Ch 9 Adaptive Quiz Flashcards
What is the Kelvin—Helmholtz mechanism?
the release of gravitational potential energy as heat when a body contracts and cools
Each of these is a result of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacting Jupiter EXCEPT:
the comet fragments disappeared into Jupiter’s atmosphere without leaving a trace.
The fine dust particles that make up the rings of Jupiter are constantly being pushed out of orbit by the pressure of radiation from Jupiter and from the Sun. These ring particles are being replenished by particles from the _____ of Io and regolith from the smaller inner moons.
volcanoes
Astronomers notice that a certain region of Ganymede appears to have fewer craters, and shows signs of tectonic activity, as opposed to adjacent more heavily cratered areas. What can astronomers conclude about this region?
The region is original to Ganymede’s surface.
The region is much older than the surrounding cratered areas.
The region is much younger than the surrounding cratered areas.
Nothing much can be determined about this region based on this information.
The region is much younger than the surrounding cratered areas.
If life did exist deep under Europa’s icy crust in its subsurface ocean, where would these organisms MOST likely derive their energy from?
from the intense magnetic field of nearby Jupiter
from charged particles in the deeper portion of Europa’s oceans
from sunlight that filters down through the thin icy crust
small volcanic vents on the floor of Europa’s ocean
small volcanic vents on the floor of Europa’s ocean
Future missions have been proposed to explore the subsurface oceans of Europa with a robotic probe. Which of these is NOT a unique problem that astronomers would have to consider on such a mission?
drilling through a layer of ice of unknown thickness
potentially contaminating the ocean with Earth organisms
landing a probe for the first time on the moon of another planet
operating a submersible robotic probe in an alien ocean
landing a probe for the first time on the moon of another planet
What have astronomers observed about the ice geysers on Enceladus?
The geysers produce more eruptions when the moon is in a synchronous orbit with Saturn.
The geysers are most active when the moon is closest to Saturn.
The geysers are constantly and randomly ejecting particles into orbit.
The geysers are most active when the moon is farthest from Saturn.
The geysers are most active when the moon is closest to Saturn.
The atmosphere of Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn, is mostly nitrogen with a significant amount of _____.
methane
Why are almost all of Saturn’s rings inside its Roche limit?
The gravitational pull of Titan keeps any material from accumulating outside the limit.
Nothing new has fallen past the Roche limit to replenish the rings.
Outside the Roche limit, particles can clump together to form larger objects.
That location is where the object that created the rings was destroyed.
Outside the Roche limit, particles can clump together to form larger objects.
About 10 times as much gas lies above each square meter of Titan’s surface than lies above a square meter of Earth’s surface. So how does the atmospheric pressure on the surface of Titan compare to atmospheric pressure at Earth’s surface?
It must be 10 times Earth’s pressure.
Comparing the pressure to the size of the body, it must be more than 10 times Earth’s pressure.
Titan’s gravity is weaker, so it will be less than 10 times Earth’s pressure.
It is not possible to predict the answer from the information given.
Titan’s gravity is weaker, so it will be less than 10 times Earth’s pressure.
Consider a team of astronauts taking a hypothetical dive in Saturn’s atmosphere. How would such a dive NOT be different on Saturn when compared to the same dive on Jupiter?
The transition between gaseous atmosphere and liquid hydrogen occurs at a well-defined barrier on Saturn.
The astronauts would experience helium rain falling around them.
The wind speeds at the upper atmosphere would be much greater than those on Jupiter.
The dive through the gaseous atmosphere would take much longer before reaching liquid hydrogen.
The transition between gaseous atmosphere and liquid hydrogen occurs at a well-defined barrier on Saturn.
Neptune was discovered in 1846 by _____.
Johann Galle
Urbain Leverrier
John Couch Adams
William Herschel
Johann Galle
Which planet has the fastest measured wind speeds in the solar system?
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Neptune
Due to the extremely cold 73 K temperature at the top of Uranus’s atmosphere, the clouds there are composed of _____ ice crystals.
methane
Comparing the two ice giants, Neptune has a greater mass but Uranus has a greater size. What can be said about the two planets that reconciles this discrepancy?
Uranus is made out of more gaseous material.
Neptune is made out of heavier elements.
Neptune has a greater density because of its greater gravity.
Uranus’s core is denser than Neptune’s, but its atmosphere is less dense.
Neptune has a greater density because of its greater gravity.
