STUDY GUIDE FOR TEST 3
Chapter 8: The Jovian Planets
Terms to know: Jovian planets
Metallic hydrogen
Belts
Zones
Great Red Spot
Internal heat source
Zonal winds
Voyager
perturbations
Herschel
Leverrier
Review Questions
1. Compare and contrast the terrestrial and the Jovian worlds.
2. Describe the process that leads to the origin of Jupiter's zonal winds.
3. Describe the interior structure of the four Jovian planets.
4. Describe the possible causes of Jupiter's and Saturn's internal heat sources. Why is
Saturn's internal heat source more efficient?
5. How is it that storms in Jupiter's atmosphere are able to last so long?
6. List at least 3 characteristics about Uranus that make it different than all three of the other Jovian planets.
7. How was Neptune discovered?
8. Describe the seasons on Uranus.
Chapter 9: Moons, Rings, and Pluto
Terms to know: Galilean satellites
Co-orbital satellites
Lagrangian points
resonance
Roche limit
shepherd satellites
Charon
Tombaugh
occultations
Review Questions: 1. Compare and contrast the four Galilean satellites of Jupiter.
Describe the correlation that exists between the distance of these satellites from Jupiter and geologic activity. Why should
such a correlation exist?
2. Why is Io so extremely geologically active?
3. Describe the atmosphere of Titan and contrast it with the
atmosphere of the Earth.
4. Describe the process by which two co-orbital satellites actually
switch orbits.
5. Describe Miranda's unusual geology.
6. Describe the evidence that Triton has active volcanism and an
atmosphere. Compare and contrast the atmospheres of Triton
and Titan.
7. Describe the features that are unusual about Triton's orbit. How
may it have ended in this strange orbit?
8. Briefly describe the main rings of Saturn.
9. Compare and contrast the rings of Saturn, Uranus, Jupiter, and
Neptune.
10. Describe the role that resonances play in creating the intricate
structure we see in Saturn's rings.
11. Describe the circumstances leading to the discovery of Pluto.
12. Describe how study of interactions between Pluto and its moon Charon teaches us so much about both worlds.
13. With what solar system objects is Pluto most like?
Chapter 10: Asteroids, Meteoroids, and Comets
Terms to Know: Asteroids
Meteors
Meteorites
Meteoroids
Irons
Stones
Stony-Irons
Widmanstatten patterns
carbonaceous meteorites
Asteroid belt
Apollo asteroids
Trojan asteroids
Kirkwood gaps
comets
Oort cloud
nucleus
coma
dust tail
ion tail
hydrogen cloud
meteor shower
radiant
Review Questions: 1. Describe how astronomers use occultations, observations of reflected visible light, and visible light to determine asteroid sizes.
2. Compare and contrast the main asteroid classes (C, S, M).
3. Describe the evidence that Iron meteorites may have formed inside of a larger parent body.
4. Describe how resonances could create gaps in the asteroid belt.
5. Describe the origin of meteor showers.
6. Describe the structure of a comet when it is near the Sun.
7. What are the major constituents of a comet?
8. Why is it believed that comets could yield clues about the early
history of the solar system?