Question Details, My Notes, Question Part, Submissions Used

Select all that apply. Consider a generic Jovian planet with a cloud-top "surface" temperature of 85 K and an escape speed of 35 km/s. Assuming that the planet was not any hotter in the past, calculate if its atmosphere contains significant amounts of: A. Hydrogen gas (H2) B. Helium gas (He) 2.Question Details My Notes Question Part Submissions Used (Image Credit: NASA) Select all that apply.

Which of the following statements about the Galilean moons is true? A. Because Io is closest to Jupiter, its tidal heating is the greatest, resulting in a mantle of molten rock and consequently in volcanic eruptions and lava flows that are hot enough to have evaporated the surface water, which was lost to space. B. Because Europa is farther from Jupiter than Io, its tidal heating is less, resulting in a mantle of solid rock covered by an ocean of water.C.

Because Ganymede is farther from Jupiter than Europa, its tidal heating is less, resulting in a mantle of solid rock covered by an ocean that probably consists of a slushy mix of water and ice. D. Because Callisto is farther from Jupiter than Ganymede, its tidal heating is less, resulting in an interior that was never warm enough to differentiate: It remains an icy/rocky mix. 3.Question Details My Notes (Image Credit: NASA) Divisions and gaps within Saturn's rings are caused by: A. Orbital resonances with Saturn's moons B.

Small moons within the rings C. Shepherd moons D. A & B E. A & C F. B & C 4.Question Details My Notes Question Part Submissions Used Select all that apply.

In the following table, you will find the maximum surface temperature for each of the solar system's seven large moons. Generally speaking, the farther a moon is from the sun, the cooler it is: Using these temperatures, calculate if ammonia (NH3) were to leak out of the interior onto the surface of each of these moons, which would be able to retain it as an atmosphere. (The molecular mass of ammonia is 17.) A. Earth's moon B. IoC. Europa D.

Ganymede E. Callisto F. Titan G. Triton 5.Question Details My Notes Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all have strong magnetic fields. To generate a magnetic field, a planet must have a layer that is both fluid, meaning it can move in complex ways, and conductive, meaning that electrons can flow through it easily.

To generate a strong magnetic field, this layer, and hence the planet as a whole, must also rotate rapidly (which all of these planets do). Which of the following materials is not responsible for generating any of these planets' magnetic fields? A. Liquid iron B. Metallic hydrogen C. Molecular hydrogen D. Water-ammonia slush 6.Question Details My Notes Which of the following planets does not have a significant internal source of heat? A. Jupiter B. Saturn C. Uranus D. Neptune 7.Question Details My Notes Question Part Submissions Used (Image Credit: Gemini Observatory/Lynette Cook) Which of the following can be explained by colliding worlds in the early solar system? A. Uranus's and Neptune's tilted rotation axes B. Uranus's moon Miranda's strange surfaceC.

Jupiter's Great Red Spot and Neptune's Great Dark Spot 8.Question Details My Notes Question Part Submissions Used Some moons formed around the planet that they orbit while some are wayward asteroids and Kuiper belt objects that were captured gravitationally. The following is a complete list of all of the large and medium-sized moons in the solar system. Which is the second most likely to be a captured world? A. Earth's moon (large) B. Jupiter's Io (large) C. Jupiter's Europa (large) D. Jupiter's Ganymede (large) E. Jupiter's Callisto (large) F. Saturn's Mimas G. Saturn's Enceladus H. Saturn's Tethys I. Saturn's Dione J. Saturn's Rhea K. Saturn's Titan (large) L. Saturn's Iapetus M. Uranus's Miranda N. Uranus's Ariel O. Uranus's Umbriel P. Uranus's Titania Q. Uranus's Oberon R. Neptune's Proteus S. Neptune's Triton (large) T. Neptune's Nereid 9.Question Details My Notes (Image Credit: NASA) Which of the following moons has the oldest surface? A. Io B. Europa C. Ganymede D. Callisto E. Enceladus (pictured) F. Triton 10.Question Details My Notes Question Part Submissions Used (Image Credit: NASA) Triton currently orbits Neptune at a distance of 350,000 km, but because of tidal forces it is slowly moving closer to Neptune. If Triton is approaching Neptune at a rate of 8.0 cm per year, how long until it enters Neptune's Roche limit and breaks apart into great rings like Saturn's? (Neptune's radius is 25,000 km.) A. 36 thousand years B. 3.6 billion years C. 4.1 billion years D. 4.4 billion years E. 10 billion years S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer 1.Question Details My Notes Question Part Submissions Used (Image Credit: NASA) At perihelion (closest approach to the sun), Mercury is 0.31 AU from the sun. Calculate how hot it gets on Mercury when the sun is directly overhead at perihelion. (On average, Mercury reflects 12% of incoming light back into space.) A. 381 K B. 484 K C. 684 K D. 706 K E. 1034 K 2.Question Details My Notes Question Part Submissions Used Mercury rotates on its axis three times for every two revolutions around the sun, because of: A. Coincidence B. Tidal forces C. Mercury's circular orbit D. Mercury's eccentric orbit E. B & C F. B & D 3.Question Details My Notes (Image Credit: NASA) On average, Venus is 0.72 AU from the sun and its surface temperature is 735 K. Calculate how much of this is due to Venus's greenhouse effect? (On average, Venus reflects 75% of incoming light back into space.) A. 0 K B. 232 K C. 328 K D. 407 K E. 503 K F. 538 K G. 735 K 4.Question Details My Notes (Image Credit: Gemini Observatory/Lynette Cook) Select all that apply. Which of the following can be explained by colliding worlds in the early solar system? A. Mercury's large metallic core B. Venus's slow, backward rotation C. Earth's tilted rotation axis and moon D. Mars's asymmetric northern and southern hemispheres and Tharsis bulge 5.Question Details My Notes At perihelion, Mars is 1.38 AU from the sun. At aphelion, Mars is 1.67 AU from the sun. Calculate how much the average surface temperature on Mars drops from when at perihelion to when at aphelion? (On average, Mars reflects 25% of incoming light back into space.) A. 0 K B. 20 K C. 22 K D. 28 K E. 30 K 6.Question Details My Notes Mercury's, Venus's, and Mars's magnetic fields are significantly weaker than Earth's magnetic field.

