AST 103 Ch. 6,7,8,9

(T/F) Mercury has no volcanoes

F

(T/F) The current atmospheres of the terrestrial planets were formed when the planets formed

False

(T/F) The stratosphere is where most weather happens

False

(T/F) Large worlds remain geologically active longer than small ones

T

(T/F) The propagation of seismic waves reveals the structure of the interior of Earth

T

(T/F) Wind erosion is an important process on Venus

T

(T/F) volcanism has occurred on all the terrestrial planets

T

(T/F) Comets and asteroids may be the source of most of the water on earth

True

(T/F) all other things being equal, a planet with a high albedo will have a lower temperature than a planet with a low albedo

True

(T/F) the temperature of earth has measurably risen over the past 100 years

True

a meteoroid is found _____, a meteor is found _____, and a meteorite is found _____ a. in space; in the atmosphere; on the ground b. on the ground; in space; between mars and jupiter c. between mars and jupiter; in the atmosphere; on the ground d. between mars and jupiter; in the atmosphere; elsewhere in the solar system

a

aside from their periods, short- and long-period comets differ a. short-period comets orbit prograde, while long-period comets have either prograde or retrograde orbits b. short-period comets formed with less ice, while long-period comets contained more c. short-period comets do not develop ion tails, while long-period comets do d. short-period comets come closer to the sun at closest approach than long-period comets

a

asteroids are a. small rock and metal objects orbiting the sun b. small icy objects orbiting the sun c. small rock and metal objects found only between mars and jupiter d. small icy bodies found only in the outer solar system

a

auroras are the result of a. the interaction of particles from the sun and earth's atmosphere b. upper-atmosphere lighting strikes c. destruction of the upper atmosphere, which leaves a hole d. the interaction of earth's magnetic field with earth's atmosphere

a

congress tasked NASA with searching for near-earth objects because a. they might impact earth, as others have in the past b. they are close by and easy to study c. they are moving fast d. they are scientifically interesting

a

consider a northward-traveling particle of gas in jupiter's northern hemisphere. according to the coriolis effect, which way will this particle of gas turn a. in the direction of rotation b. opposite the direction of rotation c. north d. south

a

geologists can find the actual age of features on a world by a. radioactive dating of rocks retrieved from the world b. comparing cratering rates on one world to those on another c. assuming that all features on a planetary surface are the same age d. both a and b e. both b and c

a

io is an example of a moon that a. is definitely active today b. is probably or possibly active today c. was active in the past but not today d. was not active at any time since its formation

a

metallic hydrogen is NOT a. a metal that acts like hydrogen b. hydrogen that acts like a metal c. common in the cores of giant planets d. a result of high temps and pressures

a

saturn's bright rings are located within the roche limit of saturn. this supports the theory that these rings (select all that apply): a. are formed of moons torn apart by tidal stresses b. formed at the same time that saturn formed c. are relatively recent d. are temporary

a

uncertainties in climate science are dominated by a. uncertainty about physical causes b. uncertainty about current effects c. uncertainty about past effects d. uncertainty about future effects

a

uranus and neptune are different from jupiter and saturn in that a. uranus and neptune have a higher percentage of ices in their interiors b. uranus and neptune have no rings c. uranus and neptune have no magnetic field d. uranus and neptune are closer to the sun

a

which of the followings statements are true (select all that apply): a. earth's magnetosphere shields us from the solar wind b. earth's magnetosphere is essential to the formation of auroras c. earth's magnetosphere extends far beyond earth's atmosphere d. earth's magnetosphere is weaker than mercury's

a, b, c

meteorites can tell us about (select all that apply): a. the early composition of the solar system b. the composition of asteroids c. other planets d. the Oort Cloud

a, b, c, d

studying climate on other planets is important to understanding climate on earth because (select all that apply): a. underlying physical processes are the same on every planet b. other planets offer a range of extremes to which earth can be compared c. comparing climates on other planets helps scientists understand which factors are important d. other planets can be used to test atmospheric models

a, b, c, d

imagine a giant planet, very similar to jupiter, that was ejected from its solar system at formation. (these objects exist and are probably numerous, although their total number is still uncertain.) this planet would almost certainly still have (choose all that apply) a. a magnetosphere b. thermal energy c. auroras d. rings

a, b, d

from the following, select the ways in which titan resembles early earth (choose all that apply): a. it has a thick atmosphere b. its atmosphere is mostly nitrogen c. it has liquid water on the surface d. it has terrain similar to earth's e. it is rich in organic compounds

a, b, d, e

on which of the following worlds is wind erosion negligible (select all that apply): a. Mercury b. Venus c. earth d. moon e. mars

a, d

Of the four processes that shape the surface of terrestrial world, the one with the greatest potential for future catastrophic rearrangement is a. impacts b. volcanism c. tectonism d. erosion

