question

Two of the Galilean moons of Jupiter are the size of Mercury, and the two others are about as big as our own Moon.

answer

True

question

Besides Mars, exobiologists find Europa also a good candidate for life.

answer

true

question

The surface of Io looks most like the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean of Earth.

answer

false

question

Io's internal heat is due to tidal interactions with Jupiter and Europa.

answer

true

question

Like our Moon and most others, all four large Jovian satellites have one side constantly fixed toward Jupiter as they revolve and rotate.

answer

false

question

Like Jupiter's other icy moons, Europa is covered with craters.

answer

true

question

The Cassini probe Huygens made a soft landing on Titan.

answer

false

question

All four of Jupiter's big moons, like most moons in the solar system, revolve clockwise (retrograde) around their planet's equator.

answer

false

question

While Ganymede and Callisto are about the same size, the surface of Callisto is much younger, with considerable tectonic reformation.

answer

false

question

Of all the Galilean satellites, the surface of Europa is the youngest in age.

answer

false

question

Io's surface volcanism is driven by phase changes of sulfur and its compounds.

answer

false

question

Due to tidal stresses, it is likely most of Io is molten, with a relatively thin solid crust.

answer

true

question

The weak magnetic field of Europa may originate from a rapidly rotating liquid iron core.

answer

false

question

Ganymede is the largest satellite in the solar system.

answer

true

question

The processes which produced Ganymede's groove terrain are on-going, according to the latest Galileo images.

answer

false

question

The large, dark mare on Ganymede were created by water that erupted from within the moon.

answer

true

question

Alone of all the Galilean moons, Callisto shows no sign of plate tectonics.

answer

false

question

It appears that while they are similar in size, Ganymede is much more differentiated than Callisto.

answer

true

question

In terms of composition and density, the atmosphere of Titan is closer to our own than any other place we have found in the solar system.

answer

true

question

Triton and Pluto both probably originated in the Kuiper Belt.

answer

true

question

Because the probe came so close, Voyager 1 sent back high resolution photos of detail on the surface of Titan in 1980.

answer

false

question

Titan's surface has been mapped using Earth based visual telescopes.

answer

false

question

Methane drives the weather of Titan, for there it can be liquid, solid, or gas.

answer

true

question

Like Titan, Triton has a nitrogen atmosphere

answer

true

question

The tectonic surface features we see on Triton are similar to the grooves of Ganymede

answer

true

question

Alone among all the large moons, Triton orbits Neptune retrograde, and also at a 20 degree inclination to Neptune's equator.

answer

true

question

Spacecraft have imaged erupting volcanoes on Io and Triton.

answer

true

question

The retrograde orbit of Triton dooms it to spiral inward toward Neptune, perhaps someday to make a ring system.

answer

true

question

Cassini's probe Huygens returned images of what may have been a shoreline on Saturn.

answer

false

question

The haphazard terrain of Miranda suggests it was broken up by impact after it had differentiated, then fell back together as a jumbled maze.

answer

true

question

The surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus is the most reflective of any in the solar system, suggesting very fresh ice is exposed

answer

true

question

The rings of Uranus were discovered when it passed in front of a star, and the dark rings occulted the star several times for brief intervals

answer

true

question

Saturn's rings appear to be brighter and younger than the dirty, dark rings around Uranus and Neptune.

answer

true

question

All four ring systems orbit the equators of Jovian planets outside their Roche limits

answer

false

question

Saturn's rings are thick, perhaps a few thousand kilometers.

answer

false

question

At its equinoxes, Saturn's rings are most open and double the planet's brightness.

answer

false

question

The F-ring is held in place around Saturn by two shepherd moons.

answer

true

question

A resonance with Mimas clears out the ring particles from Cassini's Division.

answer

true

question

Two sets of rings around Jovian planets were found by Earth-based observers, while two others were first imaged by the Voyagers.

