Which is the most massive planet in the solar system?

Which of the following planets does not have rings? Choose only one.

Which is the least massive planet in the solar system?

Which planet is presently known to have the most moons?

Describe the appearance of Jupiter’s atmosphere. Which features are long-lived and which are relatively fleeting?

To test your knowledge of Jupiter’s belt and zone structure, do Interactive Exercise 7.1 on the assigned Web site. You can print out your results, if required.

What causes the belts and zones in Jupiter’s atmosphere?

What is liquid metallic hydrogen? Which planets contain this substance? What produces this form of hydrogen?

Compare and contrast the surface features of the four Galilean satellites, discussing their geologic activity and their evolution.

What energy source powers Io’s volcanoes?

Why are numerous impact craters found on Ganymede and Callisto but not on Io or Europa?

Describe the structure of Saturn’s rings. What are they made of?

Why do features in Saturn’s atmosphere appear to be much fainter and more “washed out” than comparable features in Jupiter’s atmosphere?

Explain how shepherd satellites affect some planetary rings. Is “shepherd satellite” an appropriate term for these objects? Explain your answer.

Describe Titan’s atmosphere. What effect does sunlight have on it?

Describe Titan’s surface.

Describe the seasons on Uranus. Why are the Uranian seasons different from those on any other planet?

Briefly describe the evidence that supports the idea that Uranus was struck by a large planetlike object several billion years ago.

Why are Uranus and Neptune distinctly bluer than Jupiter and Saturn?

Compare the ring systems of Saturn and Uranus. Why were Uranus’s rings unnoticed until the 1970s?

How do the orientations of Uranus’s and Neptune’s magnetic axes differ from those of the other planets?

Explain why Triton will never collide with Neptune, even though Triton is spiraling toward that planet.

Explain how the tides on planets generated by captured moons force the moons into more circular orbits around the equators of their planets.

Long before the Voyager flybys, Earth-based astronomers reported that Io appeared brighter than usual for a few hours after emerging from Jupiter’s shadow. Explain this brief brightening of Io.

Compare and contrast Valhalla on Callisto with Caloris Basin on Mercury.

As seen by Earth-based observers, the intervals between successive edge-on presentations of Saturn’s rings alternate between 13 years 9 months and 15 years 9 months. Why are these two intervals not equal?

Compare and contrast the internal structures of Jupiter and Saturn with the internal structures of Uranus and Neptune. Can you propose an explanation for why the differences between these two pairs of planets occurred?

Neptune has more mass than Uranus, but Uranus is the larger of the two planets. Reconcile these two facts.

Suppose that you were planning a mission to Jupiter, using an airplanelike vehicle that would spend many days, even months, flying through the Jovian clouds. What observations, measurements, and analyses should this aircraft make? What dangers might it encounter, and what design problems would you have to overcome?

Discuss why astronomers believe that Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto may harbor some sort of marine life. Why do they not expect any life on the surfaces of these worlds?

Suppose you were planning separate missions to each of Jupiter’s Galilean moons. What questions would you want these missions to answer, and what kinds of data would you want your spacecraft to send back? Given the different environments on the four satellites, how would the designs of the four spacecraft differ?

NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have tentative plans to place spacecraft in orbit about Uranus and Neptune in this century. What kinds of data should be collected, and what questions would you like to see answered by these missions?

How would descending into Jupiter differ from descending from space onto Earth?

Why does the moon Io have active volcanoes while our Moon does not?

Is the Cassini division in Saturn’s rings empty? Justify your answer.

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is most accurately described as which of the following?