Deck 11: Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Question 1

Jupiter has more than twice the mass of all the other planets combined.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Jupiter's atmosphere is a single huge storm system.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

We have observed a comet strike Jupiter.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The zonal flows giving rise to the belts and zones are similar to the jet streams in our ownstratosphere.

Question 5

All the Galilean moons are in synchronous rotation, with the same face always pointedtoward Jupiter, except for tidally stressed Io.

Question 6

Telescopically, Jupiter is the most colorful and changeable of the planets.

Question 7

Charged particles escaping from Jupiter's magnetosphere cause aurora when they collidewith Jupiter's atmosphere.

Question 8

Jupiter rotates about ten minutes faster at its equator than it does at its poles.

Question 9

When comparing the densities of the Galilean moons, the farther from Jupiter, the greatertheir density.

Question 10

Like Earth, Jupiter's internal energy is generated chiefly by radioactive decay.

Question 11

The clouds of Jupiter are primarily composed of liquid hydrogen.

Question 12

The equator of Jupiter rotates slower than the Great Red Spot.

Question 13

If it were about 80 times as massive as present, Jupiter could become a star.

Question 14

Colors in Jupiter's clouds are largely due to helium compounds.

Question 15

While hydrogen, helium, water, and ammonia can produce the white coloration of Jupiter'szones, the brownish color of the belts requires more complex chemistry.

Question 16

Differential rotation is when a planet's equator and polar regions rotate at different rates.

Question 17

The Great Red Spot has been seen on Jupiter as long as we have had telescopes capable ofobserving it.

Question 18

Jupiter's magnetic field is much stronger than Earth's, and has a magnetic tail that extendsbeyond the orbit of Saturn.

Question 19

Jupiter puts back into space twice the energy it gets from the Sun.

Question 20

Amateur astronomers have contributed to the understanding of impact events on Jupiter.

Question 21

How does the density of Jupiter compare to the terrestrial planets?

A)It is denser than all the terrestrial planets combined.
B)It is denser than the Moon, but less dense than any of the others.
C)Its density is slightly less than Mercury, but more than Mars.
D)Its density is about the same as Mars.
E)Its density is less than any terrestrial.

Question 22

What is the probable source of the day-to-day variations in Jupiter's belts and zones?

A)convection of cool ammonia ice upward
B)differential rotation and the underlying zonal flow
C)oblateness due to low density
D)thermonuclear fusion
E)Jupiter's huge magnetosphere

Question 23

How does the mass of Jupiter compare with that of the other planets?

A)It is slightly larger and more massive than Saturn.
B)It is similar to that of the Earth and Venus.
C)It is twice as massive as all other planets combined.
D)It is almost as massive as Saturn.
E)It is about a tenth the mass of the Sun.

Question 24

Essentially, the Great Red Spot is:

A)Neptune's largest atmospheric feature.
B)a large cyclonic storm (hurricane).
C)always located within 10 degrees of Jupiter's north pole.
D)composed primarily of iron oxide.
E)traveling north and south across Jupiter's face.

Question 25

The only spacecraft to go into orbit around Jupiter was:

A)Voyager 2.
B)Pioneer 10.
C)Cassini.
D)Galileo.
E)Viking 1.

Question 26

Jupiter is noticeably oblate because:

A)it has a strong magnetic field.
B)it has such powerful gravity.
C)it rotates rapidly.
D)it undergoes a gravitational attraction from each of its various moons.
E)it has a mantle of liquid metallic hydrogen.

Question 27

All four of the Galilean moons have substantial amounts of liquid water under a surface layerof ice.

Question 28

The belts of Jupiter are best described as:

A)regions of downward moving material and low pressure.
B)regions of upward moving material and low pressure.
C)regions of upward moving material and high pressure.
D)regions of downward moving material and high pressure.
E)turbulent regions with no organized circulation pattern.

Question 29

How does the radius of Jupiter compare with that of the other planets?

A)It is similar to the radius of Earth or Venus.
B)It is larger than the radius of Uranus, but smaller than the radius of Saturn.
C)It is larger than any other planet in our solar system.
D)It is similar to Mercury's radius.

Question 30

The first spacecraft to drop a weather probe into Jupiter's atmosphere was:

A)Cassini.
B)Global Surveyor.
C)Voyager 2.
D)Viking 1.
E)Galileo.

Question 31

What is the name used to describe the dark bands encircling Jupiter?

