astronomy exam 2
As you found in Part A, early Mars had both core convection and a strong magnetosphere. What is the connection between these two things?
Core convection helps generate a magnetic field, and the magnetic field creates the magnetosphere.
early mars 3 billion yrs ago
Core convection. Strong greenhouse effect. Substantial volcanism and outgassing. Strong magnetosphere. Some craters held lakes of water.
The large, roundish, low-elevation region in the southern hemisphere is called
Hellas Basin.
What is the most important reason why an icy moon is more likely to be geologically active than a rocky moon of the same size?
Ice has a lower melting point than rock.
All of the following statements are true. Which one provides strong observational support for the claim that greenhouse gases make a planet warmer than it would be otherwise?
Venus has a higher average temperature than Mercury.
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, make Earth warmer than it would be otherwise because these gases __________.
absorb infrared light emitted by the surface
Real Mars (features that really exist)
abundant water ice dried-up river beds minerals of types known to form in liquid water
We cannot see tidal forces or tidal heating; rather, we predict that they must occur based on the orbital characteristics of the moons. What observational evidence confirms that tidal heating is important on Io?
active volcanoes on Io
Based on Planet Z's size, orbital distance, and rotation rate, which of the following properties is it likely to have?
an atmosphere produced by outgassing active volcanoes active tectonics
The following images show four planets in our solar system. Rank these planets from left to right based on the number of moons that orbit them, from highest to lowest. (Not to scale.)
jupiter mars earth mercury
In the context of studying major bodies of our solar system, what category of object does our Moon best fit?
terrestrial world
The long, deep canyon running along the equator is called
Valles Marineris.
How is the atmosphere of a planet affected by the rotation rate?
Faster rotation rates produce stronger winds.
The largest moon in the solar system, this moon has some regions that are heavily cratered other regions that have very few craters.
Ganymede
Which of the following best describes convection?
It is the process in which warm material expands and rises while cool material contracts and falls.
Which terrestrial planet would have its surface temperature the most dramatically changed if its greenhouse gases were removed from its atmosphere
Venus
How have we been able to construct detailed maps of surface features on Venus?
by using radar from spacecraft that were sent to orbit Venus
learned from New Horizons mission
Charon has huge, deep canyons Pluto has tall mountains built of water ice Pluto has smooth plains of nitrogen ice Pluto's thin atmosphere contains haze particles that can fall to the surface
The only rocky planet to have more than one moon is
mars
How many Jupiters could fit inside the Sun? The equation for the volume of a sphere is V=(4/3)πr3.
919
Why does the Moon have a layer of powdery "soil" on its surface?
It's the result of gradual erosion by micrometeorites striking the Moon.
Why doesn't Venus have seasons like Mars and Earth do?
Its rotation axis is not tilted.
Which of the following most likely explains why Venus does not have a strong magnetic field?
Its rotation is too slow.
You have found that Planet Z should have active tectonics and volcanism and an atmosphere produced by volcanic outgassing. What single factor explains why the planet should have these characteristics?
planet z has a large size for a terrestrial planet.
The belts and zones of Jupiter are
alternating bands of rising and falling air at different latitudes.
Compare the surface area-to-volume ratios of Earth and Venus.
0.949
Earth's temperature remains fairly steady, which means that Earth must return nearly the same amount of energy to space that it receives from the Sun. In what form(s) does Earth return most of this energy to space?
visible light reflected by clouds visible light reflected by the surface infrared light emitted by the surface and atmosphere
This famous photograph taken by the Voyager spacecraft shows _________.
Earth as viewed from the outskirts of the solar system.
Orbits Saturn and has been observed to be spraying fountains of ice crystals into space.
Enceladus
is the jovian planet that orbits closest to the Sun.
jupiter
Compare the surface area-to-volume ratios of the Moon and Mars.
1.95
Suppose you weigh 145 pounds . How much would you weigh on each of the other planets in our solar system? Assume you can stand either on the surface or in an airplane in the planet's atmosphere. On pluto
10.2
It's estimated that there are a million asteroids 1 kilometer across or larger. If a million asteroids 1-kilometer across were all combined into one object, how big would it be across? (Hint: You can assume that both asteroids and the final object are spherical. The equation for the volume of a sphere is 4/3 πr3 where r is the radius.)
100 km
Suppose you weigh 145 pounds . How much would you weigh on each of the other planets in our solar system? Assume you can stand either on the surface or in an airplane in the planet's atmosphere. On Venus
132
Suppose you weigh 145 pounds . How much would you weigh on each of the other planets in our solar system? Assume you can stand either on the surface or in an airplane in the planet's atmosphere. On uranus
132
Suppose you weigh 145 pounds . How much would you weigh on each of the other planets in our solar system? Assume you can stand either on the surface or in an airplane in the planet's atmosphere. On saturn
133
How many Earths could fit inside Jupiter (assuming you could fill up all the volume)? The equation for the volume of a sphere is V=(4/3)πr3. (The radius of Jupiter is RJupiter = 71492 km.)
1410
Suppose you weigh 145 pounds . How much would you weigh on each of the other planets in our solar system? Assume you can stand either on the surface or in an airplane in the planet's atmosphere. On neptune
165
It's estimated that there are a million asteroids 1 kilometer across or larger. How many 1-kilometer across asteroids would it take to make an object as large as the Earth?
2x10^12
Suppose you weigh 145 pounds . How much would you weigh on each of the other planets in our solar system? Assume you can stand either on the surface or in an airplane in the planet's atmosphere. On Jupiter
342
Ceres, the largest asteroid, has an orbital semimajor axis of 2.77 AU Use Kepler's third law to find its orbital period.
