The Cosmic Perspective - Jovian Planet Systems Quiz Part 2

9) Describe the leading scenarios for the origin of the planetary rings. What makes us think that ring systems must be continually replenished? Answer: Within two to three radii of any planet, the tidal forces tugging an object apart become comparable to the gravitational forces holding it together. This region is called the Roche zone. One scenario for the origin of the rings is that a wandering moon strayed into the Roche zone and was torn apart. Another scenario is that the material near the planet was prevented from forming a moon in the first place because of the strong tidal forces. Random orbits of the particles would cause collisions between particles that cross orbits, and this has the effect of making the rings very thin. Frequent collisions between particles or between particles and their planet's upper atmosphere cause ring particles to disintegrate within a few million years. Therefore, since the ring particles are rapidly disappearing, they must be continually replenished. Otherwise it would be very unlikely that we would be so lucky to view rings around all of the jovian planets during this short time period that they have rings. Use these choices for the following questions. A. the most volcanically active body in the solar system B. thought to have a deep, subsurface ocean of liquid water C. probably a captured moon D. the target of the Huygens probe, which landed on the surface in 2005 E. the largest moon in the solar system 10) Which of the above applies to Io? Answer: A 11) Which of the above applies to Europa? Answer: B 12) Which of the above applies to Triton? Answer: C 13) Which of the above applies to Titan? Answer: D 14) Which of the above applies to Ganymede? Answer: E 15) Why is Triton such an unusual satellite? Answer: Triton's orbit around Neptune is retrograde (opposite to the planet's rotation) and highly inclined. It is a large, round satellite with an apparently active geology. Its large size and round shape suggests it formed from the accretion of large numbers of planetesimals, yet its orbit argues that it did not form in situ around Neptune as the planet condensed from the protosolar nebula. It appears to have formed in the outer regions of the solar system, perhaps in the Kuiper belt like Pluto, and was subsequently captured. 16) Briefly explain how Uranus and Neptune were discovered. Answer: Uranus was discovered with the aid of a telescope by William Herschel. Neptune was discovered when astronomers realized that Uranus was being influenced by another body as it moved around its orbit. They were thereby able to predict the precise location in the sky in which to look for Neptune, which was subsequently found by telescope. Lost in Space! Some things are worse than an exam. Just as you thought the exam was about over, you were plucked from Earth by a strange alien being. After performing gruesome experiments on your body and your mind, the alien gave you a "life-support belt" and dumped you somewhere in the solar system. This happened several times. A brief description of each place at which you were left by the alien follows. Identify your location each time. Be as specific as possible, and be sure to include a brief explanation for your answer. 17) It is very cold, but otherwise quite comfortable. You breathe deeply. Although there is no oxygen (not to worry–your life-support belt will take care of that problem), the air pressure is quite tolerable and seems almost Earth-like (because it is mostly nitrogen). Your vista might even include such breathtaking sights as an ocean of liquid methane before you, and snowcapped (methane snow) mountains behind (although the atmosphere is very smoggy and the visibility consequently is limited). Your solar day is about 16 Earth days long. A large, ringed object seems to hang in your sky, never rising or setting; however, it goes through phases from new to full and back to new again with the same 16-day period as the rising and setting of the Sun. Answer: You are on Titan, a moon of Saturn. Saturn remains stationary in your sky because Titan rotates synchronously with its revolution about Saturn. (You might want to read The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. Be sure to keep in mind, however, that his description of Titan is 30 years out of date.) Titan was visited by a probe from the Cassini spacecraft to Saturn in 2005. 18) Following a series of experiments in which you are flung against walls to test the resiliency of the human body, you are ejected from the ship and find yourself in a maelstrom. Whipped by winds gusting at 10,000 km/hr, rising and falling in convective currents, you are not having a good time. On the rare occasions when you can assess your surroundings, you notice a horizon that seems to go on "forever" (or, at least, much farther than the horizon on Earth), and no solid surface anywhere. You get a glimpse of several large moons. The Sun races through your sky, requiring only about 5 hours to rise nearly due east, cross the meridian at an altitude of about 55° in the north, and then set due west. Answer: You are in the Great Red Spot on Jupiter. This immense storm is found at a latitude of about 35°S on Jupiter. To understand the motion of the Sun through the sky, recall that, because Jupiter has only a very slight axis tilt (3°), the celestial equator and the ecliptic are nearly coincident. 