A)belts
B)brown stripes
C)zones
D)zonal flows
E)convection cells

Question 32

Some of Jupiter's smaller outer moons have retrograde orbits, indicating capture occurred.

Question 33

The particles making up the ring of Jupiter are composed of bright, reflective ice.

Question 34

The white zones of Jupiter are probably made of:

A)hydrogen sulfide.
B)water ice.
C)dry ice.
D)ammonia ice.
E)phosphorus.

Question 35

How was the rotation rate of Jupiter's core determined?

A)by observing the Great Red Spot
B)by watching Io move across the disk of Jupiter
C)by radio observations of Jupiter's rapidly spinning magnetosphere
D)by observing the fastest moving regions of Jupiter's equator
E)by measuring the oblateness of Jupiter's disk

Question 36

What evidence do we have that Jupiter must have a substantial solid core under the thickclouds?

A)Its magnetic field must be formed by rotating molten iron, like our own.
B)Occasional breaks in the clouds reveal a solid surface at times.
C)Jupiter's disk is more oblate than it should be, suggesting it has a higher density.
D)Jupiter's disk is less oblate than it should be, if it were only hydrogen and helium.
E)The Io flux tube goes straight down to Jupiter's iron core.

Question 37

The most striking "cloudmark" in Jupiter's atmosphere is the:

A)Great Dark Spot.
B)Cassini Division.
C)Great Red Spot.
D)Black Hole.
E)Brown Dwarf.

Question 38

What is interesting about Jupiter's rotation period?

A)It is the same as Earth's.
B)It is the same as its orbital period.
C)It is the same as the Sun's.
D)It is the slowest in the solar system.
E)It is the fastest in the solar system.

Question 39

The reason the jovian planets lost very little of their original atmosphere is due to their:

A)rapid rotation.
B)strong magnetic fields.
C)ring systems.
D)large mass.
E)many moons.

Question 40

The Galileo mission put a spacecraft into orbit around Jupiter. Which statement about thatspacecraft is true?

A)The spacecraft crashed into the moon Europa.
B)The spacecraft's probe measured wind speeds in Jupiter's atmosphere.
C)A saltwater ocean was discovered on Jupiter.
D)Intense magnetic fields were discovered in the asteroid belt.
E)A probe was released which soft landed on Io.

Question 41

Together, which two gases make up 99% of Jupiter's atmosphere?

A)ammonia and methane
B)water vapor and methane
C)helium and ammonia
D)hydrogen and ammonia
E)hydrogen and helium

Question 42

The impact of which comet helped establish the importance of impacts in our solar system?

A)Kohoutek
B)Hale-Bopp
C)Halley's Comet
D)Comet ISON
E)Shoemaker-Levy 9

Question 43

In the sunward direction from Jupiter, Jupiter's magnetosphere extends:

A)only as far as Jupiter's atmosphere.
B)only a few million kilometers.
C)at least several astronomical units.
D)at least to Earth's orbit.
E)all the way to the Sun.

Question 44

What is true of Jupiter's magnetosphere?

A)Although its surface field is greater, since the planet is larger the total field is actually weakerthan Earth's.
B)It does not trap protons and electrons, as Earth's Van Allen belts do.
C)It has a tail that extends at least to Saturn's orbit.
D)It is most extensive on the sunward side of the planet.
E)It is only slightly stronger than Saturn's.

Question 45

What is thought to lie at the center of Jupiter?

A)a hot sea of liquid metallic hydrogen
B)a solid core of crystalline helium
C)a massive core of rocky materials with some iron mixed in
D)gaseous hydrogen and helium, for Jupiter is not differentiated like Earth
E)a fusion core like the Sun's, with hydrogen being turned into helium

Question 46

How large is Jupiter's magnetosphere?

A)It is about as large as the Earth's.
B)It is so large it extends out to the orbit of Io.
C)It is a million times the volume of the Earth's, extending beyond the orbit of Saturn.
D)It extends inward to the orbit of Mars.
E)It envelopes even the Sun and rest of the solar system.

Question 47

What is the source of Jupiter's intense radio waves and magnetism?

A)charged particles trapped in Jupiter's solid iron core, similar to Earth's
B)liquid metallic hydrogen swirling in the rapidly spinning mantle
C)the ionized sulfur ejected into a torus around Jupiter by Io
D)the auroral displays in the polar regions, just like with Earth
E)a liquid iron and nickel outer core, just like Earth's magnetic field

Question 48

If Jupiter were about 80 times more massive than it is, nuclear fusion should have beenpossible, making it a small star. What might have been the most likely effect on the Earth?