a. impacts

the oxygen molecules in earth's atmosphere

are the result of life

as a comet leaves the inner solar system, its ion tail always points

away from the sun

If crater A is inside crater B, we know that-- a. crater A was formed before crater B b. crater B was formed before crater A c. both craters were formed at about the sam time d. crater B formed crater A e. crater A formed crater B

b

during a meteor shower, all meteors trace back to a single region in the sky known as the radiant. this happens because a. the meteors originate from the same point in the atmosphere b. all the meteors are traveling the same direction, relative to earth c. all the meteors burn up at the same altitude d. all the meteors come from the direction of the sun

b

earth experiences long-term climate cycles spanning _____ of years a. hundreds of millions b. hundreds of thousands c. thousands d. hundreds

b

geologists can find the relative age of impact craters on a world because a. the ones on top must be older b. the ones on top must be younger c. the larger ones must be older d. the larger ones must be younger e. all the features we can see are the same age

b

large impacts of asteroids and comets with earth are a. impossible b. infrequent c. unimportant d. unknown

b

on average, a bright comet appears about once each decade. statistically, this means that a. one will definitely be observed every tenth year b. one will definitely be observed in each 10-year period c. exactly 10 comets will be observed each century d. about 10 comets will be observed each century

b

the Coriolis effect causes

b

the different colors of clouds on jupiter are primarily a result of a. temp b. composition c. motion of the clouds toward or away from us d. all of the above

b

the great red spot on jupiter is a. a surface feature b. a "storm" that has been raging for more than 300 years c. caused by the interaction between the magnetosphere and Io d. about the size of north america

b

the magnetic fields of the giant planets a. align closely with the rotation axis b. extend far into space c. are thousands of times stronger at the cloud tops than at earth's surface field d. have an axis that passes through the planet's center

b

the terrestrial worlds that may still be geologically active are: a. earth, moon, and mercury b. earth, mars, and venus c. earth, venus, and mercury d. earth only e. earth and venus only

b

venus is hot and mars is cold primarily because a. venus is closer to the sun b. venus has a much thicker atmosphere c. the atmosphere of venus is dominated by CO2 but the atmosphere of mars is not d. venus has stronger winds

b

on which planet(s) is the greenhouse effect present (select all that apply): a. mercury b. venus c. earth d. mars

b, c, d

on which of the following has erosion by wind and water occurred? (select all that apply): a. Mercury b. Venus c. earth d. moon e. mars

b, c, e

classifying moons according to their geology allows to (choose all that apply): a. compare their features b. explain the formation mechanisms c. determine their magnetic field strength d. identify physical mechanisms responsible for their evolution

b, d

pluto differs significantly from the eight solar system planets in that (choose all that apply) a. it is farther from the sun than any classical planet b. it has a different composition than any classical planet c. its orbit is chaotic d. it is not round e it has not cleared its orbit

b, e

convection in the _____ causes weather on earth a. stratosphere b. mesosphere c. troposphere d. ionosphere

c

impacts on the terrestrial worlds: a. are more common than they used to be b. have occurred at approximately the same rate since the formation of the solar system c. are less common than they used to be d. periodically become more common and then are less common for a while e. never occur anymore

c

on earth, one high tide each day is caused by the moon pulling on that side of earth. the other is caused by: a. the sun pulling on the opposite side of earth b. the earth rotating around so that the opposite side is under the moon c. the moon pulling the center of earth away from the opposite side , leaving a tidal bulge behind d. the resonance between the rotation and revolution of the moon

c

on which of the following does plate tectonics occur? (select all that apply): a. Mercury b. Venus c. earth d. moon e. mars

c

pluto is classified as a dwarf planet because a. it is not round b. it orbits the sun too far away to be considered a planet c. it has company in its orbit d. it is made mostly of ice

c

scientists know the history of earth's magnetic field because a. the magnetic field hasn't changed since the formation of earth b. they see how it's changing today and project that back in time c. the magnetic field gets frozen into rocks and plate tectonics spreads them out d. they compare the magnetic fields on other planets to earth's e. there are written documents of magnetic field measurements since the beginning of Earth

c

the atmospheric greenhouse effect a. only occurs on earth b. lets through more solar radiation c. traps visible light in the atmosphere d. traps infrared light in the atmosphere

c

the difference in climate between venus, earth, and mars is primarily caused by

c

the ozone layer protects life on earth from: a. high-energy particles from the solar wind b. micrometeorites c. ultraviolet radiation d. charge particles trapped in earth's magnetic field

c

water erosion is an important ongoing process on a. all the terrestrial worlds b. earth only. c. earth and mars only d. earth, mars, and the moon only e. earth, mars, and venus only

c

what is the source of meteors we see during a meteor shower a. near-earth asteroids b. dust left over from the original disk of dust and gas around the sun c. comet debris d. dust left over from the formation of earth's moon

c

scientists learn about the interior structure of planets by using (select all that apply): a. ground-penetrating radar b. deep mine shafts c. observations of seismic waves d. models of earth's interior e. observations of magnetic fields f. x-Ray observations from satellites

