Exam 2 Material

Io has a much warmer interior than the other moons of Jupiter. What is the best reason why? a. It experiences tidal flexing from the gravity of Jupiter, Europa and Ganymede. b. It has held on to much more of its fossil heat of formation. c. The volcanoes on its surface reheat the interior. d. It receives much more sunlight than the other moons. e. It has been hit by far more meteorites, dumping heat energy into the interior.

a. It experiences tidal flexing from the gravity of Jupiter, Europa and Ganymede.

The only moon that rises in the west and sets in the east in its planet's sky is a. Phobos. b. Diemos. c. Triton. d. Titania. e. Io.

a. Phobos.

Triton is the only major moon in the solar system with a. a retrograde orbit. b. only a few craters on its surface. c. geysers/volcanoes. d. an atmosphere. e. ice in its interior.

a. a retrograde orbit.

Uranus appears blue because its clouds contain a. methane. b. water ice. c. sulfuric acid. d. dust. e. carbon dioxide.

a. methane.

Titania is a. the largest moon of Uranus. b. the moon Titan's twin. c. the largest moon of Saturn. d. the second largest moon of Venus. e. the planet between Jupiter and Saturn.

a. the largest moon of Uranus.

The time scale on Mars that is most similar the same period on Earth is a. the length of its day. b. the length of its year. c. the length of its northern summer. d. the length of its month. e. the length of vacations Martians take.

a. the length of its day.

Of the following processes, which is most important now in shaping the Martian surface? a. wind erosion b. All of these (above and below; the answer order is randomized) are about equal in importance. c. volcanoes d. meteorite impact e. water erosion

a. wind erosion

The rings of Saturn are most likely a. the debris of a moon that came apart because of Saturn's tidal forces. b. debris that could not form into a moon because of Saturn's tidal forces. c. the debris of another planet that collided with Saturn. d. the debris of a moon that escaped from Jupiter and collided with one of Saturn's moons. e. figments of the imagination of a few astronomers.

b. debris that could not form into a moon because of Saturn's tidal forces.

Why is Saturn most oblate of the planets? a. Its moons cause strong tidal bulge around whole planet b. It is low density, and fast spinning can push equator region outward more c. Formed that way when planetesimals originally slammed together d. Gravity pulls harder along poles e. Has had no success with the South Beach diet

b. It is low density, and fast spinning can push equator region outward more

What planet was the first one to be discovered `by pencil' (that is, by calculated prediction of where it would be)? a. Pluto b. Neptune c. Uranus d. Saturn e. Mercury

b. Neptune

The chemical composition of the atmosphere of which of the following is most similar to that of the Earth's? a. Venus b. Titan c. Io d. Jupiter e. Mars

b. Titan

Considering the state of the materials in its interior, Jupiter is mostly a. ices. b. liquids. c. cardboard. d. solid rocks. e. gases.

b. liquids.

Saturn has density a. about the same as water b. somewhat less than water c. about the same as rock d. about the same as iron e. about that of a half rock, half ice mixture

b. somewhat less than water

The real 'canals' seen on Mars were probably formed by which of the following mechanisms? a. meteorite impact and meteorite tunneling b. water flow c. lava flow d. carbon dioxide flow e. nuclear explosions

b. water flow

Some parts of Pluto have an albedo of 0.98! What do we think could cause such a thing? a. Parts of the surface are polished metals. b. Water clouds are blocking the sunlight. c. There has been recent 'upwelling' of fresh ice from beneath the surface. d. Some of the methane ice surface has been changed to carbon by radiation. e. Charon is eclipsing those parts each time it orbits.

c. There has been recent 'upwelling' of fresh ice from beneath the surface.

The moons of Mars differ from the Earth's Moon most noticeably in that: a. Mars' moons have no craters b. Mars' moons are not kept in orbit by gravity c. Mars' moons are not spherical d. Mars' moons have thick atmospheres e. Mars' moons have active volcanoes

c. Mars' moons are not spherical

Which moon has surface that looks like a cantaloupe's skin? a. Titania b. Miranda c. Triton d. Europa e. Nereid

c. Triton

The planet that appears to be a twin to Neptune (in mass, composition, density, temperatures, for example) is a. Earth b. Mercury c. Uranus d. Jupiter e. Saturn

c. Uranus

Which of the following best explains why Mars has relatively few craters? a. The meteors burned up in Mars' atmosphere and, therefore, never struck the surface. b. The tidal forces inside Mars forced meteorites to land in only a few places. c. Wind erosion on Mars wore down most of the craters. d. Jupiter protects Mars from meteorites. e. The meteorites splashed into Mars' oceans and sank without a trace.

c. Wind erosion on Mars wore down most of the craters.