A)The gravitational pull might have prevented the Earth settling into a stable orbit, which wouldhave prevented the development of life on Earth.
B)Jupiter's moons would have been likely to develop life, which would have competed with lifeon Earth.
C)The extra radiation from a second star in the solar system would have prevented life formingon Earth.
D)Jupiter's magnetic field would have been much larger, disrupting Earth's magnetic field.
E)Nothing because Jupiter is so much further from the Earth than the Sun is.

Question 49

Which of these spacecraft did NOT go to Jupiter?

A)Voyager 1
B)Voyager 2
C)Cassini
D)Mariner 9
E)Galileo

Question 50

What is the source of Jupiter's nonthermal radio radiation?

A)charged particles moving in a magnetic field
B)metallic hydrogen swirling in the planet's interior
C)the gravitational attraction of Jupiter's moons
D)the Great Red Spot
E)thermonuclear fusion in Jupiter's core

Question 51

What is the source of Jupiter's excess energy?

A)helium rain falling through its interior
B)the decay of radioactive elements in its dense core
C)nuclear fusion in its hot, sunlike core of hydrogen
D)the slow escape of gravitational energy released during the planet's formation
E)the tidal stresses of the large Galilean moons

Question 52

Which element is thought to be responsible for the characteristic browns, reds, and yellowsseen in Jupiter's atmosphere?

A)hydrogen
B)helium
C)water
D)nitrogen
E)sulfur

Question 53

What would Jupiter have needed to have become a star?

A)more moons
B)more mass
C)a slower rotation, like the Sun
D)a different chemical composition
E)a higher density

Question 54

Alternating zones of rising and sinking gas in Jupiter's atmosphere:

A)create light and dark bands.
B)cause Jupiter's magnetic field to ripple.
C)produced the ring system discovered by Voyager.
D)generate their own magnetic fields.
E)circle the planet from pole to pole.

Question 55

How does the heat Jupiter radiates compare to the energy it receives from the Sun?

A)They are equal, as you would expect for a highly reflective planet.
B)Jupiter's dark belts absorb most of the solar radiation, so it is cooler in the infrared.
C)Jupiter radiates back into space about twice the energy it gets from the Sun.
D)Jupiter is a brown dwarf, about a hundred times less luminous than the Sun.
E)Jupiter is a red dwarf, about a tenth the Sun's luminosity.

Question 56

Gravitational contraction is responsible for which unusual characteristic of Jupiter?

A)its oblate shape
B)its color
C)the emission of more energy that it receives
D)the large Galilean moons
E)its faint ring system

Question 57

Jupiter gives back into space twice the energy it gets from the distant Sun. Where is thisenergy coming from, for the most part?

A)the impact energy of comets like SL-9
B)helium rain descending into its mantle and core
C)the slow escape of gravitational energy left from its formation
D)the radioactive decay of U-238 in its iron-rich core, just as with the Earth
E)the combined tidal stress of all four large Galilean moons

Question 58

Compared to its rotational axis, Jupiter's magnetic field:

A)is exactly in alignment.
B)lies about 10 degrees off, much like our own rotation and magnetic field.
C)is tilted about 23.5 degrees, much like our own axial tilt.
D)is tilted 98 degrees, much like the case of Uranus.
E)has yet to be detected.

Question 59

The density of Jupiter's core is:

A)60 million times the density of Earth's core.
B)3 million times the density of Earth's core.
C)100 times the density of Earth's core.
D)twice the density of Earth's core.
E)half the density of Earth's core.

Question 60

Which gas is most common in Jupiter's atmosphere?

A)atomic hydrogen
B)molecular hydrogen
C)helium
D)nitrogen
E)methane

Question 61

Which three Galilean moons were found by Galileo to have weak, changing magnetic fields?

A)Titan, Callisto, and Amalthea
B)Io, Europa, and Callisto
C)Io, Amalthea, and Ganymede
D)Io, Europa, and Ganymede
E)Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto

Question 62

What spacecraft was intentionally destroyed in 2003 so that it could not hit Europa?

A)Cassini
B)Voyager 2
C)Galileo
D)Huygens
E)Pioneer 11

Question 63

Which of the jovian moons is the largest and also the largest moon in the solar system, evenbigger than Mercury?

