Deck 8: Gas, ice, and Stone: the Outer Planets

Question 1

The structures shown in the figure below are a result of:

A) differentiation.
B) precipitation.
C) magnetism.
D) convection.

Answer 1

convection.

Question 2

Which of the following most directly provides the energy source for extreme weather on the giant planets?

A) gravity
B) rotation
C) differentiation
D) precipitation

Answer 2

rotation

Question 3

Which of the following is closest to the snow line in our Solar System?

A) 0.9 AU
B) 1.5 AU
C) 2.1 AU
D) 4.5 AU

Answer 3

4.5 AU

Question 4

If Earth had a semimajor axis of 8 AU,which of the following would be true?

A) Eclipses would not occur.
B) Annular eclipses would not occur.
C) Total solar eclipses would not occur.
D) Lunar eclipses would not occur.

Question 5

What is the most volcanically active world in the Solar System?

A) Venus
B) Earth
C) Io
D) Titan

Question 6

If Io's orbit moved outward,it would:

A) experience more impacts.
B) have more liquid water.
C) experience less volcanic activity.
D) accelerate in its orbit.

Question 7

The giant planets all have:

A) strong magnetic fields.
B) ring systems.
C) rapid rotation.
D) all of the above.

Question 8

Why does Jupiter gives off more energy than it receives from the Sun?

A) gravitational contraction
B) differentiation
C) radioactive decay
D) fusion

Question 9

Which of Jupiter's Galilean moons contains a layer of liquid water?

A) Europa
B) Ganymede
C) Callisto
D) all of the above

Question 10

The planet with the most powerful magnetic field is:

A) Jupiter.
B) Uranus.
C) Earth.
D) Mercury.

Question 11

Jupiter has:

A) two planetary rings composed of particles trapped by magnetic fields.
B) four planetary rings composed of particles ejected off moons.
C) eight planetary rings composed of particles from colliding comets.
D) no planetary rings.

Question 12

Which of the following bodies is closest in composition to the Sun?

A) Oort cloud
B) Uranus
C) Jupiter
D) Saturn

Question 13

Which of the giant planets contain significant amounts of water ice?

A) Uranus and Neptune
B) Jupiter and Saturn
C) Saturn and Neptune
D) all of the giant planets

Question 14

Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a:

A) region of thick ammonium sulfide clouds.
B) hurricane.
C) region of powerful magnetic fields.
D) fixed and unchanging feature.

Question 15

Geologic activity on Jupiter's moons is powered by:

A) tides.
B) gravitational contraction.
C) radioactive decay.
D) differentiation.

Question 16

If the Sun appears to be about 32 arcminutes across at Earth,how large does it appear to be at Saturn (with an orbital semimajor axis of 9.5 AU)?

A) 304 arcminutes
B) 11 arcminutes
C) 3.4 arcminutes
D) 0.35 arcminutes

Question 17

The LEAST geologically active of Jupiter's Galilean moons is:

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

Question 18

The key physical process determining the structures of the giant planets is:

A) fusion.
B) magnetism.
C) pressure.
D) sunlight.

Question 19

An exoplanet orbiting a star just like our Sun has substantial amounts of methane in its spectrum,a strong magnetic field,and a mass about twenty times larger than Earth.It most likely formed at:

A) 2 AU.
B) 5 AU.
C) 10 AU.
D) 25 AU.

Question 20

For which of the following quantities do the giant planets have smaller characteristic values than the terrestrial planets?

A) density
B) magnetic field strength
C) volume
D) rotation period

Question 21

Saturn's rings are composed primarily of:

A) ice.
B) asteroids.
C) metallic debris.
D) solid sheets.

Question 22

The light-colored bands on Jupiter are ________ regions.

A) high-velocity
B) low-velocity
C) high-pressure
D) low-pressure

Question 23

The image below shows a photograph of Saturn,with a perfect circle overlaid.What is responsible for Saturn's deviation from this shape?

A) rotation
B) differentiation
C) convection
D) internal forces

Question 24

What is the composition of the thickest layer of Jupiter?

A) rocky and metallic material
B) liquid metallic hydrogen
C) liquid molecular hydrogen
D) gaseous molecular hydrogen

Question 25

The image below shows a large storm occurring at the pole of which planet?

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

Question 26

What is the only moon in our Solar System to have a substantial atmosphere?

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

Question 27

The Cassini Division is:

A) a result of tidally disrupted comets.
B) maintained through gravitational interactions with moons.
C) driven by magnetic anomalies.
D) evolving significantly over the course of a few decades.

Question 28

In order to decrease Saturn's oblateness,we should ________ its radius and ________ its rotation period.

A) increase; increase
B) increase; decrease
C) decrease; increase
D) decrease; decrease

Question 29

Jupiter and Saturn differ in their:

A) densities.
B) atmospheric helium abundance.
C) central pressure.
D) all of the above.

Question 30

Why is Saturn's magnetic field 20 times weaker than Jupiter's?

A) The decreased pressure on Saturn implies a smaller liquid hydrogen layer.
B) Saturn's atmosphere responds easily to magnetic fields, partially canceling them.
C) Saturn's rapid rotation causes its electric currents to short-circuit.
D) All of the above.

Question 31

Compared to Jupiter,Saturn has ________ powerful storms and ________ winds.

A) more; slower
B) more; faster
C) fewer; slower
D) fewer; faster

Question 32

Saturn's atmosphere contains cloud layers composed of all of the following molecules EXCEPT:

A) ammonia.
B) methane.
C) ozone.
D) water.