answer

true

question

Probably the next satellite to get turned into ring debris will be Neptune's backward moon, Triton.

answer

true

question

Saturn's rings are extremely old, possibly older than four billion years.

answer

false

question

The particles in Saturn's E ring probably come from volcanic eruptions on Enceladus.

answer

true

question

Neptune has a single, broad ring that is extremely thin

answer

false

question

Like Saturn's more famous ring system, Jupiter's ring is also made of ice, just older and dirtier than the bright fresh material at Saturn.

answer

false

question

Pluto is smaller than many moons in the solar system

answer

true

question

The initial prediction by Percival Lowell of Pluto's position was close to the place it was, in fact, found by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930.

answer

true

question

Both Pluto and Charon are tidally locked to always keep the same faces toward each other, rotating and revolving around their common center of mass every 14.2 hours.

answer

false

question

Pluto is probably one of the largest of the Kuiper Belt bodies beyond Neptune.

answer

true

question

Based on our current knowledge of the motions of Uranus and Neptune, it is obvious that Pluto's discovery was a triumph of physics, on par with Adams and Leverrier's work in finding Neptune.

answer

false

question

Pluto is visible to the naked eye on extremely dark nights.

answer

false

question

Pluto is no longer classified as a planet.

answer

true

question

Pluto has only a single moon, Charon.

answer

false

question

Which element is critical to the formation of the volcanic surface of Io? A) carbon B) silicon C) sulfur D) phosphorus E) iron

answer

C, sulfur

question

What is thought to be the cause of Io's volcanoes? A) radioactive decay in Io's interior B) solar radiation focused by Jupiter's gravity C) Jupiter's magnetosphere and its charged particles D) gravitational tidal stresses from both Jupiter and Europa E) energy emitted by Jupiter

answer

d, gravitational tidal stresses from both jupiter and eurpoa

question

55) Which of the Galilean moons is densest and most geologically active? A) Callisto B) Ganymede C) Titan D) Europa E) Io

answer

E, Io

question

Which are the four Galilean moons of Jupiter? A) Europa, Ganymede, Io, and Triton B) Io, Ganymede, Callisto, and Titan C) Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto D) Io, Titan, Triton, and Charon E) Europa, Titan, Ganymede, and Callisto

answer

C, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto

question

The surface of Europa is most like the Earth's A) Arctic Ocean. B) deserts. C) tundra. D) Himalayan peaks. E) South Pole.

answer

E, South Pole

question

The weak magnetic fields around Europa and Ganymede were found during flybys of A) Cassini. B) Galileo. C) Stardust. D) Voyager 1. E) Pioneer 10.

answer

D, voyager

question

In size and density, both Io and Europa resemble A) Charon. B) Mercury. C) Pluto. D) our Moon. E) Mars.

answer

D, our moon

question

The mare on Ganymede were formed by 60) ______ A) gravitational interactions with Callisto and Europa. B) plate tectonics. C) water erupting and spreading over the surface. D) sulfur spewed from volcanoes. E) basalt erupting onto the surface.

answer

C, water eruputing and spreading over the surface

question

In terms of dark, smoother mare and cratered highlands, which Jovian moon most resembles the near side of our own? A) Triton B) Ganymede C) Titan D) Europa E) Io

answer

B, ganymede

question

Of the Jovian satellites, which shows the oldest, most cratered surface? A) Callisto B) Triton C) Enceladus D) Ganymede E) Miranda

answer

A, callisto

question

The largest moon in the solar system, bigger but not as massive as Mercury, is A) Europa. B) Titan. C) Triton. D) Ganymede. E) Callisto.

answer

D, ganymede

question

A moon with a smooth, uncratered surface would imply A) the surface is very young. B) the surface is completely liquid. C) the moon lies within the planet's Roche Limit. D) a strong magnetic field surrounds the moon. E) meteorites have never struck the moon.

