ASTR Q10

The rings of the outer planets consist of 1) sheets of ice that stretch in round planes millions of miles wide around each planet 2) billions of small particles (of various sizes) that all orbit the equator of each planet 3) many large moons, about the size of Jupiter's moon Io, all crowded together 4) subatomic charged particles, all kept in line by each planet's magnetic field 5) millions of alien spacecraft, some of which occasionally make it to the Earth and pick up humans for sexual experimentation

2) billions of small particles (of various sizes) that all orbit the equator of each planet

Which compound plays the same role on Titan as water does on Earth (existing as gas, liquid, and solid)? 1) carbon dioxide 2) methane 3) ammonia 4) hydrogen cyanide 5) propane

2) methane

How does Saturn's F ring stay so thin (narrow), when the other rings are so wide? 1) the further away from Saturn a ring is, the narrower it gets 2) there are 2 shepherding satellites on either side of it 3) Saturn's huge magnetic field keeps ice boulders from expanding 4) the F ring is in the same orbit as the moon Enceladus 5) we don't know the answer, because Saturn keeps its diet tips to itself

2) there are 2 shepherding satellites on either side of it

The world in the solar system that is most active volcanically is: 1) Earth 2) Neptune 3) Io 4) Mars 5) Ganymede

3) Io

Which of the jovian planets does NOT have any satellites? 1) Jupiter 2) Saturn 3) Uranus 4) Neptune 5) you can't fool me, all the jovian planets are accompanied by satellites

5) you can't fool me, all the jovian planets are accompanied by satellites

The satellite whose surface is characterized by a smooth icy crust with a complex network of cracks is: 1) Europa 2) Callisto 3) Triton 4) Io 5) Ganymede

1) Europa

The largest satellite (moon) in the solar system is: 1) Ganymede 2) Titan 3) Earth's Moon 4) Charon 5) Io

1) Ganymede

When astronomers say that Callisto is a differentiated body, they mean that it: 1) has a northern hemisphere which is different from its southern hemisphere 2) has more of the larger crater types than the smaller ones 3) has a magnetic field that is not centered on its axis of rotation 4) has a heavier core, surrounded by a lighter, icy mantle and crust 5) has a color that is surprising among outer solar system satellites

4) has a heavier core, surrounded by a lighter, icy mantle and crust

Which of the following statements about Charon is FALSE? 1) it takes the same amount of time to rotate and revolve 2) it keeps the same face toward Pluto 3) it takes the same time to go around Pluto as Pluto takes to rotate 4) it has a significant atmosphere 5) it has a retrograde orbit (revolves in a direction opposite to the sense that most satellites in the solar system revolve)

4) it has a significant atmosphere

If I stood on the surface of Pluto, observing its moon, I would see the moon: 1) rise in the East 2) rise in the West 3) get smaller day by day 4) remain in the same place in the sky 5) Come on! Pluto has no moons!

4) remain in the same place in the sky

What makes the rings of Neptune different from those of other planets we know? 1) they are much thinner 2) they have gaps and divisions in them 3) they are much darker 4) they are clumpy (or bulging) in places 5) there is more than one ring in the system

4) they are clumpy (or bulging) in places

The largest and most massive of Saturn's rings is the 1) A ring 2) B ring 3) C ring 4) D ring 5) F ring

2) B ring

The four large moons of Jupiter were first discovered by: 1) ancient people, seeing Jupiter in dark, cloudless skies 2) Galileo with his early telescope 3) Isaac Newton with his improved telescope 4) William Herschel, in the 18th century 5) the Voyager spacecraft

2) Galileo with his early telescope

The only planet that has not been visited and studied using instruments aboard a spacecraft is: 1) Neptune 2) Pluto 3) Saturn 4) Mercury 5) Earth

2) Pluto

The satellite which has the thickest atmosphere (quite a surprise for a satellite) is: 1) Triton 2) Titan 3) the Earth's Moon 4) Europa 5) Callisto

