The Outer Planets

What is one way that gas giants differ from the terrestrial planets?
1. They are much smaller.
2. They are rocky and icy.
3. They are made mostly of gases.
4. They have hard surfaces.
Which outer planet could NOT be called a gas giant?
1. Neptune
2. Pluto
3. Saturn
4. Uranus
Which is the largest planet in our solar system?
1. Jupiter
2. Earth
3. Earth
4. Neptune
Which gases is Jupiter made of?
1. mainly oxygen and nitrogen
2. mainly organic compounds
3. mainly hydrogen and helium
4. mainly water and carbon dioxide
What is unusual about Jupiter's energy supply?
1. It gets energy from the sun.
2. It gives off more energy than it takes in.
3. It gets energy from its moons.
4. It gets energy from a neutron star.
What is Jupiter's Great Red Spot?
1. thick clouds
2. colorful compounds
3. colorful compounds
4. a huge storm system
What new information did Voyager bring back about Jupiter?
1. details about its weather
2. facts about its temperature
3. images of its system
4. facts about its makeup
Where does Saturn's "extra energy" seem to come from?
1. nuclear reactions
2. helium sinking to the core
3. volcanic activity
4. powerful storm systems
What are Saturn's rings made of?
1. rocks and dust
2. iron and metals
3. different sized bits of ice
4. organic compounds
Which spacecraft was sent in 1997 to study Saturn and its moons?
1. Cassini
2. Galileo
3. Pioneer
4. Voyager
How does the chemical makeup of Uranus differ from that of other gas giants?
1. Uranus is made of lighter elements
2. Uranus is made of heavier materials
3. Uranus is mainly hydrogen and helium.
4. Uranus is mainly organic compounds.
Who discovered the planet Uranus?
1. Isaac Newton
2. Galileo Galilei
3. William Herschel
4. Voyager
What is unusual about Uranus's axis?
1. The planet is tipped on its side.
2. The axis is tipped at an angle of 45°. C.
3. The axis is tipped at an angle of 65°. d.
4. The planet's poles are reversed
What do scientists think may have caused Uranus's tilt?
1. Uranus escaped Jupiter's gravity.
2. Uranus's moons had a cosmic tug of war.
3. Uranus was pulled by Saturn's gravity.
4. Uranus was struck by a large object.
Why did early astronomers believe there was another planet beyond Uranus?
1. Uranus's orbit is not regular.
2. Uranus does not have gravity.
3. Neptune's orbit is not regular.
4. Neptune does not have gravity
What is released from inside Neptune that helps make belts of clouds?
1. water
2. nuclear fission
3. nitrogen gas
4. thermal energy
Where did the images of Neptune's very narrow rings come from?
1. Cassini
2. Sojourner
3. Voyager 1
4. Voyager 2
Which of the following is the smallest planet in our solar system?
1. Pluto
2. Mars
3. Mercury
4. Charon
Based on its density, what materials does Pluto seem to be made of?
1. hydrogen and helium
2. mainly organics and ice
3. hydrogen and water
4. rock and ice
What is unusual about Pluto's moon?
1. Its orbit is not regular.
2. It is more than half the size of Pluto.
3. It is about the same size as Pluto.
4. It is denser than Pluto
Pluto is covered by frozen
1. water.
2. helium.
3. nitrogen.
4. methane.
Why don't some scientists think Pluto is really a planet?
1. It is so small and unusual.
2. It is not a gas giant.
3. It has only one moon.
4. It does not have a ring system.
Which NASA mission explored the Pluto and Charon system?
1. Voyager 1
2. Pathfinder
3. Voyager 2
4. No mission to date