ASTR Exam 2 Quiz Questions

If Ganymede orbits Jupiter every 7.16 days and the orbital periods of Ganymede, Europa, and Io are in a 1:2:4 resonance, what is the orbital period of Io?

1.79

Even though Jupiter's moon Io is similar in size to our geologically dead Moon, it is more geologically active than the Earth. How can this be?

Io is tidally heated due to its elliptical orbit, which causes the large tidal forces exerted by Jupiter to constantly change, flexing and distorting its interior

The lack of large impact craters on the surface of Europa is consistent with

a subsurface ocean because large impacts will break the thin crust causing water and slushy ice to flood out and resurface the crust

Triton's retrograde orbit is consistent with it having

been captured by Neptune's gravity

Compared to the moons of Jupiter, the moons of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune

contain a higher proportion of ice

The fact that many of the larger Jovian moons orbit nearly in the equatorial plane of their host world, moving in the same direction as their planet's spin, suggest that they

formed from a rotating disk of gas and dust like a miniature solar system

Saturn's icy moon Enceladus

has fountains of ice particles and water vapor spraying out from its surface

In addition to nitrogen, the other main components of Titan's atmosphere are

hydrocarbons like methane and ethane

Jovian moons are typically made of

ice and rock

Even though Titan has liquid methane on its surface, some internal heat, and plenty of carbon-containing compounds, it is not a suitable place for life because

it is far too cold, and methane is not a very good biological solvent

The largest Jovian moons Ganymede and Titan are

larger than Mercury but smaller than the Earth

How is Titan, the moon of Saturn, similar to the Earth?

like the earth, Titan has an atmosphere made mostly of molecular nitrogen

Io has an elliptical orbit because

of orbital resonances with Europa and Ganymede

What is believed to have been the main source of Titan's atmosphere?

outgassing from the interior

Like our own moon, many Jovian moons exhibit what is called synchronous rotation. This means that they rotate at the same rate

that they orbit their host planets

In addition to being the second-largest moon in the solar system, Saturn's moon Titan, is

the only moon to have its own atmosphere

Which feature seen on Saturn's moon Iapetus suggests that its interior must have been warm at some time in the past?

the presence of a steep ridge running along its equator

Io experiences strong internal tidal heating because of

the strong tidal force from the massive Jupiter combined with its elliptical orbit which causes the strength and direction of the force to constantly change

Which of the following best describes the internal structure of Europa?

thin icy crust, subsurface ocean, thick rocky mantle, central iron core

The fact that the strength of gravity decreases with distance means the force of gravity exerted by one object on another (e.g., the Earth and Moon) is greater on the near side than the far side. This effect is commonly referred to as a

tidal force

Triton's source of internal heat is mostly associated with

tidal heat left over from it being captured into orbit around Neptune

Life beneath the surface of Europa would most likely obtain energy from

tidal heating

On Saturn's moon Enceladus, fountains of ice particles and water vapor are seen to be spraying out of

tiger stripe regions close to the south pole

If Triton has a subsurface ocean, it will most likely consist of

water mixed with ammonia, methane, or other melted ices