answer

A, the surface is very young

question

Which of these moons has the densest atmosphere? A) Io B) Europa C) Triton D) Titan E) Callisto

answer

D, Titan

question

Which of these moons are most interesting to exobiologists? A) Titan and Triton B) Io and Enceladus C) Europa and Miranda D) Europa and Titan E) Triton and Charon

answer

D, Europa and Titan

question

At Titan, the lakes are made mostly of liquid A) carbon dioxide. B) metallic hydrogen. C) ethane. D) nitrogen. E) water.

answer

c, ethan

question

The Huygens probe of the ESA made a successful landing on A) Mars. B) Saturn. C) Titan. D) Triton. E) Europa.

answer

C, Titan

question

The atmosphere of Titan is composed mostly of A) nitrogen. B) carbon dioxide. C) methane. D) oxygen. E) hydrogen.

answer

A, nitrogen

question

The grooves and ridges on Ganymede are thought to A) have grown considerably larger since the Voyager spacecraft discovered them. B) have formed within the last thousand years. C) be due to crustal tectonics motion (plate tectonics) D) be part of an ongoing volcanic process. E) be due to the moon's rapid rotation.

answer

C, be due to crustal tectonics motion

question

What is true of Titan's atmosphere? A) It has produced a runaway greenhouse effect. B) It is similar to Earth's in composition and density. C) It is oxygen rich. D) It is primarily hydrogen. E) It was discovered by the Voyager 1 spacecraft.

answer

B, it is similar to Earth's in composition and density

question

The erupting geysers of nitrogen gas on Triton A) can be viewed by the Hubble Space Telescope. B) are caused by a not yet determined internal energy source. C) produced the frozen nitrogen surface. D) are increasing the moon's rotation rate. E) produced the large liquid oceans.

answer

B, are caused by a not yet determined internal energy source

question

Voyager 1 was unable to image Titan's surface because A) the cameras were damaged by Saturn's magnetic field. B) volcanic activity spewed sulfur clouds, obscuring the surface. C) the moon was in shadow during the mission. D) of Titan's high reflectivity. E) of "smog" in Titan's atmosphere

answer

E, of "smog" in Titan's atmosphere

question

The brightest and probably youngest surface of any moon of Saturn belongs to A) Mimas. B) Iapetus. C) Tethys. D) Enceladus. E) Titan

answer

D, encladus

question

Which Jovian moon shows the most diverse terrain, suggesting a violent impact broke it into many pieces, some of which reformed it as a jumbled puzzle? A) Triton B) Ganymede C) Enceladus D) Io E) Miranda

answer

E, Miranda

question

What statistic below has changed the most in the last decade? A) the rotational period of the Jovian moons B) the densities of the larger moons C) the masses of the Galilean moons D) the compositions of moons of Uranus E) the number of known Jovian moons

answer

E, the number of known Jovian moons

question

Which moon of Saturn shows the largest impact crater, relative to its size? A) Titan B) Miranda C) Mimas D) Callisto E) Enceladus

answer

C, Mimas

question

For a moon the same density as its planet, the Roche limit lies at ________ times the radius of its planet. A) 5.2 B) 3.6 C) 2.5 D) 1.4 E) 7

answer

C, 2.5

question

Why are the rings of Saturn so bright? A) They are made of young, fresh water ice. B) Light reflected off of gigantic Titan reinforces the sunlight. C) They are made of frozen metallic hydrogen. D) They are made of glassy beads expelled by the volcanoes of Enceladus. E) They are made of metallic iron, never rusted by exposure to oxygen.

answer

A, they are made of young fresh water ice

question

When Saturn is at Equinox, its rings will A) contract closer to the planet's surface. B) lie perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic. C) appear face-on to the earth. D) lie in the plane of the ecliptic. E) double the planet's brightness.

