Question 1

How does Jupiter's core compare to Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is the same size and mass.
B)  It is about 10 times larger both in size and mass.
C)  It is about 10 times larger in size and the same mass.
D)  It is about the same size but is 10 times more massive.
E)  Jupiter doesn't have a core-it is made entirely from hydrogen and helium.F) A) and C)
G) A) and E)

Question 2

Both the existence and the location of Neptune were predicted mathematically before the planet actually was detected by telescope.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Suppose the jovian planet atmospheres were composed 100 percent of hydrogen and helium rather than 98 percent of hydrogen and helium.How would the atmospheres be different in terms of color and weather?

Accepted Answer

Without ingredients besides hy...

Question 4

Which of the following is not a general characteristic of the four jovian planets in our solar system?

Accepted Answer

A)  They lack solid surfaces.
B)  They are composed mainly of hydrogen,helium,and hydrogen compounds.
C)  They are higher in average density than are the terrestrial planets.
D)  They are much more massive then any of the terrestrial planets.E) B) and C)
F) All of the above

Question 5

Jupiter and the other jovian planets are sometimes called "gas giants." In what sense is this term misleading?

Accepted Answer

A)  The materials they are made of are not the kinds of thing we usually think of as gases.
B)  They are not in any sense "giants."
C)  Actually,it's a great description,because these worlds are big and gaseous throughout.
D)  They actually contain relatively little material in a gaseous state.E) A) and D)
F) B) and D)

Question 6

Which of the following statements about the rings of the four jovian planets is not true?

Accepted Answer

A)  All rings lie within their planet's Roche zone.
B)  All the particle orbits are fairly circular,near their planet's equatorial plane.
C)  All have gaps and ringlets,probably due to gap moons,shepherd moons,and orbital resonances.
D)  All probably look much like they did when the solar system first formed.
E)  All are made of individual particles of rock or ice that orbit in accord with Kepler's laws: inner ring particles orbiting faster,and outer ring particles orbiting slower.F) A) and B)
G) C) and D)

Question 7

How do astronomers think Jupiter generates its internal heat?

Accepted Answer

A)  radioactive decay
B)  internal friction due to its high rotation rate
C)  chemical processes
D)  nuclear fusion in the core
E)  by contracting,changing gravitational potential energy into thermal energyF) A) and E)
G) C) and E)

Question 8

Why is Saturn almost as big as Jupiter,despite its smaller mass?

Accepted Answer

A)  Jupiter's greater mass compresses it more,thus increasing its density.
B)  Saturn's rings make the planet look bigger.
C)  Saturn is further from the Sun,thus cooler,and therefore less compact.
D)  Saturn has a larger proportion of hydrogen and helium than Jupiter,and is therefore less dense.
E)  Jupiter's strong magnetic field constrains its size.F) C) and D)
G) B) and D)

Question 9

Which of the following statements comparing the jovian interiors is not thought to be true?

Accepted Answer

A)  They all have cores of roughly the same mass.
B)  They all have the same exact set of internal layers,though these layers differ in size.
C)  They all have cores that contain at least some rock and metal.
D)  Deep inside them,they all have pressures far higher than that found on the bottom of the ocean on Earth.E) A) and D)
F) A) and B)

Question 10

Which statement about Io is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is the most volcanically active body in our solar system.
B)  It is thought to have a deep,subsurface ocean of liquid water.
C)  It is the largest moon in the solar system.
D)  It is the only moon in the solar system with a thick atmosphere.E) A) and B)
F) All of the above

Question 11

Which of the following does not yield information on jovian planet interiors?

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth-based observations of the mass and size of the planets
B)  spacecraft measurements of magnetic and gravitational fields
C)  laboratory studies and theoretical models
D)  spectroscopy of the cloud layers
E)  detailed observations of planetary shapesF) A) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 12

Which of the following gases is not a significant ingredient of the jovian planet atmospheres?

Accepted Answer

A)  carbon dioxide
B)  hydrogen
C)  helium
D)  waterE) All of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 13

Why do astronomers believe Triton may have been a planet that was captured by Neptune?

