Astronomy ch.8

Strong radio radiation from Jupiter indicates the presence of A. thunderstorms B. radio stations C. a strong magnetic field. D. the Great Red Spot.

C

In the rings of Saturn, there are two main rings, the outer A ring and the inner B ring. How are the particles in these rings seen to move when examined (by Doppler effect of reflected sunlight) from the Earth? A. Speeds of the particles vary because of attraction by the Sun, so A particles sometimes move faster and at other times B particles move faster. B. Speeds of the particles in all rings are the same because mutual gravitational forces between them ensure that they move as a solid disk. C. Particles in the A ring move more slowly than those in the B ring. D. Particles in the A ring move faster than particles in the B ring because they are farther from the planet.

C

Differential rotation is when a planet's equator and polar regions rotate at different rates. T/F

T

From Voyager 2, Neptune's clouds appeared much more active than did Uranus', surprising since Neptune is smaller, colder, and farther from the Sun. T/F

T

If it were about 80 times as massive as present, Jupiter could become a star. T/F

T

Jupiter has twice the mass of all the other planets combined. T/F

T

Jupiter puts back into space twice the energy it gets from the Sun. T/F

T

Jupiter's magnetic field is much stronger than Earth's, and has a magnetic tail that extends beyond the orbit of Saturn. T/F

T

Lightning in storms on Saturn produces bursts of radio waves. T/F

T

Saturn has a surface magnetic field weaker than Earth's. T/F

T

Saturn is almost as big as Jupiter, but only a third its mass. T/F

T

Saturn is less dense than water. T/F

T

Saturn's cloud layer is over twice as thick as Jupiter's cloud layer. T/F

T

Saturn's orbit is more elliptical than Jupiter's, and its tilt is much larger as well. T/F

T

Saturn's rotation is fast and differential, much like Jupiter's. T/F

T

Saturn's two shepherd moons herd the particles in the F ring. T.F

T

Telescopically, Jupiter is the most colorful and changeable of the planets. T/F

T

The Great Red Spot has been seen on Jupiter as long as we have had telescopes capable of observing it. T/F

T

The nitrogen geysers of Triton carry carbon grit into the winds of its atmosphere. T/F

T

The rings of Saturn occupy the region inside Saturn's Roche limit. T/F

T

The rings of Uranus were discovered from Earth when the planet occulted a star. T/F

T

The visual appearance of Neptune is much bluer than Uranus. T/F

T

The zonal flows giving rise to the belts and zones are similar to the jet streams in our own stratosphere. T/F

T

Uranus and Neptune are very similar in size and mass. T/F

T

We have observed a comet strike Jupiter. T/F

T

When Cassini entered orbit around Saturn, it caused the planet's orbit to change. T/F

T

When initially discovered by Voyager 2, Neptune's rings appeared as ring arcs, and are more clumpy and less regular than most other rings. T/F

T

While hydrogen, helium, water, and ammonia can produce the white coloration of Jupiter's zones, the brownish color of the belts requires more complex chemistry. T/F

T

Saturn is the only planet with a ring system. t/f

f

The eruptions observed on Io are thought to most clearly resemble A. geysers, where material is shot upward more or less continuously by the pressure of gas produced below the surface. B. volcanoes, producing lava flows and columns of erupting silicate ash. C. explosions, where material is thrown upward by a single burst and then falls back to the surface. D. terrestrial mid-ocean ridges, where upwelling molten rock pushes the crust apart.

A

Triton, the largest satellite of Neptune, has a A. surface of ice with frozen lakes, plumes of escaping gas, and few craters. B. thick atmosphere that hides the surface from view. C. surface of ice in which ancient, densely cratered regions are surrounded by interconnecting systems of parallel ridges D. densely cratered surface of ice with at least one very large ringed structure, indicating an ancient asteroid impact.

A

Europa, one of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter, has a surface consisting of A. rock, heavily cratered like the highlands of our Moon. B. a relatively young, icy crust covered with a network of streaks and cracks and only a few impact craters. C. an ancient, icy crust covered with numerous craters and no surface cracks or groove belts that would indicate internal activity. D. an icy crust showing two interlocking types of terrain, one ancient and heavily cratered, the other younger with systems of parallel grooves.