answer

D, lie in the plane of the ecliptic

question

What best explains the darkness of the rings beyond Saturn's? A) Water ice reflects light poorly at the low temperatures beyond Saturn. B) The sunlight is much fainter out there. C) old, sooty debris and radiation darkening D) They are pieces of captured comets. E) Rocky debris doesn't reflect as well as water ice.

answer

C, old, sooty debris and radiation darkening

question

The Cassini Division is a gap in Saturn's rings caused by A) Saturn's magnetic field. B) Saturn's excess heat. C) the icy ring particles melting. D) two shepherding moons. E) gravitational interaction with Mimas.

answer

E, gravitational interaction with Mimas

question

Inside the Roche Limit A) there is a gap in a planet's magnetic field. B) is where large moons form. C) large moons are torn apart. D) ring systems cannot exist. E) hydrogen can only exist in its liquid metallic form.

answer

C, large moons are torn apart

question

If Saturn takes about 30 years to orbit the Sun, and its rings were seen edge-on in 1995, when did they next appear most open at solstice? A) 2002 B) 2010 C) 1998 D) 2007 E) 2005

answer

A, 2002

question

Which was not a Voyager discovery about the rings of Saturn? A) The F ring particles are herded by two shepherd moons. B) The E ring may have been made by volcanic eruptions from Enceladus. C) They are made of tens of thousands of narrow ringlets. D) They have dark spokes that defy gravity. E) There are hundreds of smaller moons imbedded in them, creating the gaps.

answer

E, there are hundreds of smaller moons imbedded in them, creating the gaps

question

Which of the following rings of Saturn lies closest to the planet? A) the E ring B) the F ring C) the B ring D) the A ring E) the C ring

answer

E, the C ring

question

Which moon orbits a body only twice as big as it is? A) Mimas B) our Moon C) Triton D) Miranda E) Charon

answer

E, Charon

question

Pluto's density is most similar to A) Saturn, but not Jupiter, Uranus, or Neptune. B) the terrestrial planets. C) the jovian planets. D) the moons of the jovian planets. E) Mercury, but not Venus, Earth, or Mars.

answer

D, the moons of the Jovian planets

question

Pluto was discovered in A) 1789. B) 1992. C) 1859. D) ancient times. E) 1930.

answer

E, 1930

question

The two names most associated with the discovery of Pluto are A) Herschel and Bode. B) Shoemaker and Levy. C) Kuiper and Whipple. D) Lowell and Tombaugh. E) Adams and Leverrier.

answer

D, Lowel and Tombaugh

question

Charon's orbit A) is retrograde. B) is perpendicular to Pluto's equator. C) is highly inclined to Pluto's orbital plane. D) lies exactly in Pluto's orbital plane. E) has not been determined yet.

answer

C, is highly inclined to pluto's orbital plane

question

Pluto is most similar to A) Miranda. B) Europa. C) Mercury. D) Triton. E) our Moon

answer

D, Triton

question

Ganymede and Callisto have densities suggesting they are made of rocky cores and mantles of ________.

answer

water/ice

question

In general, the less cratered a moon's surface, the ________ it is.

answer

younger

question

To explain its magnetic field, Europa must have an ocean of ________.

answer

salty liquid water

question

As we go outward from Io to Ganymede, the density of the moons ________.

answer

decreases

question

The Galilean moon of most interest to exobiologists is ________.

answer

Europa

question

The element erupting from the volcanoes of Io is ________.

answer

sulfur

question

Europa is covered with an ocean of ________.

answer

liquid water under ice

question

Compared to the size of Mercury, Ganymede is ________.

answer

larger

question

The tidal stresses that create Io's volcanism come from Jupiter and ________.

answer

Europa

question

The atmospheres of both Titan and Triton are mainly ________.

answer

Nitrogen

question

The orbit of Triton is ________, very different from all other major moons.

answer

retrograde (clockwise)

question

The lakes of Titan consist of liquid ________.

answer

ethane, methane, or just hydrocarbons

question

On Neptune's moon ________, geysers of liquid nitrogen rise 10 km high.

