Mastering Astronomy with Pearson eText -- Standalone Access Card -- for Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
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Textbook Question
Chapter 9, Problem 1RQ

Briefly explain how the larger jovian moons tend to differ in general from the smaller ones. How does the formation process of the moons explain these differences?

Expert Solution & Answer
Check Mark
To determine

The difference between large Jovian moons from the smaller ones.

Answer to Problem 1RQ

The large Jovian moon is different from the small Jovian moon in appearance and the properties by which they orbit around the planet.

Explanation of Solution

The large Jovian moon is different from the small Jovian moon in appearance and the properties by which they orbit around the planet.

Most of the small moon such as (Calypso, Pandora, Phoebe, Janus)are irregular in shape and sometimes they resemble to potatoes, peanuts and other snacks while mostly all the large moons are spherical in shape such as  (Titan, Ganymede, Io , Europa).

The small objects have very less gravity, and it is very weak that it cannot force the rigid material by which the moons are made of to form the sphere.

Many small moons are fragments of large moons that are broken apart so they have similar characteristic as the larger moon.

The two largest moons, Titan of Saturn and Ganymede of Jupiter are bigger than Mercury. Almost all of the moderate to large size moons orbit around the planet in the same way as planets orbit around the sun.

Many of the small moons also have orbits that are extremely elliptical to their host planets and some moons have retrograde motion too.

Conclusion:

Thus, the large Jovian moon is different from the small Jovian moon in appearance and the properties by which they orbit around the planet.

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Chapter 9 Solutions

Mastering Astronomy with Pearson eText -- Standalone Access Card -- for Life in the Universe (4th Edition)

Ch. 9 - Could Triton be habitable? Briefly discuss the...Ch. 9 - What do we mean by chemical equilibrium and...Ch. 9 - Prob. 13RQCh. 9 - Based on our understanding of the chemistry of...Ch. 9 - Io is riddled with volcanoes because of its...Ch. 9 - Europa is likely to have fishlike organisms the...Ch. 9 - While Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto are all...Ch. 9 - The fact that our Moon keeps one side always...Ch. 9 - Titan is simply too cold to have any life.Ch. 9 - Triton might have life that uses liquid ammonia,...Ch. 9 - Io doesnt have a significant atmosphere because it...Ch. 9 - Orbital resonances like those among Io, Europa,...Ch. 9 - If there is life on Enceladus, it probably gets...Ch. 9 - If our solar system is typical, other star systems...Ch. 9 - The moons of Saturn may have large amounts of...Ch. 9 - Which statement about synchronous rotation is...Ch. 9 - Io is covered in volcanoes while Europa is covered...Ch. 9 - Which of the following is not an indication of...Ch. 9 - Photosynthesis is an unlikely source of energy for...Ch. 9 - Its assumed that, even if Europa has life, the...Ch. 9 - The chances for life on Titans surface are...Ch. 9 - Where might we find liquid water on Titan? (a) in...Ch. 9 - Why were scientists so surprised to find active...Ch. 9 - Chemical disequilibrium is likely to be present in...Ch. 9 - Cost-Effective Exploration. Given its budget, NASA...Ch. 9 - Lessons for Life. Considering everything weve...Ch. 9 - Exploring Europa I. Although Europa is a promising...Ch. 9 - Exploring Europa II. One suggestion for...Ch. 9 - Europan Fish. On Earth, fish breathe oxygen that...Ch. 9 - Life on Titan. Several possibilities have been...Ch. 9 - Migrating Life. As we discussed in Chapter 6,...Ch. 9 - Orbital Resonances I. Using the data in Appendix...Ch. 9 - Orbital Resonances II. Using the data in Appendix...Ch. 9 - Tidal Force on the Moon. In Cosmic Calculations...Ch. 9 - Tidal Force on Io. Using the procedure from Cosmic...Ch. 9 - Tidal Force on Europa and Ganymede. Using the...Ch. 9 - Limited Thinking. Throughout this book, we have...Ch. 9 - Europa Orbiter. Find out the current status of...
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