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Explorations: Stars, Galaxies, and Planets
Thomas Arny, University of Massachusetts

The Outer Planets

Questions for Review



1

How do Jupiter’s mass and radius compare with the Earth’s? How do they compare with those of the other outer planets?
2

What are the major gaseous substances that make up Jupiter and Saturn?
3

Why are the outer planets so large?
4

What is the interior structure of Jupiter and Saturn thought to be?
5

What does Jupiter look like?
6

What is the Great Red Spot?
7

Do Jupiter and Saturn have solid surfaces?
8

What sorts of atmospheric motion and activity are observed in Jupiter?
9

What sort of activity has been seen on Io? What is Io’s heat source thought to be?
10

How do astronomers know what lies inside the outer planets?
11

What are the rings of Saturn made of? How do astronomers know this?
12

What creates the gaps between the rings?
13

How might the rings have formed?
14

What is the Roche limit? Why does such a limit exist?
15

How do Uranus and Neptune differ inside from Jupiter?
16

Why are Uranus and Neptune so blue?
17

What are the satellites of the outer planets thought to be composed of?
18

What evidence makes astronomers believe that Pluto is strongly influenced by Neptune?
19

What is unusual about Uranus’s rotation axis? What might explain this peculiarity?
20

How did the discovery of a moon orbiting Pluto help astronomers better understand this planet?