The planet HAT-P-32b has more than twice the radius of Jupiter, yet is only the same mass. It orbits its star more than a factor of ten closer than Mercury's orbit around the Sun. Which is the most plausible explanation for its large size?
A) Planets that are close to a star are heated up and therefore larger.
B) The mass measurement is mistaken, and it is actually about 10 times more massive than Jupiter.
C) The hydrogen and helium gas compressed under their own gravity.
D) It is made of elements other than hydrogen and helium which do not compress under their own gravity.
Question 2
What drives the motion of the continental plates on Earth?
A) lava flows in trenches along the sea floor
B) tidal forces
C) convection cells in the mantle
D) Earth's magnetic field
E) rotation of the liquid core
Close-ups of Jupiter’s Atmosphere
Jupiter’s and Saturn’s Upper Layers
Dwarf Planet Eris
Mass Loss from a Supermassive Star
Due to compressibility, atmospheric mass gradually “thins out” with height.
Mass Wasting Forms