spokes in Saturn's rings are peculiar because
A they should freeze out very quickly
B differential rotation should erase them quickly
C the solar wind should blow such small particles away
D the magnetic field should prevent such features from forming
the rings of Saturn are best described as
A solid, orbiting sheets of ice.
B numerous thin, solid rings.
C numerous, separately orbiting chunks of rock.
D bright layers of orbiting gas.
when a celestial body (like a moon) comes within the roche limit of a large body, it
A will stop rotating
B will break apart because of tidal forces
C will fall into the larger body
D will be accelerated and ejected
Saturn's rings are found
A inside the roche limit for any significant satellite
B at the roche limit for any significant satellite
C outside the roche limit for any significant satellite
D in a location that has nothing to do with the roche limit
Saturn's rings are largely made of
A gases held in place by the van allen belt
B residue of the solar wind
C icy, solid "dishes" that have been stabilized by Saturn's moons
D icy particles, a few centimeters to a meter in size
Saturn's ring particles don't gather together to form another moon because they are
A inside the roche limit
B too cold at their distance from Saturn
C disrupted by Saturn's magnetic field
D too far away from Saturn's center of gravity
which of the moons of the giant planets is known to have substantial atmosphere?
A callisto
B titan
C Europa
D phobos
the major gaps in the rings of Saturn are most likely caused by
A mutual gravitational interactions between the multitude of particles in the rings
B the intervention of a massive body, which moved through the rings in their early history, leaving the gaps
C combined gravitational forces from Saturn and its moons, which deviated the paths of particles which stray into the gaps
D the rings were formed in that way, with the gaps in place
the largest body with an irregular shape is
A Io
B mimas
C Miranda
D hyperion
the major constituent of the atmosphere of titan (the largest moon of Saturn is
A water vapor, h2o
B methane, ch4
C nitrogen, n2
D carbon dioxide, co2
how rapidly a planet loses its atmosphere depends on
A the planet's mass.
B the composition of the atmosphere.
C the temperature of the atmosphere.
D all of these.
though titan is only slightly larger than Mercury, it is able to retain an atmosphere because
A it is very cold
B it is very dense
C it rotates slowly
D it attracts gas from the solar wind
the ring structure of Saturn is controlled by
A orbital resonances with large satellites
B shepherd satellites
C spiral density waves caused by gravitation disturbances
D all of the above
ninety percent of titan's atmosphere consists of
A methane
B oxygen
C nitrogen
D carbon dioxide
which of the following satellites has an atmosphere?
A titan.
B Ganymede.
C callisto.
D triton.
the rings of Saturn
A lie directly over Saturn's poles
B are large, solid, flat, continuous rings which reflect radar well
C contain many gaps which are wider than the individual rings themselves
D consist of individual particles which orbit Saturn
the only satellite of a planet in our solar system which is known to have an appreciable atmosphere is
A Io, a moon of Jupiter
B phobos, a moon of Mars
C the moon, of Earth
D titan, a moon of Saturn
the moon of Saturn's that has distinct dark and light sides is
A dione
B enceladus
C iapetus
D mimas
except for titan, the largest moons of Saturn are made mostly of
A rocks.
B metals.
C ices.
D rocks plus ices.
E rocks plus metals.
titan is able to retain an atmosphere in spite of the fact that it is just slightly larger than Mercury because it is
A close to Saturn.
B very dense.
C far from Saturn.
D far from the sun.
E three of the above.
the rings of Saturn
A do not contain enough matter to form a satellite
B are too close to the planet to form a satellite
C were not allowed to condense into a satellite because of the intense radiation
D were stripped from the planet because of its rapid rotation
the particles in Saturn's rings
A all move as if they are one solid disk
B revolve in different directions depending upon the distance from the plane
C move in circular orbits, with the outer particles moving fastest because t are furthest from the planet
D move in keplerian (circular) orbits, inner particles faster
which of the following characteristics do the rings of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus have in common?
A small particles orbiting the planet.
B solid sheets of icy materials.
C made of dark, uncoated rocky particles
D made of light-colored, metallic particles.
E are unstable over short periods of time.
though titan is only slightly larger than Mercury, it is able to retain an atmosphere because
A it is very cold.
B it is very dense.
C it rotates slowly.
D it attracts gas from the solar wind.
the rings of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus have which of the following characteristics in common?
