Astronomy Today, 8e (Chaisson/McMillan)

Chapter 11 Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

11.1 True/False Questions

1) Differential rotation is when a planet's equator and polar regions rotate at different rates.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.1

2) Jupiter has twice the mass of all the other planets combined.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.1

3) The equator of Jupiter rotates slower than the Great Red spot.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.1

4) The zonal flows giving rise to the belts and zones are similar to the jet streams in our own
stratosphere.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.2

5) Telescopically, Jupiter is the most colorful and changeable of the planets.

Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.2

6) Jupiter's atmosphere is a single huge storm system.

Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

7) While hydrogen, helium, water, and ammonia can produce the white coloration of Jupiter's
zones, the brownish color of the belts requires more complex chemistry.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

8) Colors in Jupiter's clouds are largely due to helium compounds.

Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

1
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
9) The clouds of Jupiter are primarily composed of liquid hydrogen.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

10) Jupiter rotates about ten minutes faster at its equator than it does at its poles.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

11) The Great Red Spot has been seen on Jupiter as long as we have had telescopes capable of
observing it.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

12) Amateur astronomers have contributed to the understanding of impact events on Jupiter.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Section Ref: Discovery 11-1

13) We have observed a comet strike Jupiter.

Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Section Ref: Discovery 11-1

14) Jupiter puts back into space twice the energy it gets from the Sun.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.3

15) If it were about 80 times as massive as present, Jupiter could become a star.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 3
Section Ref: Discovery 11-2

16) Jupiter's magnetic field is much stronger than Earth's, and has a magnetic tail that extends
beyond the orbit of Saturn.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.4

17) Like Earth, Jupiter's internal energy is generated chiefly by radioactive decay.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.4

2
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
18) All the Galilean moons are in synchronous rotation, with the same face always pointed
toward Jupiter, except for tidally stressed Io.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.5

19) Some of Jupiter's smaller outer moons have retrograde orbits, indicating capture occurred.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.5

20) The particles making up the ring of Jupiter are composed of bright, reflective ice.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.6

11.2 Multiple-Choice Questions

1) Jupiter is noticeably oblate because:

A) it has a strong magnetic field.
B) it has such powerful gravity.
C) it rotates rapidly.
D) it undergoes a gravitational attraction from each of its various moons.
E) it has a mantle of liquid metallic hydrogen.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.1

2) How does the mass of Jupiter compare with that of the other planets?
A) It is slightly larger and more massive than Saturn.
B) It is similar to that of the Earth and Venus.
C) It is twice as massive as all other planets combined.
D) It is almost as massive as Saturn.
E) It is about a tenth the mass of the Sun.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.1

3) How does the density of Jupiter compare to the terrestrial planets?

A) It is denser than all the terrestrial planets combined.
B) It is denser than the Moon, but less dense than any of the others.
C) Its density is slightly less than Mercury, but more than Mars.
D) Its density is about the same as Mars.
E) Its density is less than any terrestrial.
Answer: E
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.1
3
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
4) How was the rotation rate of Jupiter's core determined?
A) by observing the Great Red Spot
B) by watching Io move across the disk of Jupiter
C) by radio observations of Jupiter's rapidly spinning magnetosphere
D) by observing the fastest moving regions of Jupiter's equator
E) by measuring the oblateness of Jupiter's disk
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.1

5) What evidence do we have that Jupiter must have a substantial solid core under the thick
clouds?
A) Its magnetic field must be form by rotating molten iron, like our own.
B) Occasional breaks in the clouds reveal a solid surface at times.
C) Jupiter's disk is more oblate than it should be, suggesting it has a higher density.
D) Jupiter's disk is less oblate than it should be, if it were only hydrogen and helium.
E) The Io flux tube goes straight down to Jupiter's iron core.
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.1

6) What is interesting about Jupiter's rotation period?