2) Titon

When two objects in orbit have periods of revolution that are simple ratios of each other (such as 1 to 2 or 1 to 3) we say that we have: 1) an occultation 2) a conjunction 3) a resonance 4) a tidal stability limit 5) a traffic problem

3) a resonance

What features are abundant on Callisto and Ganymede and almost absent on Europa and Io? 1) volcanoes 2) markings that show the surface is made of ice 3) impact craters 4) lakes and pools of liquid ammonia 5) rings

3) impact craters

Which of the following statements about Pluto's atmosphere is FALSE? 1) it is currently at its maximum, since Pluto is closest to the Sun 2) it is made of a mixture of nitrogen and methane gas 3) it extends out to the orbit of Charon, where we can still measure it 4) the pressure at the surface is about a ten-thousandth of Earth's 5) much of it will freeze out when Pluto is in that part of its orbit which is much more distant from the Sun

3) it extends out to the orbit of Charon, where we can still measure it

Callisto, the fourth moon of Jupiter's, takes 17 days to orbit Jupiter. If I stand on the surface of Callisto and see Jupiter high in the sky over my head, and then wait 8.5 Earth days in the same spot, where will I see Jupiter? 1) you won't see it; it will only be visible from the other side of Callisto 2) setting in the west 3) overhead, where it was before 4) rising in the east 5) we need more information to give even a rough estimate of where Jupiter will be

3) overhead, where it was before

What is the cause of its many volcanic/geyser-like eruptions on the moon Io? 1) its surface is at the triple point of methane, where it can be gas/liquid/solid 2) Jupiter's magnetic field causes huge bolts of lightning to hit Io and heat the surface 3) the gravitational stress of being so close to Jupiter and its other large moons heats the Io's inside 4) there is a metallic magnetic layer inside Io which is explosive 5) inhabitants of Io are intercepting Earth TV transmissions; it's making them throw up

3) the gravitational stress of being so close to Jupiter and its other large moons heats the Io's inside

Which of the following statements about the geysers on the moon Triton is true? 1) they are caused by the impact of small comets on Triton's fragile surface 2) the geysers are sulfur volcanoes which stick out of Triton's crust 3) they involve plumes of nitrogen on the sunlit side of Triton 4) they are caused by the gravity of Saturn heating the moon's inside 5) they are only visible when it is winter on Triton

3) they involve plumes of nitrogen on the sunlit side of Triton

Why are astronomers today not able to say what the surface of Titan looks like? 1) no spacecraft flew by Saturn and its satellites so far 2) a spacecraft did fly by Saturn, but it never got close enough to Titan to send back good images of its surface 3) on the spacecraft that flew by Saturn and Titan, the cameras failed just as the images of Titan's surface were going to be taken 4) Titan is completely covered by a reddish haze layer through which we could not take pictures 5) you can't fool me, Titan has no surface--it is composed of gas and liquid only

4) Titan is completely covered by a reddish haze layer through which we could not take pictures

What method was used to discover Pluto in 1929-1930? 1) look at irregularities (wobbles) in the motions of Uranus and Neptune 2) use one of the first radio telescopes to measure cold radio waves from Pluto 3) look for patterns in the orbits of the moons of Neptune to see in which direction Pluto would have escaped 4) take pairs of photographs several days apart and "blink" them 5) you can't fool me; Pluto was discovered by Galileo through one of his first telescopes

4) take pairs of photographs several days apart and "blink" them

Which planet has the biggest moon relative to its own size? Not the biggest moon in terms of kilometers, but the biggest as a percentage of the size of the planet it orbits. 1) Jupiter 2) Neptune 3) Uranus 4) Saturn 5) Pluto

5) Pluto

Saturn's ring particles are composed mainly of: 1) silicate rocks 2) frozen carbon dioxide 3) droplets of very cold methane 4) carbon that has been compressed until it is highly reflective 5) water ice

5) water ice