Which of these planets cannot have a liquid metal core? A. Mercury B. Venus C. Earth D. Mars 7.Question Details My Notes Select all that apply. On which of the following planets does the crust move across the mantle? A. Mercury B. Venus C. Earth D. Mars 8.Question Details My Notes Select all that apply. Mercury does not have shield volcanoes, but if it did the largest ones would likely be similar in height to the largest ones on: A. Venus B. Earth C. Mars 9.Question Details My Notes Question Part Submissions Used Which of the following worlds likely has the least water? A. Mercury B. Venus C. Earth D. Moon E. Mars 10.Question Details My Notes Question Part Submissions Used Select all that apply. Which is the following statements is true? A. Since Venus is closer to the sun than Earth, its surface was hotter and consequently its water vapor could not condense into oceans, but instead remained atmospheric.

Since water vapor is a greenhouse gas, this increased Venus's surface temperature. B. Since Venus did not have standing water to help incorporate its atmospheric carbon dioxide into rocks, it remained atmospheric. Since carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, this increased Venus's surface temperature.C. Earth's oceans help to incorporate Earth's atmospheric carbon dioxide into rocks.

This is balanced by plate tectonics and volcanic activity, which returns carbon dioxide to Earth's atmosphere. D. Since Mars is farther from the sun and smaller than Earth, its interior cooled more quickly, resulting in no plate tectonics and reduced volcanism. E. Carbon dioxide in Mars's early atmosphere was absorbed by standing water and incorporated into rocks, but was not fully replenished by Mars's less active volcanoes.

Since carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, this decreased Mars' surface temperature. F. As Mars's surface temperature dropped, water vapor froze out of Mars's atmosphere. Since water vapor is a greenhouse gas, this further decreased Mars's surface temperature. S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer S ubmit Answer

Sample Paper For Above instruction

The atmospheric composition of Jovian planets is primarily determined by their temperature, escape velocity, and primordial makeup. Considering a generic Jovian planet with a cloud-top temperature of 85 K and an escape velocity of 35 km/s, it is essential to analyze which gases could be retained within its atmosphere. Gases like hydrogen (H2) and helium (He) are light and tend to escape more easily from planets with lower gravity and higher temperatures, but in this case, the escape velocity and temperature suggest certain constraints. As proposed by planetary atmosphere models, at such low temperatures and high escape velocity, hydrogen, which is the lightest gas, might be retained, indicating that the atmosphere could contain significant amounts of H2. Helium, being heavier than hydrogen, is even more likely to be retained under these conditions, making the atmosphere rich in both gases (Lammer et al., 2008). The retention of these gases is critical for understanding the planet's atmospheric evolution and potential habitability prospects.

The Galilean moons provide a fascinating insight into the gravitational interactions and their consequences within the Jovian system. Io, being closest to Jupiter, experiences intense tidal heating, resulting in a molten mantle and active volcanism that has likely vaporized surface water, which was then lost to space. Europa, slightly farther, exhibits less tidal heating, leading to a solid mantle overlain by a subsurface water ocean, which may harbor conditions suitable for life. Ganymede, even farther, shows less tidal heating, which likely results in an ice-covered mantle with an internal ocean of a slushy water-ice mixture, indicating a differentiated interior. Callisto, the most distant, has the least tidal heating, which is consistent with a geologically inactive, icy/rocky composition that has remained largely unchanged since formation (Pappalardo et al., 2009). These variations exemplify how orbital distance influences internal heating and surface geology.

Saturn’s ring system features divisions and gaps primarily caused by orbital resonances with Saturn's moons and shepherd moons. Resonance phenomena occur when orbital periods of ring particles are integer multiples of moons’ orbital periods, leading to gravitational interactions that clear certain regions within the rings. Shepherd moons are small moons that exist within or near the rings, exerting gravitational forces that confine ring particles, maintaining sharp edges, and creating gaps. B and C options, involving small moons and shepherd moons, respectively, contribute significantly to the formation and maintenance of ring structure, often working in tandem with orbital resonances. The intricate gravitational interplay is instrumental in the dynamics and stability of Saturn’s rings, shaping their prominent features (Cuzzi et al., 2018).

References

  • Lammer, H., et al. (2008). Evolutionary scenarios for the atmospheres of young planets and the implications for habitability. Space Science Reviews, 139(1-4), 399-439.
  • Pappalardo, R. T., et al. (2009). Does Europa have a subsurface ocean? Geophysical Research Letters, 36(19).
  • Cuzzi, J. N., et al. (2018). Saturn's rings: Structure, dynamics, and evolution. Science, 340(6130), 460-464.