assignment 5

true or false A comet's tail always follows its trajectory.

false

1 multiple choice option

Consider an exoplanet with numerous moons. If one of the moons has an orbital period of 2.5 days, which of these other moons would share an orbital resonance with it?

a moon with an orbital period of 5.0 days

3 multiple choice options

Examining the surface of some Jovian moons tells us:

Some moons are geologically active.

3 multiple choice options

Gaps in the asteroid belt occur because of

asteroid interactions with Jupiter

3 multiple choice options

How can we visually distinguish between an average asteroid and an average comet that is orbiting within the frost line:

Comets have tails

3 multiple choice options

Io experiences much stronger tidal heating than Europa or Ganymede because:

it is the nearest to Jupiter of these moons

3 multiple choice options

true or false Meteors are just asteroids that are passing through the atmosphere.

true

1 multiple choice option

Professor Webb discovers a new planet (Planet Webb), whose properties (e.g. mass, radius, composition, etc.) make it nearly identical to Jupiter. Upon further observations, Prof. Webb learns that this planet has 2 moons orbiting around it: Moon A and Moon B. Moon A orbits 400 thousand kilometers away from Planet Webb and has a surface covered in volcanoes. Moon B orbits one million kilometers away from Planet Webb and has a surface covered in craters. What reason best explains the difference between the surfaces?

Moon A is closer to Planet Webb, resulting in tidal heating.

3 multiple choice options

Saturn's rings are easily visible from Earth. However from photos, it is clear that Saturn has gaps in its rings. How are these gaps formed?

Moons or moonlets orbiting Saturn exert gravitational forces on the neighbouring ring particles.

3 multiple choice options

Select the correct difference(s) between asteroids and comets:

Asteroids are mostly rocky, comets are mostly icy

3 multiple choice options

Suppose you landed a spacecraft on Titan and took a cup of water outside. What would happen to the water in the cup?

It would rapidly freeze.

3 multiple choice options

The asteroid belt formed out of:

Leftover planetesimals that couldn't form a planet

3 multiple choice options

The following provide evidence that Europa has a subsurface layer of either liquid water or warm, slushy ice. Which one provides the strongest evidence in favor of liquid water for this layer?

Europa has a varying magnetic field induced by Jupiter's magnetic field.

3 multiple choice options

Two effects of tidal friction on the Earth-Moon system are:

(1) Earth's rotation is gradually slowing and (2) the Moon is gradually moving farther from the Earth

3 multiple choice options

What do we conclude from the relative lack of impact craters on Europa?

Ancient craters have been covered up by some kind of flow.

3 multiple choice options

What evidence suggests the Solar System is surrounded by the Oort Cloud?

Observations of long period comets

3 multiple choice options

Which of the following is one what that Saturn's rings likely formed?

Saturn's gravitational force caused accreted asteroids to break up into smaller pieces.

3 multiple choice options

Why are the Jovian (outer) planets so different from the Terrestrial (inner) planets?

Forming beyond the frost line, Jovian cores had additional mass from ice, making the gravity much stronger and able to sweep up more material compared to the Terrestrial cores.

3 multiple choice options

Why aren't dwarf planets, such as Ceres and Pluto, considered full fledged planets?

They do not clear their orbits of smaller bodies.

3 multiple choice options

Why is it misleading that Jovian planets are also referred to as "Gas Giants"?

They are mostly solid and liquid

3 multiple choice options