A) It is the same as Earth's.
B) It is the same as its orbital period.
C) It is the same as the Sun's.
D) It is the slowest in the solar system.
E) It is the fastest in the solar system.
Answer: E
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.1

7) Essentially, the Great Red Spot is:

A) Neptune's largest atmospheric feature.
B) a large cyclonic storm (hurricane).
C) always located within 10 degrees of Jupiter's north pole.
D) composed primarily of iron oxide.
E) traveling north and south across Jupiter's face.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.2

4
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
8) What is the name used to describe the dark bands encircling Jupiter?
A) belts
B) brown stripes
C) zones
D) zonal flows
E) convection cells
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.2

9) The most striking "cloudmark" in Jupiter's atmosphere is the:

A) Great Dark Spot.
B) Cassini Division.
C) Great Red Spot.
D) Black Hole.
E) Brown Dwarf.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.2

10) What is the probable source of the day-to-day variations in Jupiter's belts and zones?
A) convection of cool ammonia ice upward
B) differential rotation and the underlying zonal flow
C) oblateness due to low density
D) thermonuclear fusion
E) Jupiter's huge magnetosphere
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

11) The first spacecraft to drop a weather probe into Jupiter's atmosphere was:
A) Cassini.
B) Global Surveyor.
C) Voyager 2.
D) Viking 1.
E) Galileo.
Answer: E
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

5
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
12) The white zones of Jupiter are probably made of:
A) hydrogen sulfide.
B) water ice.
C) dry ice.
D) ammonia ice.
E) phosphorus.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

13) The reason the jovian planets lost very little of their original atmosphere is due to their:
A) rapid rotation.
B) strong magnetic fields.
C) ring systems.
D) large mass.
E) many moons.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

14) The only spacecraft to go into orbit around Jupiter was:

A) Voyager 2.
B) Pioneer 10.
C) Cassini.
D) Galileo.
E) Viking I.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

15) The Galileo mission put a spacecraft into orbit around Jupiter. Which statement about that
spacecraft is true?
A) The spacecraft crashed into the moon Europa.
B) The spacecraft's probe measured windspeeds in Jupiter's atmosphere.
C) A saltwater ocean was discovered on Jupiter.
D) Intense magnetic fields were discovered in the asteroid belt.
E) A probe was released which soft landed on Io.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

6
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
16) The belts of Jupiter are best described as :
A) regions of downward moving material and low pressure.
B) regions of upward moving material and low pressure.
C) regions of upward moving material and high pressure.
D) regions of downward moving material and high pressure.
E) turbulent regions with no organized circulation pattern.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

17) Together, which two gases make up 99% of Jupiter's atmosphere?

A) Ammonia and Methane
B) Water Vapor and Methane
C) Helium and Ammonia
D) Hydrogen and Ammonia
E) Hydrogen and Helium
Answer: E
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.2

18) Which of these spacecraft did NOT go to Jupiter?

A) Voyager I
B) Voyager 2
C) Cassini
D) Mariner 9
E) Galileo
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.2

19) Alternating zones of rising and sinking gas in Jupiter's atmosphere:

A) create light and dark bands.
B) cause Jupiter's magnetic field to ripple.
C) produced the ring system discovered by Voyager.
D) generate their own magnetic fields.
E) circle the planet from pole to pole.
Answer: A
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.2

7
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
20) The impact of which comet helped establish the importance of impacts in our solar system?
A) Kohoutek
B) Hale-Bopp
C) Halley's Comet
D) Comet ISON
E) Shoemaker-Levy 9
Answer: E
Diff: 1
Section Ref: Discovery 11-1

21) How does the heat Jupiter radiates compare to the energy it receives from the Sun?
A) They are equal, as you would expect for a highly reflective planet.
B) Jupiter's dark belts absorb most of the solar radiation, so it is cooler in the infrared.
C) Jupiter radiates back into space about twice the energy it gets from the Sun.
D) Jupiter is a brown dwarf, about a hundred times less luminous than the Sun.
E) Jupiter is a red dwarf, about a tenth the Sun's luminosity.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.3

22) What is the source of Jupiter's nonthermal radio radiation?

A) charged particles moving in a magnetic field
B) metallic hydrogen swirling in the planet's interior
C) the gravitational attraction of Jupiter's moons
D) the Great Red Spot
E) thermonuclear fusion in Jupiter's core
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.3

23) What is the source of Jupiter's excess energy?

