A feature that the gaseous outer planets have in common is:

A feature that the gaseous outer planets have in common is:

• A. They each have moons and rings
• B. They are all rocky and small
• C. They have solid surfaces
• D. They orbit the Sun in circular paths

Answer: (A)

Gas giant planets are massive worlds with thick atmospheres, and a defining shared feature is that each has a system of moons and rings. Their strong gravity captures many small bodies that become moons, and ring material—ice and rock fragments—forms ring systems that encircle the planet. Saturn’s rings are the most famous, but Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune all have rings as well, though not as visibly spectacular. These planets aren’t rocky and small; they are enormous and mostly gaseous, with deep interiors, so a solid surface like those on terrestrial planets isn’t present. Their orbits around the Sun aren’t perfectly circular either; they follow ellipses with some eccentricity, so they don’t travel in true circles.

Gas giant planets are massive worlds with thick atmospheres, and a defining shared feature is that each has a system of moons and rings. Their strong gravity captures many small bodies that become moons, and ring material—ice and rock fragments—forms ring systems that encircle the planet. Saturn’s rings are the most famous, but Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune all have rings as well, though not as visibly spectacular.

These planets aren’t rocky and small; they are enormous and mostly gaseous, with deep interiors, so a solid surface like those on terrestrial planets isn’t present. Their orbits around the Sun aren’t perfectly circular either; they follow ellipses with some eccentricity, so they don’t travel in true circles.