dust
B) has always orbited the giant planets
C) reflects more than 75 percent of the light that falls on them
D) must constantly be renewed
E) is made primarily of kilometer-sized rocks

Question 78

What are the two basic materials of which the moons in the solar system are composed? For each type of material, name an example of a moon whose surface is composed primarily of that material.

Question 79

Through what process do some living organisms find energy to survive deep under the ocean?

A) electrolysis
B) photosynthesis
C) plasmosynthesis
D) chemosynthesis
E) magnetosynthesis

Question 80

Of what are Saturn's ring primarily made?

A) water ice
B) methane
C) nitrogen
D) dark organic material
E) dark silicate material