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Saturn, the Earth Star Trivia Quiz

This is a quiz on the gas planet Saturn. Earth Star is the Japanese name of the planet. "Earth" in this case, does not refer to our own planet, but the element of earth.

A multiple-choice quiz by jonthomas. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
jonthomas

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
356,721

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
305

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. It is fairly well known that, were it to be placed in a hypothetically giant container of water, Saturn would be the only planet that would float.

What is the density of the planet in grams/centimeters cubed? Hint

2.21

0.547

0.152

0.687

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Question 2 of 10

2. In Saturn's atmosphere, there are crystals of what substance? Hint

Carbon

Ammonia

Hydrogen

Methane

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Question 3 of 10

3. Around the north pole of Saturn, there is a very noticeable storm even larger than Jupiter's Great Red Spot. What shape is this storm in? Hint

Oval

Hexagon

Near-perfect circle

Ellipse

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Question 4 of 10

4. When viewed through a telescope, do the rings of Saturn always appear in the same position?

Yes

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Question 5 of 10

5. What is strange about Saturn's two moons Janus and Epimetheus? Hint

They are both thought to have come from the same moon, which later broke apart

They are both captured moons

They both have thick atmospheres

They swap orbits every four years

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Question 6 of 10

6. Due to high-energy electrons bombarding the moons of Saturn, some of them have thermal images showing the warmer parts bearing an uncanny resemblance to the famous video game figure Pac-Man. Which two moons have this thermal pattern? Hint

Enceladus and Dione

Titan and Iapetus

Mimas and Tethys

Hyperion and Rhea

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Question 7 of 10

7. Saturn has the second-fastest winds of any known Solar System planet, surpassed only by Neptunian winds. How fast are these winds at maximum? Hint

4200 kilometers/hour

1800 kilometers/hour

1200 kilometers/hour

10000 kilometers/hour

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Question 8 of 10

8. Saturn radiates more than twice the amount of heat it receives from the Sun into space. Why is this? Hint

Slow gravitational compression

The rings generate most of this heat

An unstable magnetosphere

It is unknown

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Question 9 of 10

9. Voyager 1 was the first probe to orbit Saturn and study it and its moons. It chose to do a fly-by of the moon Titan. Had it not done this, it would have been in perfect position to fly by what other celestial body? Hint

Pluto

Uranus

Neptune

Halley's Comet

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Question 10 of 10

10. Which of these is the name of one of the sections of Saturn's ring system? Hint

LeVerrier

Gossamer

Cassini

� Ring

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. It is fairly well known that, were it to be placed in a hypothetically giant container of water, Saturn would be the only planet that would float. What is the density of the planet in grams/centimeters cubed?

Answer: 0.687

At such a density, Saturn is about 8 times less dense than Earth. Despite this, it still has a volume 764 times greater than Earth's and a mass 92 times that of Earth.

2. In Saturn's atmosphere, there are crystals of what substance?

Answer: Ammonia

The ammonia crystals are typically found in the upper levels of Saturn's atmosphere, while in the lower levels, it is more common to find things such as ammonia hydrosulfide.

3. Around the north pole of Saturn, there is a very noticeable storm even larger than Jupiter's Great Red Spot. What shape is this storm in?

Answer: Hexagon

This storm was first seen by Voyager 1 and its existence was confirmed by the Cassini probe. According to the Hubble space telescope, there is not a similar storm at the south pole.

4. When viewed through a telescope, do the rings of Saturn always appear in the same position?

Answer: No

Sometimes, it is difficult to even see the rings because they are perfectly aligned with the planet. At other times, they are easy to see and cast a noticeable shadow on the planet. This is not because they are moving up and down, but because Earth is orbiting the Sun and it has a large tilt on its axis.

5. What is strange about Saturn's two moons Janus and Epimetheus?

Answer: They swap orbits every four years

This is because both satellites orbit Saturn at approximately the same distance, give or take a few thousand kilometers. This distance is considered incredibly close for objects in space.

Answer: Mimas and Tethys

The Cassini space probe, which was designed to orbit and study Saturn and its moons, discovered these images on the moons. Coincidentally, a large crater on Mimas looks like a power pellet, an item that Pac-Man can eat in the games. The crater is positioned just so that it appears Pac-Man will eat it.

To satiate curiosity, here is an image of the thermal scans: http://i.space.com/images/i/000/023/961/iFF/saturn-pac-man-moons-tethys-mimas-1.jpg?1354025731

7. Saturn has the second-fastest winds of any known Solar System planet, surpassed only by Neptunian winds. How fast are these winds at maximum?

Answer: 1800 kilometers/hour

These fast winds are the cause of a color phenomenon occasionally displayed in Saturn's northern hemisphere. Occasionally, the normally yellow color of Saturn's clouds will appear a pale blue due to the speed of these winds.

8. Saturn radiates more than twice the amount of heat it receives from the Sun into space. Why is this?

Answer: Slow gravitational compression

This is known as the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism. This is because it is so massive, that it compresses upon itself, shrinking in diameter a little bit every year. Jupiter undergoes a similar process.

Answer: Pluto

Another 3 and a half decades would pass before a probe finally went to Pluto, that being New Horizons. It was decided that it would be a better option to study Titan than Pluto because Voyager 1 did not have what was considered sufficient equipment to study Pluto and relay back the data.

10. Which of these is the name of one of the sections of Saturn's ring system?

Answer: Cassini

Specifically, Cassini is the gap between the A and B sections of Saturn's main rings, and it is named after the astronomer who discovered some Saturnian moons.

Source: Author jonthomas

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor WesleyCrusher before going online.
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