A consist of small particles orbiting the planet
B consist of solid sheets of icy material
C contain only dark, uncoated rocky particles
D contain only light-colored, coated metal particles
E are unstable over a short period of time.
the ringlets within the ring system of Saturn are thought to be maintained by
A tidal forces from Saturn.
B solar radiation.
C shepherd satellites.
D internal collisions.
titan, Saturn's largest moon, is special because it has
A a substantial atmosphere.
B a strong magnetic field.
C unusual surface features.
D intense radio emission.
E none of the above.
which saturnian satellite has a large crater with a diameter 1/4 that of t satellite?
A enceladus
B mimas
C iapetus
D titan
from the voyager missions, we now know that the atmosphere of titan consists mainly of
A nitrogen.
B methane.
C oxygen.
D ammonia.
E carbon dioxide.
titan is remarkable in that
A it has the densest atmosphere of any moon in the solar system
B it has even more violent volcanic activity than does Io
C voyager results indicated that its surface is even colder than we had expected
D it has the only atmosphere in the outer solar system which is devoid of organic molecules
Saturn's rings were found by
A direct ground-based photography
B visual observations
C space-craft photography
D momentary occultation of starlight as the planet moved in front of a star
the physical mechanism which is thought to control the motion and position of material in the narrow f ring around Saturn is
A the effect of sunlight focussed on this material by the planet's atmosphere
B the confining gravitational interactions between this material and two shepherd satellites
C the complex gravitational interactions between the major moons of Saturn a the f ring material
D the effect of the planet's intense magnetic field upon the material
the gravitational effect which keeps the narrow f ring of Saturn in place and confined to a narrow orbit is
A major gravitational distortion caused by Jupiter
B the pressure of the solar wind upon these particles
C the gravitational influence of two small shepherding satellites in orbits adjacent to the ring
D the gravitational effects of the major moons of Saturn, such as mimas and enceladus
which two features or objects are associated
A enceladus and the e ring
B mimas and the f ring
C titan and co-orbital satellites
D chiron and Charon
one of the largest planetary satellites, and one of the few that have atmospheres, is
A phobos, which orbits Mars
B titan, a moon of Saturn
C the Earth's moon
D Io, a moon of Jupiter
the physical structure of Saturn's rings is
A a thin solid ring, structured from ice and rock
B a sequence of many hundred separate rings made of ice and rock particles
C hot, excited plasma from the planet's magnetosphere
D a thin but extensive gas cloud over the equator
titan, a moon of Saturn, has the distinction of being the only one in the solar system
A whose orbit lies within the rings of Saturn
B that exists within the roche limit
C that has active volcanos
D that has an atmosphere
the sizes of material comprising Saturn's rings are studied by
A photographing the ring and studying the individual particles observed
B analysis of the spectrum
C analyzing how light is reflected by the ring particles
D analyzing the excess radiation emitted by the planet
how could astronomers tell from Earth that Saturn's ring system must be ve thin? the rings
A disappear from time to time as seen from Earth
B have moons above and below them that can be seen with large Earth-based telescopes
C reflect very little sunlight and are hard to see from Earth
D show a variation in brightness over a saturnian rotation period
which of these planets is known to have rings?
A Jupiter
B Saturn
C Uranus
D all of the above
which chemical in the atmosphere of titan (a moon of Saturn) plays the same role that water plays upon Earth, in producing "rain", "snow" and "ice" a the temperatures encountered on that moon?
A methane, ch4
B nitrogen, n2
C oxygen, o2
D ammonia, nh3
which of the following support the idea that Saturn's rings are not solid?
A they disappear when seen edge-on
B stars generally can be seen through them
C Doppler shift measurements show the rotation to agree with Kepler's third law
D Doppler shift measurements show the rotation velocity to disagree with Kepler's third law
which saturnian satellite is known to have an atmosphere?
A tethys
B titan
C triton
D dione
which saturnian satellite has a high albedo on one side and a low one on t other?
A dione
B iapetus
C titan
D tethys
the "spokes" observed in the rings are caused by
A holes in the rings -- places where no ring material exists
B charged dust particles suspended by the magnetic field of the planet
C dust particles within the ring
D carbon dioxide molecules which absorb light incident upon the gas
titan is the only satellite in the solar system that
A has a cratered surface.
B is larger than Mercury.
C has a rock/ice composition.
D has a dense, opaque atmosphere.
Return to Table of Contents