c, d, e

which of the following worlds shows evidence of water? (select all that apply): a. Mercury b. Venus c. earth d. moon e. mars

c, d, e

earth has fewer craters than venus. why? a. earth's atmosphere provides better protection than venus's b. earth is a smaller target than venus c. earth is closer to the asteroid belt d. earth's surface experiences more erosion

d

hadley circulation is broken into zonal winds by a. convection from solar heating b. hurricanes and other storms c. interactions with the solar wind d. the planet's rapid rotation

d

over the past 800,000 years, earth's temperature has closely tracked a. solar luminosity b. oxygen levels in the atmosphere c. nitrogen levels in the atmosphere d. carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere

d

spring tides occur only when a. the sun is near the vernal equinox in the sky b. the moon is in first or third quarter c. the moon, earth, and sun form a right angle d. the moon is in new or full phase e. the sun is in full phase

d

stellar occultations are the most accurate way to measure the _____ of a solar system object a. mass b. density c. temp d. diameter

d

the atmosphere of mars is often pinkish because a. the atmosphere is dominated by carbon dioxide b. the sun is at a low angle in the sky c. mars has no oceans to reflect blue light to the sky d. winds lift dust into the atmosphere

d

the chemical compositions of jupiter and saturn are most similar to those of a. uranus and neptune b. the terrestrial planets c. their moons d. the sun

d

the rings of saturn periodically disappear and reappear when a. observed in the direction of the sun b. the sun has set on saturn c. the rings dissipate d. viewed edge-on

d

the words weather and climate: a. mean essentially the same thing b. refer to different size scales c. refer to different timescales d. both b and c

d

place in order, from lowest to highest, the layers of earth's atmosphere a. magnetosphere b. mesosphere c. thermosphere d. troposphere e. stratosphere

d e b c a

ch. 7 place in chronological order the following steps in the formation and evolution of earth's atmosphere. a. plant life convert CO2 to oxygen b. hydrogen and helium are lost from the atmosphere c. volcanoes, comets, and asteroids increase the inventory of volatile matter d. hydrogen and helium are captured from the protoplanetary disk e. oxygen enables the growth of new life-forms f. life releases CO2 from the subsurface into the atmosphere.

d, b, c, f, a, e

The differing colors of the giant planets are due primarily to

differences in atmospheric depth

individual cloud layers in the giant planets have different compositions. this happens because

different volatiles freeze out at different temps

ch.9 _____, ______, ______, and _____ are four categories of small bodies in the solar system.

dwarf planets; moon; asteroids; comets

lava flows on the moon and Mercury created large, smooth plains. we don't see similar features on earth because

earth has plate tectonics and erosion that modify the surface

(T/F) major impacts on earth don't happen anymore

false

(T/F) the cores of the giant planets are all similar

false

(T/F) there are no dwarf planets interior to jupiter's orbit

false

ch 8 Jupiter and Saturn have compositions similar to the Sun and are called _____ giants. Uranus and Neptune, conversely, are called _____ giants.

gas; ice

______,______,______ build up structures ob the terrestrial plabets, while in general, ______ tears them down.

impacts, tectonism, volcanism; erosion

if an asteroid is not spherical, what does that tell you?

its mass is low

a differentiated asteroid was once ______ enough to be molten

massive

from the following list of terms, select the three terms that are parts of a comet, and place them in order from smallest to largest. -radiant -oort cloud -coma -kuiper belt -nucleus -chondrule -tail

nucleus, coma, tail

the _____ of greenhouse gas molecules affects the temperature of an atmosphere

number

if a radioactive element A decays into radioactive element B with a half-life of 20 seconds, then after 40 seconds,

one-quarter of element A will remain

the three types of meteorites come from different parts of their parent bodies. stony-iron meteorites are rare because

only a small amount of a parent body has both stone and iron

volcanos on enceladus affect the E Ring of saturn by

supplying ring particles

as depth increases, ____ and ____ increase, which causes changes in the chemical composition of clouds in giant planet atmospheres

temp and pressure

the interiors of the giant planets are heated by gravitational contraction. we know this because:

the giant planets radiate more energy than they receive from the sun

zonal winds on the giant planets are stronger than those on the terrestrial planets because

the giant planets rotate faster

deep in the interiors of the giant planets, water is still a liquid even though the temps are tens of thousands of degrees above the boiling point of water. this can happen because

the pressure inside the giant planets is so high

(T/F) all the giant planets have clouds and belts

true

(T/F) asteroids are mostly rock and metal; comets are mostly ice

true

(T/F) comet tails always point directly away from the sun

true

(T/F) most large moons of the outer solar system are, or once were, geologically active

true

(T/F) storms on giant planets last much longer than storms on earth

true

(T/F) uranus has extreme seasons because its poles are nearly in the plane of the solar system

true

(T/F) water never forms visible clouds in the atmospheres of giant planets

true

which of the giant planets has the most extreme seasons

uranus

erosion us most efficient on planets with

wind and water