19) Process of Science: Scientists have not observed Io's interior nor measured its internal temperature. What evidence do we have of Io's strong tidal heating from Jupiter? Answer: Io has active volcanoes, as verified through pictures of the surface, pictures of plumes, and a lack of craters. Its proximity to Jupiter means that gravitational tidal heating is likely a strong source of internal friction and heat. 20) Process of Science: What evidence is there of a subsurface ocean on Europa? Do you find it compelling? Answer: The main evidence comes from trying to find a mechanism to explain Europa's magnetic field variation. It appears to be due to an induced field, possibly from a conducting substance, such as a salty subsurface ocean. 21) Process of Science: Why do we think the source of Jupiter's large internal energy come from gravitational contraction? Answer: That Jupiter produces more energy than it absorbs from the Sun is an observed fact. We can calculate that any heat from its formation would have been radiated away by now. Furthermore, the amount of energy is too large to explain by radioactive decay (the process that applies on Earth). We conclude that gravitational contraction is the most plausible source of the heat by a process of elimination of other possibilities, even though the rate of contraction is too small to be directly observable. 11.4 Mastering Astronomy Reading Quiz 1) Which of the following is not a general characteristic of the four jovian planets in our solar system? 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. Answer: C 2) Which of the following best describes the internal layering of Jupiter, from the center outward? A) core of rock, metal, and hydrogen compounds; thick layer of metallic hydrogen; layer of liquid hydrogen; layer of gaseous hydrogen; cloud layer B) core of rock and metal; mantle of lower density rock; upper layer of gaseous hydrogen; cloud layer C) solid rock core; layer of solid metallic hydrogen; layer of pure liquid hydrogen; cloud layer D) liquid core of hydrogen compounds; liquid hydrogen layer; metallic hydrogen layer; gaseous hydrogen layer; cloud layer Answer: A 3) The energy in the atmospheres of most of the jovian planets comes A) almost entirely from the Sun. B) almost entirely from their interiors. C) both the Sun and their interiors, in roughly equal proportions. D) tidal heating. Answer: C 4) Which of the following statements comparing the jovian interiors is not thought to be true? 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. Answer: B 5) Overall, Jupiter's composition is most like that of A) Earth. B) a comet. C) an asteroid. D) the Sun. Answer: D 6) Jupiter's colors come in part from its three layers of clouds. Which of the following is not the primary constituent of one of Jupiter's cloud layers? A) clouds of sulfuric acid B) clouds of water C) clouds of ammonium hydrosulfide D) clouds of ammonia Answer: A 7) How do typical wind speeds in Jupiter's atmosphere compare to typical wind speeds on Earth? A) They are about the same as average winds on Earth. B) They are slightly faster than average winds on Earth. C) They are slightly slower than average winds on Earth. D) They are much faster than hurricane winds on Earth. Answer: D 8) What is the Great Red Spot? A) a hurricane that comes and goes on Jupiter B) a long-lived, high-pressure storm on Jupiter C) a place where reddish particles from Io impact Jupiter's surface D) a region on Jupiter where the temperature is so high that the gas glows with red visible light Answer: B 9) What atmospheric constituent is responsible for the blue color of Uranus and Neptune? A) methane B) hydrogen C) water D) ammonia Answer: A 10) How does the strength of Jupiter's magnetic field compare to that of Earth's magnetic field? A) Jupiter's magnetic field strength is about the same as Earth's. B) Jupiter's magnetic field is about twice as strong as Earth's. C) Jupiter's magnetic field is about 20,000 times as strong as Earth's. D) Jupiter's magnetic field is much weaker than Earth's. Answer: C 11) Which of the following statements about the moons of the jovian planets is not true? A) Some of the moons are big enough that we'd call them planets (or dwarf planets) if they orbited the Sun. B) One of the moons has a thick atmosphere. C) Many of the moons are made largely of ices. D) Most of the moons are large enough to be spherical in shape, but a few have the more potatolike shapes of asteroids. Answer: D 12) Which statement about Io is true? 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. Answer: A 13) Which moon has a thick atmosphere made mostly of nitrogen? A) Triton B) Titan C) Ganymede D) Europa Answer: B 14) The Huygens probe took numerous pictures as it descended to Titan's surface in 2005. What did the pictures show? A) primitive life forms B) a densely cratered surface C) lava flows of molten basalt D) features or erosion, including what appeared to be dry river valleys and lakebeds Answer: D 15) Which moon is considered likely to have a deep, subsurface ocean of liquid water? A) Europa B) Io C) Miranda D) Triton Answer: A 16) Which large jovian moon is thought to have been captured into its present orbit? A) Callisto B) Titan C) Triton D) Io Answer: C 17) Suppose you could float in space just a few meters above Saturn's rings. What would you see as you looked down on the rings? A) a solid, shiny surface, looking much like a piece of a DVD but a lot bigger B) countless icy particles, ranging in size from dust grains to large boulders C) dozens of large "moonlets" made of metal and rock, each a few kilometers across D) Nothing—up close, the rings would be so completely invisible that you'd have no way to know they are there. They can be seen only from a distance Answer: B 18) Which statement about planetary rings is not true? A) All four jovian planets have rings. B) Individual ring particles orbit their planet in accord with Kepler's laws, so that particles closer in orbit faster than particles farther out. C) Rings are always located closer to a planet's surface than any large moons. D) Saturn's rings formed along with its moons 4.6 billion years ago. Answer: D 11.5 Mastering Astronomy Concept Quiz 1) Which of the following gases is not a significant ingredient of the jovian planet atmospheres? A) carbon dioxide B) hydrogen C) helium D) water Answer: A 2) Jupiter and the other jovian planets are sometimes called "gas giants." In what sense is this term misleading? 