Final exam

Question 1

The rings of Uranus are:

• intrinsically very bright, with 70% reflectivity, but they are hard to detect because they are very narrow.
• wide, dense, and very bright, with 70% reflectivity.
• broad, diffuse, and almost transparent, made up of almost nothing bigger than dust particles.
• narrow and very dark

Answer 1

narrow and very dark

Question 2

What causes Io to be so active geologically?

• Its mantle has an unusually high density of long-term radioactive elements.
• It is still contracting gravitationally and gives out energy via the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism.
• It is in a highly eccentric orbit and thus is subjected to tidal flexing from Jupiter.
• It is in a very circular orbit, but it is subjected to tidal flexing from Jupiter because of orbital perturbations from the other Galilean satellites.

Answer 2

It is in a very circular orbit, but it is subjected to tidal flexing from Jupiter because of orbital perturbations from the other Galilean satellites.

Question 3

Which characteristic has NOT been observed on Jupiter?

• lightning
• auroras
• particle-trapping regions in the magnetic fields like Earth’s Van Allen belts
• currents in the atmosphere (like Earth’s jet stream) that can stretch from the pole to the equator

Answer 3

currents in the atmosphere (like Earth’s jet stream) that can stretch from the pole to the equator

Question 4

Miranda is a satellite of:

• Pluto.
• Neptune.
• Uranus.
• Jupiter.

Answer 4

Uranus

Question 5

Which of the moons of the giant planets is known to have a significant and dense atmosphere?

• Europa, a moon of Jupiter
• Titan, a moon of Saturn
• Triton, a moon of Neptune
• Io, a moon of Jupiter

Answer 5

Titan, a moon of Saturn

Question 6

What size are the particles making up Saturn’s rings?

• a few micrometers in diameter (dust grains)
• up to about 1 mm in diameter (“snowflakes”)
• up to about 10 cm in diameter
• up to about 10 m in diameter

Answer 6

up to about 10 m in diameter

Question 7

How many moons of Jupiter were seen by Galileo?

• none because he had no telescope and was unable to see them with the unaided eye
• 4 with his new telescope
• 28
• only 1

Answer 7

4 with his new telescope

Question 8

Which is the LARGEST planetary satellite in the solar system?

• Earth’s Moon
• Neptune’s satellite Triton
• Jupiter’s satellite Ganymede
• Saturn’s satellite Titan

Answer 8

Jupiter’s satellite Ganymede

Question 9

What is the mass of Saturn compared with the mass of Jupiter?

• about 1/3 the mass of Jupiter
• about 1 times the mass of Jupiter
• about 1/10 the mass of Jupiter
• almost the same mass

Answer 9

about 1/3 the mass of Jupiter

Question 10

Does Neptune have rings orbiting the planet?

• yes, three very thin rings composed of fine dust particles
• yes, three very wide, bright rings and several faint, thin ones made up of dark rocky material
• no
• yes, a system of dark rings of particles coated in chemically modified methane ice

Answer 10

yes, a system of dark rings of particles coated in chemically modified methane ice

Question 11

The material that composes the rings of Jupiter:

• consists mostly of boulder-size rocks.
• remains constant over time.
• is continually being ejected from the rings and being replenished from material from the Jovian moons.
• is a very thin solid sheet that orbits the planet as a single object

Answer 11

is continually being ejected from the rings and being replenished from material from the Jovian moons.

Question 12

Which feature has NOT been found on Enceladus?

• jets of ice water shooting into the atmosphere
• a uniformly and heavily cratered surface
• stripes of recently formed material
• a magnetic field

Answer 12

a uniformly and heavily cratered surface

Question 13

The heating of the interior of Io, the innermost Galilean moon of Jupiter, is caused by:

• thermal heating from Jupiter because Jupiter emits more infrared radiation than it receives from the Sun.
• continual bombardment by meteoroids attracted by Jupiter’s enormous gravitational pull.
• continuous tidal distortion by Jupiter and the other moons.
• the fact that Io moves inside Jupiter’s magnetosphere, where the temperature is as high as anywhere in the solar system.

Answer 13

continuous tidal distortion by Jupiter and the other moons.

Question 14

The surface of Europa, one of the Galilean moons of Jupiter, appears to be covered with:

• dark areas of older crust separated by lighter, grooved terrain.
• a smooth layer of ice crossed by many cracks.
• rugged mountain ranges and ancient volcanoes.
• many ancient craters and maria.

Answer 14

a smooth layer of ice crossed by many cracks.

Question 15

What is the visual appearance of Uranus from space?

• perpetually covered with yellowish, sulfur-rich clouds
• blue-green with distinct white, high-altitude clouds and dark storms
• blue-green and featureless
• reddish belts and light zones parallel to the equator

Answer 15

blue-green and featureless

Question 16

In what form is the hydrogen in Jupiter’s interior?

• liquid metallic hydrogen, electrically conducting
• gaseous molecular hydrogen (H2) electrically conducting
• solid hydrogen, compressed to this state by the very high pressures
• gaseous hydrogen because the pressures are never sufficient to condense it into liquid

Answer 16

liquid metallic hydrogen, electrically conducting

Question 17

Around which object does Titan orbit?

Answer 17

Saturn

Question 18

The discoverer of the planet Uranus was:

• William Herschel.
• Galileo Galilei.
• Clyde Tombaugh.
• Edmund Halley.

Answer 18

William Herschel

Question 19

The major planet whose spin axis lies almost in its orbital plane is:

Answer 19

Uranus

Question 20

The dark, reddish bands on Jupiter are called:

Answer 20

belts

Question 21

In which way is there a similarity between Jupiter and Earth?

• Jupiter and Earth display the same colors when viewed from space.
• Auroras are produced by magnetospheres on both Jupiter and Earth.
• The atmospheres of Jupiter and Earth contain the same constituency of gases.
• Jupiter and Earth have similar average densities.

Answer 21

Auroras are produced by magnetospheres on both Jupiter and Earth.

Question 22

What percentage of Io’s surface is covered with dormant volcanic vents?

Answer 22

5%

Question 23

Which planets rotate about their axes in a retrograde direction?

Answer 23

Venus and Uranus

Question 24

Callisto, the outer Galilean moon of Jupiter, has a surface consisting of:

• an icy crust showing two interlocking types of terrain, one ancient and heavily cratered, the other younger with systems of parallel grooves.
• rock, heavily cratered like the highlands of Earth’s Moon.
• a relatively young, icy crust covered with a network of streaks and cracks and only a few impact craters.
• a very dark and ancient icy crust covered with numerous craters, with no surface cracks or groove belts that would indicate internal activity.

Answer 24

a very dark and ancient icy crust covered with numerous craters, with no surface cracks or groove belts that would indicate internal activity.

Question 25

What is the visual appearance of Neptune from space? - reddish belts and light zones parallel to the equator with large red spots - blue-green and featureless - perpetually covered with yellowish, sulfur-rich clouds - blue-green with white, high-altitude clouds and dark storms

Answer 25

blue-green with white, high-altitude clouds and dark storms