ASP Solar System Astronomy 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Mars has two small moons. What are their names?
- Triton and Nereid
- Phobos and Deimos (Correct answer)
- Io and Europa
- Titania and Oberon
Correct answer: Phobos and Deimos
Phobos and Deimos are the two small, irregularly shaped moons of Mars, likely captured asteroids from the nearby asteroid belt.
Question 2: What is the Great Red Spot on Jupiter?
- A volcanic region
- A persistent high-pressure storm (Correct answer)
- A large impact crater
- A region of metallic hydrogen
Correct answer: A persistent high-pressure storm
The Great Red Spot is a persistent anticyclonic storm system in Jupiter's southern hemisphere that has been observed for at least 350 years.
Question 3: What is the Roche limit in planetary science?
- The maximum orbital distance for a stable moon
- The closest distance a body can orbit without being torn apart by tidal forces (Correct answer)
- The speed at which a planet captures asteroids
- The minimum size for a body to become spherical
Correct answer: The closest distance a body can orbit without being torn apart by tidal forces
The Roche limit is the minimum orbital distance at which a celestial body, held together only by gravity, can orbit a more massive body without being torn apart by tidal forces.
Question 4: Which planet rotates on its side with an axial tilt of about 98°?
- Neptune
- Saturn
- Venus
- Uranus (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Uranus
Uranus has an axial tilt of approximately 98°, meaning it essentially rotates on its side relative to its orbital plane, causing extreme seasonal variations.
Question 5: What is the Cassini Division in Saturn's ring system?
- A small moon orbiting within the rings
- A gap between the A and B rings caused by orbital resonance with Mimas (Correct answer)
- The outermost ring of Saturn
- The densest region of the ring system
Correct answer: A gap between the A and B rings caused by orbital resonance with Mimas
The Cassini Division is a 4,800 km wide gap between Saturn's A and B rings, created by orbital resonance with the moon Mimas which clears that region.
Question 6: How long does it take light to travel from the Sun to Earth?
- About 1 second
- About 8 minutes (Correct answer)
- About 1 hour
- About 1 day
Correct answer: About 8 minutes
Light traveling at 300,000 km/s takes approximately 8 minutes and 20 seconds to travel the 150 million km from the Sun to Earth.
ASP Solar System Astronomy 2
Mars has two small moons.
What are their names?