B

The auroral ovals around the magnetic poles of Jupiter and Saturn have been detected and imaged in what kind of light? A. visible light specific to sulfur atoms B. ultraviolet light C. light of the same wavelengths as in auroras on the Earth—primarily green light from atomic oxygen D. infrared or heat radiation

B

The rings of Uranus are A. wide, dense, and very bright, with 70% reflectivity. B. narrow and very dark C. intrinsically very bright, with 70% reflectivity, but they are hard to detect because they are very narrow. D. broad, diffuse, and almost transparent, made up of almost nothing bigger than dust particles.

B

The Great Dark Spot on Neptune A. has been visible through telescopes since at least as far back as 1665. B. was the short-lived result of a comet crash in 1995. C. disappeared sometime between the Voyager flyby in 1989 and when the Hubble Space Telescope photographed Neptune in 1994. D. came into existence sometime between the Voyager flyby in 1989 and when the Hubble Space Telescope photographed Neptune in 1994.

C

The size distribution of particles in the rings of the Jovian planets is A. only dust and smokelike particles. B. from 10 m to 1 km across, with no smaller components. C. a mixture of gas (mostly hydrogen) and dust grains, none larger than about 1 mm across. D. from pebble-sized fragments to objects a few meters in diameter, with significant amounts of fine dust in and above some rings.

D

What is the dominant circulation pattern in Jupiter's atmosphere (i.e., at the visible "surface")? A. isolated storms and turbulent swirls, with little overall flow pattern in any particular direction B. uniform eastward flow of the entire atmosphere, with occasional dark storms and turbulent swirls C. air rising at the equator, flowing north and south toward the poles, then sinking and returning to the equator at a lower level D. alternating bands of eastward and westward flow parallel to the equator, with light and dark ovals between the flows

D

What was the most surprising result that the Galileo probe found when it penetrated the atmosphere of Jupiter? A. no evidence at all of hydrogen in the atmosphere of Jupiter B. hard surface just under the cloud layers, contrary to our understanding of Jupiter's atmospheric structure C. vast quantities of invisible water vapor above the cloud layers D. only traces of water vapor and many other chemical elements in the cloud layers that are very easily measured spectroscopically from the Earth

D

Colors in Jupiter's clouds are largely due to helium compounds. T/F

F

Jupiter's atmosphere is a single huge storm system. T/F

F

Like Earth, Jupiter's internal energy is generated chiefly by radioactive decay. T/F

F

Most of the moons of Saturn have rocky, cratered surfaces, like Deimos and Phobos. T/F

F

Saturn has several enduring major storm systems similar to Jupiter's Great Red Spot. T/F

F

The Great Dark Spot on Neptune is probably as stable as Jupiter's famed Great Red Spot. T/F

F

The axial tilts of Uranus and Neptune are similar. T/F

F

The equator of Jupiter rotates slower than the Great Red spot. T/F

F

The particles making up the ring of Jupiter are composed of bright, reflective ice. T/F

F

Triton shows similar cratering to the Lunar highlands, which suggests that it too is an old surface. T/F

F

Uranus' rotation axis is tipped over 98 degrees, so its magnetosphere is tipped over the same amount. T/F

F

A typical ring particle is about the size of a snowball. T/F

T

All the Galilean moons are in synchronous rotation, with the same face always pointed toward Jupiter, except for tidally stressed Io. T/F

T

Although it is almost the same size as Jupiter, Saturn's gravity is about 2.5 times less, because of Saturn's lower mass and density. T/F

T

Amateur astronomers have contributed to the understanding of impact events on Jupiter. T/F

T

As with Saturn's F ring, shepherd moons play a major role in the structure of the thin narrow rings around Uranus. T/F

T

Because it is less dense than Jupiter, Saturn is more oblate than Jupiter, even though it rotates slightly more slowly. T/F

T

Both have strangely tilted magnetic fields, but that of Uranus is even farther off the rotational axis than that of Neptune. T/F

T

Neptune has a highly tilted rotation axis, much like Uranus, and very unlike Saturn's. t/f

f