A) helium rain falling through its interior
B) the decay of radioactive elements in its dense core
C) nuclear fusion in its hot, sunlike core of hydrogen
D) the slow escape of gravitational energy released during the planet's formation
E) the tidal stresses of the large Galilean moons
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.3

8
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
24) What would Jupiter have needed to have become a star?
A) more moons
B) more mass
C) a slower rotation, like the Sun
D) a different chemical composition
E) a higher density
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.3

25) What is thought to lie at the center of Jupiter?

A) a hot sea of liquid metallic hydrogen
B) a solid core of crystalline helium
C) a massive core of rocky materials with some iron mixed in
D) gaseous hydrogen and helium, for Jupiter is not differentiated like Earth
E) a fusion core like the Sun's, with hydrogen being turned into helium
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.3

26) Jupiter gives back into space twice the energy it gets from the distant Sun. Where is this
energy coming from, for the most part?
A) the impact energy of comets like SL-9
B) helium rain descending into its mantle and core
C) the slow escape of gravitational energy left from its formation
D) the radioactive decay of U-238 in its iron-rich core, just as with the Earth
E) the combined tidal stress of all four large Galilean moons
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.3

27) If Jupiter were about 80 times more massive than it is, nuclear fusion should have been
possible, making it a small star. What might have been the most likely effect on the Earth?
A) The gravitational pull might have prevented the Earth settling into a stable orbit, which would
have prevented the development of life on Earth.
B) Jupiter's moons would have been likely to develop life, which would have competed with life
on Earth.
C) The extra radiation from a second star in the solar system would have prevented life forming
on Earth.
D) Jupiter's magnetic field would have been much larger, disrupting Earth's magnetic field.
E) Nothing because Jupiter is so much further from the Earth than the Sun is.
Answer: A
Diff: 3
Section Ref: Discovery 11-2

9
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
28) What is true of Jupiter's magnetosphere?
A) Although its surface field is greater, since the planet is larger the total field is actually weaker
than Earth's.
B) It does not trap protons and electrons, as Earth's Van Allen belts do.
C) It has a tail that extends at least to Saturn's orbit.
D) It is most extensive on the sunward side of the planet.
E) It is only slightly stronger than Saturn's.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.4

29) What is the source of Jupiter's intense radio waves and magnetism?
A) charged particles trapped in Jupiter's solid iron core similar to Earth
B) liquid metallic hydrogen swirling in the rapidly spinning mantle
C) the ionized sulfur ejected into a torus around Jupiter by Io
D) the auroral displays in the polar regions, just like with the Earth
E) a liquid iron and nickel outer core, just like the Earth's magnetic field
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.4

30) Compared to its rotational axis, Jupiter's magnetic field:

A) is exactly in alignment.
B) lies about 10 degrees off, much like our own rotation and magnetic field.
C) is tilted about 23.5 degrees, much like our own axial tilt.
D) is tilted 98 degrees, much like the case of Uranus.
E) has yet to be detected.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.4

31) How large is Jupiter's magnetosphere?

A) It is about as large as the Earth's.
B) It is so large it extends out to the orbit of Io.
C) It is a million times the volume of the Earth's, extending beyond the orbit of Saturn.
D) It extends inward to the orbit of Mars.
E) It envelopes even the Sun and rest of the solar system.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.4

10
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
32) What do our magnetic field and Jupiter's share?
A) similar field strength
B) same polarity
C) auroral displays in the polar regions
D) fields that extend inward all the way to the Sun
E) fields that extend outward past Pluto
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.4

33) How does the magnetic tilt of Jupiter compare with our field?
A) Both are exactly perpendicular to our equator, aligned with our rotation axis.
B) Jupiter's lies perpendicular to the ecliptic, while ours is tilted 23.5 degrees.
C) Both are tilted about 10 degrees, but Jupiter is opposite in polarity.
D) Both are tilted about 27 degrees, much like Saturn's.
E) Like Uranus, Jupiter is flopped over on its side.
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.4

34) What is thought to be the cause of Io's volcanoes?