Cassini's division is best described as a. a zone of Saturn. b. a band on Jupiter. c. a large gap in the rings of Saturn. d. a ring of Jupiter filled with very small particles. e. a moon of Saturn.

c. a large gap in the rings of Saturn.

What color best describes the surface of Pluto? a. yellow b. violet c. red d. green e. aqua

c. red

Which of the following planets puts out much more energy than what it receives from the Sun? a. Jupiter b. Saturn c. Neptune d. All of the above put out much more energy than what they receive from the Sun. e. none of the above

d. All of the above put out much more energy than what they receive from the Sun.

Which moon has a thick water ocean beneath a layer of ice ? a. Earth's Moon b. Europa c. Io d. Callisto e. Phobos

d. Callisto

Which moon of Jupiter has the lowest density? a. Io b. Europa c. Ganymede d. Callisto e. Phobos

d. Callisto

Which of the following moons has a huge `bullseye' of frozen water ripples on its surface? a. Titan b. Io c. Ganymede d. Callisto e. Europa

d. Callisto

Why is Jupiter's albedo so high (50%)? a. He did not see the doctor in time. b. Its surface is rocky. c. Its atmosphere is mostly hydrogen. d. It has very thick, light colored clouds. e. It rotates very rapidly.

d. It has very thick, light colored clouds.

What color is the sky on Mars? a. Bright blue, like the Earth's. b. Pale green. c. Always deep, dark black - as on the Moon. d. Often pink, like no other place in the solar system. e. Grey, as on Venus.

d. Often pink, like no other place in the solar system.

Mars is generally considered to be the planet (other than Earth) on which a person would have the greatest chance of survival (even if not for long). Which is not a reason for this? a. The atmosphere contains oxygen even if it is only in small quantities. b. The temperatures are on the cool side but not as harsh as on the other planets. c. The pole caps contain water ice. d. The Viking missions found life which would provide a source of food. e. All of the above are good reasons.

d. The Viking missions found life which would provide a source of food.

Which of the following planets does NOT put out much more energy than what it receives from the Sun? a. Jupiter b. Saturn c. Neptune d. Uranus e. All of the above put out much more energy than what they receive from the Sun.

d. Uranus

The component of the polar ice caps of Mars that changes with the seasons is primarily: a. water b. ammonia c. carbon monoxide d. carbon dioxide e. methane

d. carbon dioxide

Jupiter is composed primarily of: a. rocky road ice cream b. iron c. carbon d. hydrogen e. water

d. hydrogen

All the medium-sized moons of Saturn have densities that are only slightly more than 1 gram per cubic centimeter. This means that probably these moons are all mostly a. dust. b. foam rubber. c. rock. d. ice. e. iron.

d. ice.

We think that Jupiter has a very strong magnetic field because deep within the planet there is a. a lot of iron in the core. b. liquid water. c. a gigantic red and white bar magnet. d. liquid metallic hydrogen carrying electrical currents. e. a lot of methane.

d. liquid metallic hydrogen carrying electrical currents.

Considering the state of the materials in its interior, Uranus is mostly a. cardboard. b. solid rocks. c. gases. d. liquids. e. ices.

d. liquids.

Some of the rings of Saturn are known to be kept in place by a. tidal effects from the other rings. b. Uranus. c. comets. d. the shepherd moons. e. Saturn's magnetic fields.

d. the shepherd moons.

The 'belts' and 'zones' on Jupiter are a. like high- and low-pressure weather systems on Earth, but stretched out around the planet by rapid differential rotation. b. alternating bands of rising and falling gases. c. regions of different colors because of temperature differences. d. visible, even in a small telescope, from the Earth. e. All of the above.

e. All of the above.

Which of the following is a Galilean moon a. Earth's Moon b. Amalthea c. Phobos d. Diemos e. Callisto

e. Callisto

Which of the following planets is most massive? a. Pluto b. Neptune c. Uranus d. Mars e. Saturn

e. Saturn

The color changes in Mars' atmosphere are primarily due to changes in atmospheric: a. carbon dioxide b. water c. sulfuric acid d. methane e. dust

e. dust

Which of these planets has an axis tilt that is most similar to Earth's? a. Pluto b. Saturn c. Uranus d. Jupiter e. Venus

not Jupiter not venus?