Deck 12: Jupiter and Saturn

Question 1

The most massive planet is

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

Answer 1

Jupiter

Question 2

How does Saturn compare with Jupiter?

A)It is less massive and smaller
B)It is more massive but smaller.
C)It is less massive but larger
D)It is more massive and larger

Answer 2

It is less massive and smaller

Question 3

Approximately what fraction of the energy Jupiter emits into space can be accounted for as absorbed sunlight?

A)All
B)Half
C)1/5
D)1/20

Answer 3

Half

Question 4

The amount of infrared energy emitted by Jupiter is about twice as great as the amount of sunlight that the planet absorbs.What is the significance of this discrepancy?

A)It implies that the planet is cooler than it should be
B)It implies that there are significant energy sources within Jupiter
C)It implies that the Sun was once much dimmer than it now is
D)It implies that the rotation of Jupiter must be slowing down

Question 5

How do we know that the light-colored regions in the atmosphere of Jupiter are generally cooler than the dark-colored regions?

A)They reflect more light than the dark regions
B)They rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere
C)They emit less infrared radiation than the dark regions
D)They are observed to lie lower in the atmosphere

Question 6

What two chemical elements make up most of Jupiter's mass?

Question 7

Jupiter emits about twice as much energy as it absorbs from sunlight.What is the origin of the excess energy?

A)Energy stored from the origin of Jupiter
B)The greenhouse effect
C)A slowing of the rotation rate of Jupiter
D)Nuclear reactions

Question 8

The orbits of the Jovian planets are all

A)Randomly oriented in space
B)Larger than the orbit of the Earth
C)In nearly the same plane,termed the meridian
D)Mostly perpendicular to the orbit of the Earth

Question 9

Which of the following statements about the dark-colored regions that are observed in the clouds of Jupiter is correct?

A)They are relatively warm and deep in the atmosphere
B)They are relatively warm and high in the atmosphere
C)They are relatively cool and deep in the atmosphere
D)They are relatively cool and high in the atmosphere

Question 10

Which of the following is a true statement about the rings of Jupiter?

A)They rotate in the direction opposite the rotation of Jupiter
B)They contain less material than the rings of Saturn
C)They were discovered at about the same time Saturn's rings were discovered
D)They are made of particles of solid iron

Question 11

What is the most likely reason that the interior of Jupiter is hot?

A)It is still cooling off from an earlier,hotter condition
B)Nuclear fusion
C)It is still contracting rather rapidly
D)a large greenhouse effect

Question 12

Which of the following best describes the evolution of Jupiter since soon after it formed?

A)It has grown steadily dimmer and hotter
B)It has grown steadily brighter and hotter
C)It has grown steadily dimmer and cooler
D)It has grown steadily brighter and cooler

Question 13

Which of the following statements correctly describes the chemical composition of the Jovian and terrestrial planets?

A)The Jovian planets more closely resemble the Sun and stars
B)The Jovian and terrestrial planets have similar compositions
C)The Jovian planets have a higher percentage of silicon and iron than terrestrial planets
D)The terrestrial planets have more hydrogen than the Jovian planets

Question 14

How do we know that the Red Spot of Jupiter is not a hurricane-like storm?

A)Its winds are too gentle
B)It rotates in the wrong direction
C)No lightning has been detected within it
D)It has been observed to cross the equator of Jupiter

Question 15

It is likely that there are several Earth masses of rocky material in Jupiter.Where is it probably located?

A)In the core of the planet
B)Mixed in with atmospheric gases
C)In solid particles floating in liquid metallic hydrogen
D)In atmospheric dust clouds

Question 16

The equatorial diameter of Jupiter is about 6% larger than the polar diameter of
Jupiter.Why?

A)Jupiter rotates rapidly
B)Jupiter is distorted by tides due to its satellites
C)Beneath the clouds,Jupiter has many equatorial mountain ranges
D)Solar tides have distorted Jupiter

Question 17

The chemical composition of Jupiter is closest to that of

A)The Earth
B)The Sun
C)Mars
D)The Moon
E)Venus

Question 18

Which of the following is a characteristic of a Jovian planet?

A)Location in the inner solar system
B)Diameter of at least 100,000 km
C)Mean density of about 5 times that of water
D)Atmosphere containing mostly hydrogen and helium

Question 19

Which of the following planets has the lowest density?

A)Mercury
B)Venus
C)Earth
D)Mars
E)Jupiter

Question 20

The atmosphere of Jupiter is primarily made up of

A)Nitrogen and oxygen
B)Sulfuric acid
C)Carbon dioxide
D)Hydrogen and helium

Question 21

The magnetosphere of Jupiter has a size that has what relationship to the size of the Sun?

A)Much larger than the Sun.
B)Much smaller than the Sun.
C)About the same size as the Sun.
D)Alternates between a little smaller than the Sun to much larger than the Sun.

Question 22

What are the two most abundant gases in the atmosphere of Saturn?

A)Methane and water vapor
B)Methane and ammonia
C)Nitrogen and oxygen
D)Helium and hydrogen

Question 23

The distance from a planet within which tides would tear a satellite apart is called the

A)Chandrasekhar limit
B)Schwarzschild radius
C)Roche limit
D)Coriolis distance

Question 24

The particles in Saturn's rings are made of (or covered with)

A)Water ice
B)Dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide)
C)Metallic hydrogen
D)A dark tar-like substance

Question 25

Saturn's rings are difficult to see from Earth in how many of its orbital positions during each trip around the Sun?

A)1
B)2
C)4
D)8

Question 26

The inner parts of Saturn's rings orbit at a faster speed than the outer parts of the rings.What does this tell us about the rings?

A)The rings are made of solid sheets of material
B)Gravity is not the force that holds the rings in orbit about Saturn
C)The rings are made of a myriad of independently orbiting particles
D)The rings orbit in the direction opposite the rotation of Saturn

Question 27

In which part of Saturn's rings do the ring particles move the fastest?

A)The innermost part of the rings
B)The outermost part of the rings
C)In Casssini's division
D)They all move at the same speed

Question 28

What would happen to an asteroid that came within the Roche limit of a planet?

A)It would be ejected at twice the speed it originally had
B)It would be destroyed by tides
C)It would be captured and become a satellite.
D)It would be burned up in the atmosphere of the planet

Question 29

What may be the source of Saturn's internal energy?

A)Separation of helium dissolved in its liquid metallic hydrogen.
B)Radioactive decay of radioactive elements in the core.
C)Gravitational contraction producing heat in the interior.
D)A large greenhouse effect

Question 30

Why does Saturn have a much more muted overall appearance than does Jupiter?

A)We can see the solid,icy surface of Saturn
B)A hazy cloud layer obscures the more colorful clouds of Saturn
C)Sunlight is prevented from reaching the surface by the rings
D)Complex molecules are almost completely missing in Saturn's atmosphere