A) Jupiter's magnetosphere and its charged particles
B) Jupiter's gravity and the heat it creates
C) tidal stresses from both Jupiter and Europa
D) solar radiation focused by Jupiter's gravity
E) radioactive decay in Io's interior
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.5

35) Which of the Galilean moons is the densest and most geologically active?
A) Io
B) Europa
C) Ganymede
D) Callisto
E) Titan
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.5

11
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
36) What is the origin of the jovian moons?
A) They all formed with the planet.
B) They were main belt asteroids, captured by Jupiter's strong gravity.
C) They are Trojan asteroids, orbiting 60 degrees ahead or behind Jupiter.
D) The four Galilean moons formed with Jupiter, most others were later captures.
E) They were ripped from the planet's interior in an early cataclysmic event.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.5

37) The surface of which jovian moon most resembles the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean?
A) Amalthea
B) Io
C) Europa
D) Ganymede
E) Callisto
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.5

38) Of the Galilean satellites, which has the oldest, most heavily cratered surface?
A) Titan
B) Io
C) Europa
D) Callisto
E) Ganymede
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.5

39) What spacecraft was intentionally destroyed in 2003 so that it could not hit Europa?
A) Cassini
B) Voyager 2
C) Galileo
D) Huygens
E) Pioneer 11
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.5

12
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
40) Of the Galilean moons, the one with striking grooved terrain and icy tectonic features as well
as older craters is:
A) Amalthea.
B) Io.
C) Europa.
D) Ganymede.
E) Callisto.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.5

41) Which of the jovian moons is the largest and also the largest moon in the solar system, even
bigger than Mercury?
A) Titan
B) Triton
C) Ganymede
D) Callisto
E) Umbriel
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.5

42) What is the major component of Io's volcanic flows?

A) basaltic lava, like the lunar mare
B) liquid nitrogen, like the eruptions of Triton
C) sulfur and its compounds
D) carbon dioxide and water vapor, as with our eruptions
E) iron oxide, as on Mars
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.5

43) Why is Galileo Regio, the large circular feature on Ganymede, so dark?
A) It is composed of dense basaltic mantle rock that once flowed like lunar mare.
B) It is the result of micrometeorite dust settling onto it over several billion years.
C) It has an asphalt-like material that is like the dark side of Iapetus of Saturn.
D) It is the result of ultraviolet light from the Sun interacting with the ice and creating a
substance that is quite dark.
E) It is the site of a recent meteorite impact that scattered a lot of dark, rocky material.
Answer: B
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.5

13
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
44) Which three Galilean moons were found by Galileo to have weak, changing magnetic fields?
A) Titan, Callisto, and Amalthea
B) Io, Europa, and Callisto
C) Io, Amalthea, and Ganymede
D) Io, Europa, and Ganymede
E) Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto
Answer: E
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.5

45) In size, from largest to smallest, the correct order for the Galilean moons is:
A) Callisto, Ganymede, Europa, Io.
B) Ganymede, Callisto, Io, Europa.
C) Io, Europa, Callisto, Ganymede.
D) Europa, Ganymede, Io, Callisto.
E) Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, Io.
Answer: B
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.5

46) Which of the four Galilean moons is NOT differentiated?

A) Io
B) Europa
C) Ganymede
D) Callisto
E) None of the above. All the moons are differentiated.
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.5

47) Which two satellites of Jupiter are considered "fraternal twins"?

A) Io and Europa
B) Io and Callisto
C) Europa and Ganymede
D) Ganymede and Callisto
E) Europa and Callisto
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.5

14
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
48) Where is Jupiter's ring located?
A) above Jupiter's cloud tops and inside the orbit of its inner-most moon
B) between the orbits of Io and Europa
C) sharing the orbit of Amalthea
D) in a thin ring at the distance of Io but inclined by an angle of about 30 degrees to Io's orbit
E) between the orbit of the inner-most moon and the orbit of Io
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.6

49) One of the discoveries made by the Voyager probes while near Jupiter was:
A) Io has a featureless surface that never changes.
B) a thin ring of dust around the equator.
C) the absence of a magnetic field around the giant planet.
D) that the Great Red Spot is uniform and featureless.
E) each of the four large moons produces a strong magnetic field.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.6

50) Which of the following discoveries was NOT made by Voyager 1 or 2?