answer

Triton

question

The only Jovian moon to orbit its planet retrograde and out of the equatorial plane is ________.

answer

Triton

question

The Saturnian moon of most interest to exobiologists is ________.

answer

Titan

question

The next moon likely to be broken up into a ring is ________.

answer

Triton

question

The cantaloupe skin terrain of Triton is thought to be due to ________.

answer

faulting and deformation, or tectonic activity

question

One hemisphere of Enceladus may have the youngest surface of any of the jovian moons, with volcanoes spewing "ash" and "lava flows" of ________.

answer

water

question

The moon ________ may have erupted to create the E rings around Saturn.

answer

Enceladus

question

All four ring systems lie around their planet's ________.

answer

equator

question

All four rings systems lie within their planet's ________

answer

roche limit

question

The striking gap between Saturn's A and B rings is called the ________.

answer

cassini divisions

question

The planet with the least obvious ring system is ________.

answer

Neptune

question

The dusty ring around Jupiter was discovered in 1979 by ________.

answer

Voyager I

question

The F Ring around Saturn is maintained by ________.

answer

two shepard moons

question

Pluto was named after the Roman god of the dark underworld, and also for ________.

answer

Percival Lowell

question

Pluto was discovered in 1930 by ________.

answer

Clyde Tombaugh

question

It is likely that both Pluto and Triton were originally ________.

answer

Kuiper Belt Objects

question

Discovered in the 1990s, the ________ is a vaster, darker version of the more famed asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

answer

Kuiper Belt

question

Most astronomers now regard Pluto as the largest ________, and not a planet

answer

Kuiper Belt Object

question

Contrast the volcanism of Io and Triton.

answer

Io is a moon of Jupiter of which the volcanic activity on the planet was discovered in 1979. Io's main source of internal heat comes from the tidal forces generated by Jupiter's gravitational pull. Both Io and Triton are driven by tidal flexing, but at Io, it is sulfur erupting, while Triton is much colder, with liquid nitrogen geysers.

question

What do all four ring systems have in common?

answer

They are made of small debris orbiting in the equatorial place of Jovian planets, and within their Roche Limit.

question

The volcanic activity of Enceladus has what effect outside the moon itself?

answer

It is believed to have created the E ring of Saturn, which shares the same orbit as this moon.

question

What would happen to a large moon inside the Roche Limit?

answer

Material inside the Roche limit will be restricted by tidal forces from forming into larger clumps or moons. If a large moon passed inside of the Roche limit it would be torn apart by Saturn's large tidal forces.

question

Contrast the densities and compositions of the four Galilean moons.

answer

Closer to Jupiter and dried out by its tides and radiation, Io and Europa are about as dense as our own Moon and made chiefly of rock. But larger Ganymede and Callisto are less stressed, less dense, and have extensive mantles of water and ice above their rock cores.

question

How does counting craters help us estimate the age of a moon's surface?

answer

The smoother the surface, the younger the planet. This conclusion is drawn due to lack of opportunity for the surface to become damaged from space debris.

question

Give several reasons to revoke Pluto's planetary status.

answer

-It's smaller than any other planet -- even smaller than Earth's moon. -It's dense and rocky, like the terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars). However, its nearest neighbors are the gaseous Jovian planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune). For this reason, many scientists believe that Pluto originated elsewhere in space and got caught in the sun's gravity. Some astronomers once theorized that Pluto used to be one of Neptune's moons. -Pluto's orbit is erratic. The planets in our solar system all orbit the sun in a relatively flat plane. Pluto, however, orbits the sun at a 17-degree angle to this plane. In addition, its orbit is exceptionally elliptical and crosses Neptune's orbit. -One of its moons, Charon, is about half Pluto's size. Some astronomers have recommended that the two objects be treated as a binary system rather than a planet and satellite.

Astronomy Ch 8 – Flashcards

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