Question 33

Uranus was discovered by:

A) Isaac Newton.
B) Galileo Galilei.
C) William Herschel.
D) Hipparchus.

Question 34

Jupiter's rapid rotation is responsible for:

A) strong convection.
B) differentiation.
C) large-scale electric currents in its magnetosphere.
D) volcanism on Io.

Question 35

Relative to the amount of energy it absorbs from the Sun,which planet emits the most energy back into space?

A) Venus
B) Earth
C) Saturn
D) Neptune

Question 36

The Solar System objects shown in the figure below are examples of:

A) binary moons.
B) asteroids.
C) shepherd moons.
D) Kuiper Belt objects.

Question 37

Careful observations of the orbit of Uranus demonstrated the existence of:

A) the Oort Cloud.
B) the Kuiper Belt.
C) Pluto.
D) Neptune.

Question 38

The Solar System planet with the LOWEST density is:

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

Question 39

Which of the following most accurately describes the interior structure of Saturn,from its center to its edge?

A) rocky core, liquid metallic hydrogen, molecular hydrogen
B) liquid metallic hydrogen, ammonia/methane ice, molecular hydrogen
C) rocky core, liquid molecular hydrogen, gaseous molecular hydrogen
D) ammonia/methane ice, liquid molecular hydrogen, gaseous molecular hydrogen

Question 40

Which of the following Solar System moons has geysers spouting liquid water?

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

Question 41

The figure below shows Uranus at different points along its orbit,with its spin axis shown in orange.As measured in Earth years,how long is winter on Uranus?

A) 11 years
B) 21 years
C) 42 years
D) 84 years

Question 42

Uranus is unique among the Solar System planets because it has:

A) strong evidence for a giant impact affecting its rotation.
B) the strongest storms.
C) the lowest density.
D) the most extreme seasonal variations.

Question 43

Clumpy features in a planetary ring most likely indicate:

A) the presence of magnetic fields.
B) collisions within the ring.
C) recent capture of the ring material.
D) the presence of a shepherd moon.

Question 44

Neptune's moon Triton is unique among the large moons because it:

A) has a high albedo.
B) has an atmosphere.
C) is geologically active.
D) has a retrograde orbit.

Question 45

What is the internal structure of the giant planets?

Question 46

What is the strongest evidence for liquid water on Callisto?

Question 47

What is the composition of the surfaces of Europa,Ganymede,and Callisto? Why do their albedos vary?

Question 48

What is the source of Jupiter's magnetic field?

Question 49

The Roche limit is the:

A) inner edge of the Kuiper Belt.
B) distance at which tides destroy an orbiting object.
C) maximum size of a white dwarf.
D) maximum size of a main sequence star.

Question 50

Why do clouds on Neptune form deeper in the atmosphere than those on Jupiter?

A) Neptune receives less sunlight than Jupiter.
B) Neptune's chemical constituents only condense at higher pressures.
C) Jupiter has more dust than Neptune.
D) Jupiter has stronger storms.

Question 51

Which of the following correctly characterizes the structure of Uranus,if the layers are listed from the most central outward to the surface?

A) rocky core, liquid molecular hydrogen, slush of light elements and hydrogen
B) rocky core, slush of light elements and hydrogen, liquid molecular hydrogen
C) rocky core, liquid metallic hydrogen, slush of light elements and hydrogen
D) liquid metallic hydrogen, liquid molecular hydrogen, slush of light elements and hydrogen

Question 52

What two factors are most responsible for the icy composition of Uranus and Neptune compared to the other giant planets?

Question 53

How would Jupiter's Galilean moons differ if they had circular orbits?

Question 54

What aspect of Jupiter's near-space environment poses the biggest problem for satellites orbiting the planet?

Question 55

A moon in the outer Solar System with low albedo is likely:

A) irregular.
B) geologically dead.
C) to have been resurfaced recently.
D) tidally locked.

Question 56

The figure below shows the interior of Jupiter.What is the composition of each of the three layers,in order from innermost to outermost?

Question 57

What is responsible for the coloration of Jupiter's clouds?

Question 58

An exoplanet with a spin axis similar to Uranus's transits its star.If the exoplanet had large planetary rings,astronomers who measured the transit's depth might:

A) overestimate the planet's radius.
B) overestimate the planet's orbital semimajor axis.
C) underestimate the planet's mass.
D) underestimate the planet's orbital semimajor axis.

Question 59

Compared to the large moons around the other planets in the outer Solar System,Miranda is unique in its:

A) highly inclined orbit relative to the ecliptic.
B) atmosphere.
C) retrograde orbit.
D) volcanic activity.

Question 60

Suppose that the freezing point of water was 73 K,instead of 273 K.How would the planets in our Solar System differ?

Question 61

How does the atmosphere of Titan compare to Earth's?

Question 62

Why does a moon in a 2:1 orbital resonance with a planetary ring have such strong influence on it?

Question 63

What are the orbital properties of Saturn's irregular satellites (distance,inclination,direction)? What is their origin?

Question 64

Which of the outer planets are surrounded by rings of material?

Question 65

How do the magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune differ from those around the other planets?

Question 66

Some scientists believe that helium is precipitating as "rain" in the interior of Saturn.How does this affect Saturn's energy balance with the Sun?

Question 67

What process creates the zones and belts in Saturn's atmosphere?

Question 68

How was the mass of Neptune predicted before it was observed?

Question 69

Why does Saturn bulge outward at the equator rather than its poles?

Question 70

Why do Uranus's moons have low densities?