A) Jupiter has an encircling ring.
B) Jupiter's magnetosphere extends beyond the orbit of Saturn.
C) Jupiter has cloud bands in its upper atmosphere.
D) Jupiter's moons are as varied as the surfaces of the terrestrial planets.
E) Jupiter's Great Red Spot is characterized by swirling patterns much like a hurricane.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.6

51) Which statement about Jupiter's rings is FALSE?

A) They are made of dark dusty particles.
B) They lie in the planet's equatorial plane.
C) They lie closer to Jupiter than Io's orbit.
D) They are made of ice, like Saturn's.
E) They may be made in part of material from Metis and Adrastea.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.6

15
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
11.3 Fill-in-the-Blank Questions

1) The ________ of Jupiter's disk is caused by its high rate of rotation and a gaseous
composition.
Answer: oblateness or flattening
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.1

2) The apparent "surface" of Jupiter is actually the tops of ________.

Answer: clouds
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.2

3) Jupiter does not appear to rotate as a solid body; the observed ________ rotation shows that
we are actually viewing a gaseous object.
Answer: differential
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

4) Jupiter's dark ________ are regions of cooler material that is sinking into the interior.
Answer: belts
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

5) Jupiter radiates twice as much energy as it receives from solar light; the source of this
"excess" energy is ________.
Answer: gravitational contraction
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.3

6) Jupiter has a large ________ created by the interaction between the planet's magnetic field and
the solar wind.
Answer: magnetosphere
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.4

7) Except for Io, the other three Galilean satellites have periods of rotation and revolution that
are ________.
Answer: equal
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.5

8) Io's "pizza pie" colors come from eruptions of ________ and its compounds.
Answer: sulfur
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.5

16
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
9) The large moons of Jupiter have low densities suggesting compositions that are a mixture of
rocky materials and ________.
Answer: liquid water and/or ices
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.5

10) Io's volcanoes contribute material to a(n) ________ around the planet Jupiter's equator.
Answer: ring or torus-shaped cloud
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.6

11.4 Short Answer Questions

1) Describe the seasons of Jupiter.

Answer: Like Mercury and Venus, it has none. Its axial tilt of only 5 degrees keeps its equator
always facing the Sun.
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.2

2) What are the two principal components of Jupiter's atmosphere? How do they relate to its
density?
Answer: Hydrogen and helium; these light elements, even under high compression, give Jupiter
a density only about a quarter that of the Earth.
Diff: 1
Section Ref: 11.2

3) Contrast the compositions of Jupiter's belts and zones.

Answer: The zones are high, cold regions of ammonia ice crystals, white in color. But the lower,
warmer belts are brownish from complex chemistry involving hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and
other chemicals.
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

4) What is the only lasting "cloudmark" for telescopic observers of Jupiter, and what do we know
about its past?
Answer: The Great Red Spot has been observed for as long as telescopes had resolution good
enough to show it, for over 300 years. It has varied considerably in size, shape, and color over
time, but never entirely vanished.
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

17
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
5) Contrast the sources of Jupiter's and the Earth's internal energy flows.
Answer: For gigantic Jupiter, its gradual gravitational contraction is still sufficient to generate
twice the energy it gets from the Sun. The smaller Earth finished such contraction long ago, and
depends instead of radioactive decay of Uranium 238 and other heavy elements to heat its core
and generate geothermal energy.
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.3

6) Compare and contrast the magnetospheres of Earth and Jupiter. Discuss strength and reaction
to solar winds.
Answer: Jupiter's magnetosphere is the strongest of any planet in the solar system. Like Earth's
magnetosphere, Jupiter's traps a vast sea of energetic charged particles that surround the planet.
Due to the fast rotation of Jupiter, however, these particles are in a thin, flat current sheet that is
located at the planet's magnetic equator. Jupiter's magnetosphere is also less stable than Earth's in
the outermost regions. When gusts of solar winds occur, the magnetosphere deflates.
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.4

7) What surprise about the extent of Jupiter's magnetosphere came from Voyager 2 data?
Answer: It crossed Jupiter's magnetotail after it had passed Saturn.
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.4

8) What is the source of Jupiter's nonthermal radio radiation?

