A Striking Characteristic on Triton, the Largest Satellite of Neptune

question 148

Multiple Choice

A striking characteristic on Triton, the largest satellite of Neptune, is

• A) a brightness variation: one hemisphere is as bright as ice and the other hemisphere is as dark as asphalt.
• B) plumes of nitrogen gas rising from the icy surface, possibly as a result of radioactive heating.
• C) an interconnecting network of parallel grooves, indicating tectonic activity in geologically recent times.
• D) a crater so large that the impact that created it must have come close to shattering the satellite.

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Definitions:

Capillary Endothelium

The thin layer of endothelial cells lining the inner surface of capillaries, playing a crucial role in the exchange of substances between the blood and tissues.

Partial Pressure

The pressure that a single component of a gas mixture would exert if it occupied the entire volume of the mixture at the same temperature.

Osmotic Gradient

A difference in the concentration of solutes across a semipermeable membrane, which drives osmosis, the movement of water to balance solute concentrations.

First Lungs

Refers to the initial evolutionary development of lungs in the ancestor of terrestrial vertebrates, facilitating air breathing.