Exploring the Giants
Much of what we have learned about the jovian planets and their satellites has come from the work of two spacecraft called
Pioneer
Does Jupiter have less mass, or less dense than terrestrial planets?
Less dense
The jovian planet that has the longest year (period of revolution) is
Neptune
The element that can act like a metal when it is under tremendous pressure and is probably responsible for Jupiter and Saturn's magnetism is:
Helium
What classes does Mr. Diehl teach?
Aerospace Science, Astronomy, Physics
The first spacecraft to explore the environment of the planet Jupiter was called
Voyager
What does the composition of Jupiter most closely resemble?
the sun
The jovian planet that has the shortest period of rotation (the shortest day) is
Jupiter
Which of the jovian planets has rings?
All of them
What gives the red spot on Jupiter its reddish color?
Unknown
What allowed the Voyager 2 spacecraft to make a "tour" of all four of the jovian planets in the late 1970's and the 1980's?
We used the gravity of each planet to speed up the spacecraft to get to the next one in its path
Why are the outer planets called the Jovian planets?
Jupiter is named after Jova.
The planet that orbits "on its side" (i.e. has its rotation axis perpendicular to the plane of its orbit) is:
Uranus
The upper clouds in the atmosphere of Neptune are composed of:
Methane
True or False: Jupiter is actually a failed star.
False
The first spacecraft which did not merely fly by a jovian (or giant) planet
Galileo
What is the most abundant element on the jovian plantes?
Hydrogen
The dwarf planet Pluto was discovered in 1930. Since that time, which jovian planets have completed a full revolution around the Sun?
Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus
Which planet has the fastest wind speed at its equator?
Jupiter
In which Harry Potter story/movie did Sirius Black die?
Order of the Phoenix
The big problem with the Galileo spacecraft is that
its main antenna is stuck in the closed position
Jupiter has enough mass to make 318 Earths. In contrast, Uranus and Neptune have only enough mass to make ______ Earths.
15
When the Voyager spacecraft got closest to Uranus, the Sun was shining directly on the planet's south pole. Uranus takes about 17 hours to rotate once on its axis. If Voyager took a photo of the south pole 8.5 hours later, what would it observe?
The sun shining on the planet's south pole.
At their centers, all the jovian planets have cores made of
rocky and icy materials under great pressure
Where were the 1984 Olympics located?
Los Angeles