Answer: Charged particles moving in Jupiter's magnetic field.
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.4

9) What is the origin of Io's volcanism?

Answer: A tidal tug-of-war between Io, Jupiter, and Europa (the next moon out).
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.5

10) Why is Galileo Regio, the large circular feature on Ganymede, so dark?
Answer: The darkness is the result of micrometeorite dust accumulated over several billion
years.
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.5

18
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
11.5 Essay Questions

1) What is oblateness, and what does it tell us about Jupiter's interior?

Answer: Oblateness is the degree to which the planet's rotation causes its equator to bulge and
poles to flatten. In Jupiter's case, it is more round than it would be, spinning as rapidly as it does,
if it were made only of hydrogen and helium gas; it must have a more solid rocky core deep
underneath the fluid clouds.
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.1

2) Describe the circulation of Jupiter's belts and zones.

Answer: The white zones are upwellings, where ammonia ice forms as the currents expand and
cool off; the cool gases descend into the darker belts, where hydrogen sulfide adds color and
causes them to appear brown.
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

3) Contrast the compositions of Jupiter's belts and zones.

Answer: The zones are high, cold regions of ammonia ice crystals, white in color. But the lower,
warmer belts are brownish from complex chemistry involving hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and
other chemicals.
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

4) What is the only lasting "cloudmark" for telescopic observers of Jupiter, and what do we know
about its past?
Answer: The Great Red Spot has been observed for as long as telescopes had resolution good
enough to show it, for over 300 years. It has varied considerably in size, shape, and color over
time, but never entirely vanished.
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.2

5) What material makes up most of Jupiter's volume, and why is it not found here?
Answer: Liquid metallic hydrogen can be formed only under tremendous pressure, not found
even in the Earth's interior, much less on its surface.
Diff: 2
Section Ref: 11.3

6) Contrast the internal structure of a planet like Jupiter with that of a typical terrestrial planet in
as many ways as possible.
Answer: Jupiter's structure as one moves toward the center is increasing density of hydrogen
with some helium, eventually turning liquid, then metallic, with a rocky core at the center.
Terrestrial planets are rocky, growing molten as you go down, with a core of iron. The iron core
is molten on the outside and solid in the center.
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.3

19
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
7) Describe the interaction between Jupiter and Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.
Answer: When the comet passed close to Jupiter in 1992, gravitational tidal forces tore the
nucleus apart, leaving it in fragments. On its approach in 1994 it struck the planet. Vibrations in
the interior and atmospheric effects lasted for days. Huge fireballs were observed from Earth.
Debris from the comet spread completely around the planet, taking years to settle out.
Diff: 3
Section Ref: Discovery 11-1

8) Contrast the internal structures of the four Galilean moons. How are their internal differences
reflected in the nature of their surfaces and other factors like their mean densities?
Answer: Io: Molten to core, high density (3600 kg/m3), abundance of sulfur. Surface very
active.
Europa: Water ice crust over liquid water ocean over rocky core. Lower density than Io (3000
kg/m3). Surface somewhat active, with only a few fairly new impact craters.
Ganymede, Callisto: Water ice, frozen. Low density (1900 kg/m3). Surface dead and inactive,
with many craters.
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.5

9) The average density of the planet Jupiter has been known for hundreds of years, but the
densities of its Galilean moons were only determined accurately from data obtained during the
Voyager by-pass missions. Why?
Answer: The density of an object is its mass divided by its volume. Although the sizes of the
Galilean moons have been known approximately for some time, their masses have not. The
Voyager missions helped determine these masses and, therefore, their densities.
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.5

10) Where is Jupiter's ring located? What is it made of, and why?
Answer: Between the top of Jupiter's clouds and the orbit of the closest moon; the ring also
orbits just above Jupiter's equator. It may be in part debris from Io's violent volcanoes, and dust
from the breakup of the tiny moons Tethys and Adrastea, both so close to Jupiter they are under
great tidal stress. Ice particles like Saturn's rings cannot exist to close to hot Jupiter, which gives
back into space twice the energy it gets from the Sun.
Diff: 3
Section Ref: 11.6

20
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.