Accepted Answer

A)  It orbits Neptune in the opposite direction of Neptune's rotation.
B)  It is too large to have been formed in the jovian nebula that formed Neptune.
C)  It has an atmosphere and a measurable greenhouse effect.
D)  It undergoes seasonal changes.
E)  It is colder than any other moon or planet.F) D) and E)
G) B) and C)

Question 14

Planetary rings are

Accepted Answer

A)  nearer to their planet than any of the planet's large moons.
B)  orbiting in the equatorial plane of their planet.
C)  composed of a large number of individual particles that orbit their planet in accord with Kepler's third law.
D)  known to exist for all of the jovian planets.
E)  all of the aboveF) B) and C)
G) D) and E)

Question 15

According to our theory of solar system formation,why did Uranus and Neptune end up to be much less massive than Jupiter and Saturn?

Accepted Answer

A)  Ices were able to condense at the distance of Jupiter and Saturn,but only rock and metal could condense at the distances of Uranus and Neptune.
B)  Particles in the solar nebula were more spread out at greater distances,so that accretion took longer and there was less time to pull in gas before the solar wind cleared the nebula.
C)  The colder gas in the outer regions of the solar nebula had less gravity and therefore could not gather up into such large balls as it could closer in.
D)  The size differences are thought to be a random coincidence.E) B) and C)
F) C) and D)

Question 16

What is the Cassini division of Saturn's rings?

Accepted Answer

A)  a dark ring,visible from Earth,composed of dark,dusty particles
B)  a large gap,visible from Earth
C)  the imaginary circle marking the halfway point of Saturn's rings
D)  the widest ring of Saturn,located between two large ring gaps
E)  the most opaque ring of Saturn,made of highly reflective ice particlesF) A) and B)
G) A) and E)

Question 17

The four Galilean moons around Jupiter are

Accepted Answer

A)  all made of rock.
B)  all made of ice.
C)  a mixture of rock and ice.
D)  very similar to asteroids.
E)  hydrogen and helium gas.F) A) and E)
G) A) and D)

Question 18

Why does Jupiter have three distinct layers of clouds?

Accepted Answer

A)  The three layers represent clouds made of gases that condense at different temperatures.
B)  Jupiter has three different types of wind that each make a different type of cloud.The three layers reflect regions of Jupiter's atmosphere with different overall chemical compositions.
C)  Clouds form randomly,so on average there are always three layers.D) A) and B)
E) A) and C)

Question 19

Which of the following best why we see horizontal "stripes" in photographs of Jupiter and Saturn?

Accepted Answer

A)  The dark and light stripes correspond to alternating bands of different chemical composition.
B)  The light stripes are regions of high clouds,and the dark stripes are regions where we can see down to deeper,darker clouds.
C)  There are three different color stripes corresponding to the three different types of clouds found on these planets.
D)  Dark stripes are those in which there is a stratosphere and light stripes are those with no stratosphere.E) A) and B)
F) A) and D)

Question 20

If Jupiter were 10 times more massive,it would generate nuclear fusion in its core and be a star instead of a planet.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 11: Jovian Planet Systems

Both the existence and the location of Neptune were predicted mathematically before the planet actually was detected by telescope.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why is Saturn almost as big as Jupiter,despite its smaller mass?

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Why does Jupiter have three distinct layers of clouds?

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Which of the following best why we see horizontal "stripes" in photographs of Jupiter and Saturn?

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What is the Cassini division of Saturn's rings?

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How do astronomers think Jupiter generates its internal heat?

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If Jupiter were 10 times more massive,it would generate nuclear fusion in its core and be a star instead of a planet.

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Which of the following does not yield information on jovian planet interiors?

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Planetary rings are

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Which statement about Io is true?

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Which of the following statements comparing the jovian interiors is not thought to be true?

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Which of the following is not a general characteristic of the four jovian planets in our solar system?

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According to our theory of solar system formation,why did Uranus and Neptune end up to be much less massive than Jupiter and Saturn?

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Suppose the jovian planet atmospheres were composed 100 percent of hydrogen and helium rather than 98 percent of hydrogen and helium.How would the atmospheres be different in terms of color and weather?

Correct AnswerverifiedWithout ingredients besides hy...View AnswerShow Answer

Which of the following gases is not a significant ingredient of the jovian planet atmospheres?

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Why do astronomers believe Triton may have been a planet that was captured by Neptune?

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The four Galilean moons around Jupiter are

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Jupiter and the other jovian planets are sometimes called "gas giants." In what sense is this term misleading?

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Which of the following statements about the rings of the four jovian planets is not true?

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How does Jupiter's core compare to Earth?

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Without ingredients besides hy...
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