A)Titan
B)Triton
C)Ganymede
D)Callisto
E)Umbriel

Question 64

What is the origin of the jovian moons?

A)They all formed with the planet.
B)They were main belt asteroids, captured by Jupiter's strong gravity.
C)They are Trojan asteroids, orbiting 60 degrees ahead or behind Jupiter.
D)The four Galilean moons formed with Jupiter, most others were later captures.
E)They were ripped from the planet's interior in an early cataclysmic event.

Question 65

Of the Galilean satellites, which has the oldest, most heavily cratered surface?

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

Question 66

What is thought to be the cause of Io's volcanoes?

A)Jupiter's magnetosphere and its charged particles
B)Jupiter's gravity and the heat it creates
C)tidal stresses from both Jupiter and Europa
D)solar radiation focused by Jupiter's gravity
E)radioactive decay in Io's interior

Question 67

Why is Galileo Regio, the large circular feature on Ganymede, so dark?

A)It is composed of dense basaltic mantle rock that once flowed like lunar mare.
B)It is the result of micrometeorite dust settling onto it over several billion years.
C)It has an asphalt-like material that is like the dark side of Iapetus of Saturn.
D)It is the result of ultraviolet light from the Sun interacting with the ice and creating asubstance that is quite dark.
E)It is the site of a recent meteorite impact that scattered a lot of dark, rocky material.

Question 68

How does the magnetic tilt of Jupiter compare with our field?

A)Both are exactly perpendicular to our equator, aligned with our rotation axis.
B)Jupiter's lies perpendicular to the ecliptic, while ours is tilted 23.5 degrees.
C)Both are tilted about 10 degrees, but Jupiter is opposite in polarity.
D)Both are tilted about 27 degrees, much like Saturn's.
E)Like Uranus, Jupiter is flopped over on its side.

Question 69

Which of Jupiter's moons have approximately resonant orbits?

A)Io, Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto
B)Io, Ganymede, and Europa
C)Io and Callisto
D)Ganymede and Callisto
E)Europa and Io

Question 70

Which two satellites of Jupiter are considered "fraternal twins"?

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

Question 71

Which of the Galilean moons is the densest and most geologically active?

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

Question 72

The liquid layer in Europa is composed primarily of:

A)ethane, similar to Neptune's moon Triton.
B)water, similar to Earth's oceans.
C)molten metal, similar to Earth's outer crust.
D)molten rock, similar to Earth's mantle.
E)liquid hydrogen, similar to the region below Jupiter's atmosphere.

Question 73

Of the Galilean moons, the one with striking grooved terrain and icy tectonic features as wellas older craters is:

A)Amalthea.
B)Io.
C)Europa.
D)Ganymede.
E)Callisto.

Question 74

What is the major component of Io's volcanic flows?

A)basaltic lava, like the lunar mare
B)liquid nitrogen, like the eruptions of Triton
C)sulfur and its compounds
D)carbon dioxide and water vapor, as with our eruptions
E)iron oxide, as on Mars

Question 75

Aurora are seen in Jupiter's atmosphere due to the interaction with:

A)the solar wind.
B)the Sun's magnetosphere.
C)Jupiter's rings.
D)charged particles escaping Jupiter's magnetosphere.
E)debris left by passing comets, similar to meteor showers on Earth.

Question 76

What do our magnetic field and Jupiter's share?

A)similar field strength
B)same polarity
C)auroral displays in the polar regions
D)fields that extend inward all the way to the Sun
E)fields that extend outward past Pluto

Question 77

Which of the four Galilean moons is NOT differentiated?

A)Io
B)Europa
C)Ganymede
D)Callisto
E)None of the above. All the moons are differentiated.

Question 78

The surface of which jovian moon most resembles the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean?

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

Question 79

Where is Jupiter's ring located?

A)above Jupiter's cloud tops and inside the orbit of its inner-most moon
B)between the orbits of Io and Europa
C)sharing the orbit of Amalthea
D)in a thin ring at the distance of Io but inclined by an angle of about 30 degrees to Io's orbit
E)between the orbit of the inner-most moon and the orbit of Io

Question 80

In size, from largest to smallest, the correct order for the Galilean moons is:

A)Callisto, Ganymede, Europa, Io.
B)Ganymede, Callisto, Io, Europa.
C)Io, Europa, Callisto, Ganymede.
D)Europa, Ganymede, Io, Callisto.
E)Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, Io.