Astronomy exam 2
Mars, venus and earth are much less heavily cratered than mercury and the moon. This is explained by the fact that
Mars, venus, and earth were geologically active for a longer period of time than mercury and the moon
What causes the distinct bluish tine of the ice giants Uranus and Neptune
Methane in their atmospheres preferentially absorbs the red components of the suns lights and remits blue part
Which of the giant planets was predicted to exist mathematically before it was ever seen through a telescope
Neptune
Which planet receives the least amount of energy from the sun?
Neptune
Which method can be used to determine the radius of Jupiter
Stellar Occulation
A radiowave photon has a frequency of 1.5MHz and an ultraviolet photon has a frequency of 4.5MHz. The energy of the ultraviolet photon is _______the energy of the red photon
3 times larger
The great red spot, Jupiters most prominent storm system, has a diameter that is __ times earths diameter
5
dips in the brightness of the star
C
Why are auroras produced only near the northern and southern magnetic poles of a planet
Charged particles are forced to flow along Earths magnetic field lines, which come out of Earths poles
Which of the following lists different types of electromagnetic radiation in order from the shortest wavelength to the longest wavelength
Gamma rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, radio waves
The fact that Jupiter's radius is contracting at a rate of 1 mm per year results
Jupiter radiating more heat than it receives from the sun
If Saturns orbital period is 30 years and the obliquity is 26 degrees, how long is it from the first day of spring to the first day of autumn on Saturn
The tilt of Saturns orbital axis is similar to that of Earths, so it should have seasonal changes similar to Earths as well. This means that the time between the vernal and autumnal equinoxes on Saturn will be about half the orbital period of Saturn (that is, 15 years), just as they are approximately half of Earths orbit (6 months) apart on Earth.
Why are winds on the giant planets far faster than those on Earth
Their surfaces are rotating far faster, creating a much stronger Coriolis effect.
Which of the giant planets was discovered by accident by William Herschel
Uranus
What is a protostar?
a large ball of gas not yet hot enough at its core to be a star
When an electron moves from a higher energy level in an atom to a lower energy level
a photon is emitted
Magnetosphere refers to
a region of magnetic field around Earth
What is the reason Mercury has so little gas in its atmosphere?
all of the above
secondary craters are
craters formed by ejecta from initial impact
Uranus and Neptune do not have bands as distinct as those on Jupiter and Saturn because Uranus and Neptune
have winds speeds that vary more smoothly from the equator to the poles
When you push your palms together and rub them back and forth, you are demonstrating one way of converting ___ energy into ____ energy.
kinetic; thermal
________ in our atmosphere is a direct consequence of the emergence of life
oxygen
Suppose an earthquake occurs on an imaginary planet. Scientists on the other side of the planet detect primary waves but not secondary waves after the quake occurs. This suggests that
part of planets interior is liquids
Of the following methods, the age of the solar system can be determined most accurately by
radioactive dating of rocks retrieved from the moon
A prism is able to spread white light out into a spectrum of colors based on the property of
refraction
Southern Hempisphere Hurricanes ______ compared to hurricanes in the northern hemisphere because of the Coriolis effect?
rotate in the opposite direction
why did the terrestrial planets lose their primary atmosphere?
the planets have too little mass and therefore too little gravitational force to keep them in the hot light gas that were present in the protoplanetary disk.
What is the habitable zone?
the distance from a star where liquid water can exist
Temperature variations on Earth driven by the Milankovitch cycle differ from those driven by the anthropogenic greenhouse effect in that
they occur over much longer times scales
In the absence of a greenhouse effect, what would happen to earths oceans?
they would freeze over
Winds are generated on Earth primarily because of
uneven heating of the surface and rotation of the planet