Scorching Giants: Hot Jupiter Quiz

It is a gas giant with a very short orbital period is the correct answer. These planets are similar in mass to Jupiter but orbit so close to their stars that their "year" can last less than 10 Earth days.

False. According to the "Frost Line" theory, gas giants must form in the cold outer regions of a system to gather enough ice and gas. They likely moved inward through a process called planetary migration.

Migration is the correct answer. Gravitational interactions with the surrounding disk of gas and dust during the system's youth cause the planet to lose orbital energy and spiral inward.

Extreme heat, puffiness, and tidal locking are the correct answers. These planets are far too hot for liquid water and are often "puffed up" by heat, making them less dense than our Jupiter.

One side always faces the star is the correct answer. Just like our Moon and Earth, the star's gravity has synchronized the planet's rotation, resulting in a permanent "day side" and "night side."

True. Because it is so hot, minerals that are solid rocks on Earth can evaporate into gas and then condense into "rock clouds" or even rain liquid iron on the planet's night side.

Periastron is the correct answer. For Hot Jupiters, this point is so close to the star that the planet is subjected to intense radiation and gravitational stretching.

It can be "boiled off" to form a tail is the correct answer. Intense stellar winds and heat can strip the upper atmosphere away, creating a hydrogen tail that looks similar to a comet's tail.

Size, frequency, and gravitational pull are the correct answers. Their large mass and close orbits make them the "loudest" signals for both the Transit and Radial Velocity detection methods.

Thousands of miles per hour is the correct answer. The massive temperature difference between the permanent day side and night side drives super-fast jet streams that carry heat around the planet.

True. Our gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) stayed in the outer solar system. This makes our system different from many others where the giant planets migrated inward.

Frost is the correct answer. Inside this line, it is too hot for ices to form, which is why scientists believe Hot Jupiters had to form further out before moving in.

Being eaten by its star is the correct answer. WASP-12b is so close to its star that it has been stretched into an egg shape and its mass is being actively pulled away by the star's gravity.

Transit and Radial Velocity are the correct answers. Because they are so close to the star, it is very difficult to "Directly Image" them as they are usually lost in the star's bright glare.

True. Mercury takes 88 days to orbit the Sun. Many Hot Jupiters complete a full orbit in just 1 to 3 Earth days.

Inflated is the correct answer. The heat from the star provides extra energy to the planet's gas, causing the atmosphere to expand outward like a hot air balloon.

Eject Earth from the system is the correct answer. Giant planets are "orbital bullies." Their migration usually clears out smaller planets, either by swallowing them or slinging them into deep space.

Hydrogen and Helium are the correct answers. While they may have trace amounts of water vapor or methane, they are primarily composed of the same light gases as our own Jupiter.

51 Pegasi b is the correct answer. Discovered in 1995, its existence shocked astronomers because no one expected a giant planet to be able to survive so close to a star.

True. Their extreme temperatures (often over 2,000°F) cause them to emit significant thermal radiation, which telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope can detect.