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. Answer: D 3) According to our theory of solar system formation, why did Uranus and Neptune end up to be much less massive than Jupiter and Saturn? 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. Answer: B 4) Which of the following most likely explains why Jupiter's interior releases so much heat? A) Jupiter is contracting very gradually B) heat from radioactive decay C) a slow rate of nuclear fusion in Jupiter's core D) tidal heating Answer: A 5) What would happen to Jupiter if we could somehow double its mass? A) Its density would decrease and its diameter would double. B) Its density would stay about the same and its volume would double. C) Its density would increase but its diameter would barely change. D) It would become a star, with nuclear fusion in its core. Answer: C 6) Which planet may have helium rain in its interior, and what does this rain do? A) Uranus, where it makes the ground wet. B) Neptune, where it is restructuring the planet's interior. C) Jupiter, where it may be an energy source for the Great Red Spot. D) Saturn, where it generates heat as it falls downward. Answer: D 7) Why does Jupiter have three distinct layers of clouds? 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. Answer: A 8) Which of the following best why we see horizontal "stripes" in photographs of Jupiter and Saturn? 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. Answer: B 9) Uranus and Neptune have methane clouds but Jupiter and Saturn do not. Which factor explains why? A) Temperatures on Jupiter and Saturn are too high for methane to condense. B) Jupiter and Saturn do not contain any methane gas. C) The rapid rotation of Jupiter and Saturn prevents methane clouds from forming. D) The stronger gravity on Jupiter and Saturn pulls methane downward so that it can't form clouds. Answer: A 10) Which jovian planet should have the most extreme seasonal changes? A) Jupiter B) Saturn C) Uranus D) Neptune Answer: C 11) Why is the radiation so intense in the region that traces Io's orbit around Jupiter (the Io torus)? A) Io's gravity allows this region to capture huge numbers of charged particles from the solar wind. B) An orbital resonance between Io, Europa, and Ganymede makes the radiation intense. C) Jupiter's strong magnetic field makes the radiation intense everywhere, and the region around Io is no different than any other region. D) The region is full of gases that become ionized after they are released from volcanoes on Io. Answer: D 12) Which of the following best explains why many jovian moons have been more geologically active than the Moon or Mercury? A) Jovian moons are made mostly of ice that can melt or deform at lower temperatures than can the rock and metal that make up the Moon and Mercury. B) The jovian moons are considerably larger than the Moon and Mercury and therefore have retained much more internal heat. C) The jovian moons probably have far more internal heat generated by radioactive decay than do the Moon or Mercury. D) Because of their greater distances from the Sun, the jovian moons receive much less heat from the Sun. Answer: A 13) All the following statements are true. Which one is most important in explaining the tremendous tidal heating that occurs on Io? A) Io is the closest to Jupiter of Jupiter's large moons. B) Io orbits Jupiter on an elliptical orbit, due to orbital resonances with other satellites. C) Io exhibits synchronous rotation, meaning that its rotation period and orbital period are the same. D) Io orbits Jupiter in the Io torus, and therefore has a surface that is bombarded by many charged particles. Answer: B 14) Which of the following is not a piece of evidence supporting the idea that Europa may have a subsurface ocean? A) Europa has a magnetic field that appears to be induced by Jupiter's magnetic field. B) Photos of Europa's surface show regions that appear to consist of jumbled icebergs frozen in place. C) Europa's surface shows very few impact craters. D) Astronomers have detected small lakes of liquid water on Europa's surface. Answer: D 15) Which of the following is most unlikely to be found on Titan? A) lakes of liquid methane or ethane B) rain or snow consisting of methane or ethane droplets or ice crystals C) lakes of liquid water in the warmer equatorial regions D) volcanic outgassing of methane and other gases Answer: C 16) Why do astronomers believe that Triton is a captured moon? A) Triton orbits Neptune in a direction opposite that of Neptune's rotation. B) Triton is very small and potato-shaped, which is common of captured moons. C) Triton is too large to have been formed in the "miniature solar nebula" thought to have surrounded Neptune in its very early history. D) Triton appears to be made mostly of ice. Answer: A 17) Which statement about Saturn's rings is not true? A) The large gap known as the Cassini Division is shaped by an orbital resonance with the moon Mimas, which orbits well outside the rings. B) Some features of the rings are shaped by small moons that actually orbit within the ring system. C) The rings are so thin that they essentially disappear from view when seen edge-on. D) The rings must look much the same today as they did shortly after Saturn formed. Answer: D