AST 220 EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
ACCURATE ANSWERS
Which element is critical to the formation of the volcanic surface of Io? - ANSWER Sulfur
What is thought to be the cause of Io's volcanoes? - ANSWER gravitational tidal stresses
from both Jupiter and Europa
Which of the Galilean moons is densest and most geologically active? - ANSWER Io
Which are the four Galilean moons of Jupiter? - ANSWER Io, Europa, Ganymede, and
Callisto
The surface of Europa is most like the Earth's - ANSWER Arctic Ocean
The weak magnetic fields around Europa and Ganymede were found during flybys of -
ANSWER Galileo
In size and density, both Io and Europa resemble - ANSWER our moon
The mare on Ganymede were formed by - ANSWER water erupting and spreading over
the surface
In terms of dark, smoother mare and cratered highlands, which Jovian moon most
resembles the
near side of our own? - ANSWER Ganymede
Of the Jovian satellites, which shows the oldest, most cratered surface? - ANSWER
Callisto
The largest moon in the solar system, bigger but not as massive as Mercury, is -
ANSWER Ganymede
A moon with a smooth, uncratered surface would imply - ANSWER the surface is very
young
Which of these moons has the densest atmosphere? - ANSWER Titan
Which of these moons are most interesting to exobiologists? - ANSWER Europa and
Titan
At Titan, the lakes are made mostly of liquid - ANSWER Ethane
Which of these gets so bright as to be seen in daylight at times? - ANSWER Venus
Which three worlds have almost identical densities? - ANSWER Mercury, Venus, and
, Earth
Which planet shows the widest range of surface temperatures between day and night? -
ANSWER Mercury
How does Mercury's rotation relate to the Sun? - ANSWER Its rotation rate is 2/3 as long
as its year, due to tidal resonances.
Venus' rotation on its axis - ANSWER is clockwise, unlike most other solar system
objects.
The atmospheric pressure on Venus - ANSWER is much higher than on Earth.
What is the main constituent of the atmosphere of Venus? - ANSWER carbon dioxide
The main constituent of the Martian atmosphere is - ANSWER carbon dioxide
Why are Mars' seasons more extreme than those of the earth? - ANSWER Mars' axial tilt
is slightly more than our 23.5 degrees.
Mars' seas dried up long ago.
Mars' orbit is more eccentric than our almost circular one.
Mars' weather is affected by evaporation from the polar ice in its summer.
(All of these contribute to the huge seasonal changes that Mars experiences.)
Mercury's surface most resembles which of these? - ANSWER the lunar far side
The scarps on Mercury were probably caused by - ANSWER the crust cooling and
shrinking.
What did radar astronomers find in the polar regions of Mercury? - ANSWER
temperatures cold enough to allow thin sheets of water ice
Our most detailed maps of Venus come from: - ANSWER the Magellan space probe.
The surface of Venus can be observed with: - ANSWER A) the Hubble Space Telescope.*
B) radar observations.
C) the Mt. Wilson 100" telescope.
D) most amateur telescopes.
(All of these have provided detailed observations about the surface of our sister planet.)
Which body has the densest atmosphere? - ANSWER Venus
Which statement is true of Venus' surface? - ANSWER There are two continent sized
uplands.
ACCURATE ANSWERS
Which element is critical to the formation of the volcanic surface of Io? - ANSWER Sulfur
What is thought to be the cause of Io's volcanoes? - ANSWER gravitational tidal stresses
from both Jupiter and Europa
Which of the Galilean moons is densest and most geologically active? - ANSWER Io
Which are the four Galilean moons of Jupiter? - ANSWER Io, Europa, Ganymede, and
Callisto
The surface of Europa is most like the Earth's - ANSWER Arctic Ocean
The weak magnetic fields around Europa and Ganymede were found during flybys of -
ANSWER Galileo
In size and density, both Io and Europa resemble - ANSWER our moon
The mare on Ganymede were formed by - ANSWER water erupting and spreading over
the surface
In terms of dark, smoother mare and cratered highlands, which Jovian moon most
resembles the
near side of our own? - ANSWER Ganymede
Of the Jovian satellites, which shows the oldest, most cratered surface? - ANSWER
Callisto
The largest moon in the solar system, bigger but not as massive as Mercury, is -
ANSWER Ganymede
A moon with a smooth, uncratered surface would imply - ANSWER the surface is very
young
Which of these moons has the densest atmosphere? - ANSWER Titan
Which of these moons are most interesting to exobiologists? - ANSWER Europa and
Titan
At Titan, the lakes are made mostly of liquid - ANSWER Ethane
Which of these gets so bright as to be seen in daylight at times? - ANSWER Venus
Which three worlds have almost identical densities? - ANSWER Mercury, Venus, and
, Earth
Which planet shows the widest range of surface temperatures between day and night? -
ANSWER Mercury
How does Mercury's rotation relate to the Sun? - ANSWER Its rotation rate is 2/3 as long
as its year, due to tidal resonances.
Venus' rotation on its axis - ANSWER is clockwise, unlike most other solar system
objects.
The atmospheric pressure on Venus - ANSWER is much higher than on Earth.
What is the main constituent of the atmosphere of Venus? - ANSWER carbon dioxide
The main constituent of the Martian atmosphere is - ANSWER carbon dioxide
Why are Mars' seasons more extreme than those of the earth? - ANSWER Mars' axial tilt
is slightly more than our 23.5 degrees.
Mars' seas dried up long ago.
Mars' orbit is more eccentric than our almost circular one.
Mars' weather is affected by evaporation from the polar ice in its summer.
(All of these contribute to the huge seasonal changes that Mars experiences.)
Mercury's surface most resembles which of these? - ANSWER the lunar far side
The scarps on Mercury were probably caused by - ANSWER the crust cooling and
shrinking.
What did radar astronomers find in the polar regions of Mercury? - ANSWER
temperatures cold enough to allow thin sheets of water ice
Our most detailed maps of Venus come from: - ANSWER the Magellan space probe.
The surface of Venus can be observed with: - ANSWER A) the Hubble Space Telescope.*
B) radar observations.
C) the Mt. Wilson 100" telescope.
D) most amateur telescopes.
(All of these have provided detailed observations about the surface of our sister planet.)
Which body has the densest atmosphere? - ANSWER Venus
Which statement is true of Venus' surface? - ANSWER There are two continent sized
uplands.