4.61
It's estimated that there are a trillion comets in the Oort cloud, which extends out to about 50,000 AU. How much space does each comet have in cubic AU, on average?
520 AU
Suppose you weigh 145 pounds . How much would you weigh on each of the other planets in our solar system? Assume you can stand either on the surface or in an airplane in the planet's atmosphere. On Mars
55.1
Suppose you weigh 145 pounds . How much would you weigh on each of the other planets in our solar system? Assume you can stand either on the surface or in an airplane in the planet's atmosphere. On Mercury
55.1
It's estimated that there are a trillion comets in the Oort cloud, which extends out to about 50,000 AU. What is the total volume of the Oort cloud, in cubic AU?
5x10^14
It's estimated that there are a trillion comets in the Oort cloud, which extends out to about 50,000 AU. Take the cube root of the average volume per comet, to find their typical spacing in AU.
8 AU
Which of the following statements about the rings of the four jovian planets is not true?
All probably look much like they did when the solar system first formed.
The image below shows a rock formation nicknamed "the face on Mars" that was taken by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1976. Given the clear resemblance to a face, what is an appropriate scientific reaction to this image?
Assume it is most likely a coincidental result of light and shadow, and plan higher resolution follow-up observations.
This moon of Jupiter has an icy surface with very few impact craters, suggesting that craters have been covered by upwelling water.
Europa
Why do we think that ring particles must be replenished over time? Where we think ring particles come from? Choose the correct statement.
Because collisions are constantly occurring within the ring systems, ring particles are continually being ground down to dust. Dust cannot survive long in ring systems because sunlight pressure makes the particles slowly fall onto the planet. So we think that ring systems cannot survive very long and thus that ring particles must be replenished, probably by impacts on small embedded moons and ring particles by micrometeorites and the occasional larger impacts.
What is the primary message of the full graph (with all three curves shown)?
Climate models successfully reproduce the major recent trend in temperature data only if both human and natural factors are included.
Most of the surface of ___ is covered with liquid water.
Earth
How do orbital resonances with Jupiter affect the asteroid belt?
In that region of the solar system, Jupiter's resonances pump up the eccentricities of objects, making them to collide at high speed. This keeps them from clumping together and forming a planet. In fact, it tends to make the asteroids break apart when they collide.
What key process underlies why Mars changed so much from its early conditions to its conditions today?
Interior cooling.
Why are there no impact craters on the surface of Io?
Io did have impact craters but they have all been buried in lava flows.
As you saw in Part A, Io's elliptical orbit is necessary to its tidal heating. This elliptical orbit, in turn, is a result of the orbital resonance among Io, Europa, and Ganymede. This orbital resonance causes Io to have a more elliptical orbit than it would otherwise, because __________.
Io, Europa and Ganymede periodically return to the same orbital positions, creating the same gravitational tugs
As discussed in the video, the leading hypothesis for why Mars changed holds that interior cooling led to loss of its magnetosphere, allowing the solar wind to strip atmospheric gas away. How has the MAVEN mission provided evidence for this hypothesis?
It has measured rates of gas loss from the atmosphere today.
Which of the following statements about Pluto is true?
It has more in common with comets in the Kuiper belt than it does with terrestrial planets like Earth.
Deuterium is more abundant on Venus than elsewhere in the solar system. What do we think this fact tells us about Venus?
It once had huge amounts of water in its atmosphere.
Now consider the second major feature (two types of planets). Which of the following statements are true for the terrestrial and jovian planets in our solar system?
Jovian planets are larger in size than terrestrial planets. Jovian planets orbit farther from the Sun than terrestrial planets. Jovian planets have more moons than terrestrial planets. Jovian planets are larger in mass than terrestrial planets.
Based on the leading scientific theory of solar system formation, which of the following statements best explains why Uranus and Neptune have a significantly different composition than Jupiter and Saturn?
Jupiter and Saturn captured more gas from the solar nebula than Uranus and Neptune.
Choose the correct description of the interior structure of Jupiter and why it is layered in this way.
Jupiter has a gaseous envelope on the outside where the pressure is low. As we travel downward into Jupiter, the pressure increases and the layers of hydrogen are squeezed closer together, becoming the liquid, and then behaving like a metal.
Which of the following best explains why Jupiter's density is higher than Saturn's?
Jupiter is more massive than Saturn.
The ___ is similar to an asteroid belt except that it is beyond the orbit of Neptune and is filled with icy bodies rather than rocky and metallic ones. Comets in it have orbits that are nearly in the plane of the solar system and go around the Sun in the forward direction. Comets probably formed in that region of the solar system, or close to it.
Kuiper belt
For the purposes of seeking a theory to explain the formation of the solar system, we identify four major features of our solar system. Which of the following represent these four major features?
Large bodies in the solar system have orderly motions. Swarms of asteroids and comets populate the solar system. Several exceptions to the general trends stand out. Planets fall into two major categories (terrestrial and jovian).
How did the lunar maria form?
Large impacts fractured the Moon's lithosphere, allowing lava to fill the impact basins.
After the New Horizons flyby, scientists concluded that Pluto has probably been geologically active within the past 100 million years or less. Why?
Large regions of the surface have very few impact craters.
Why isn't Earth's atmosphere mostly hydrogen?
Light gases such as hydrogen move faster than heavier gases and escape from Earth's gravitational field.
Percival Lowell's claims of a Martian civilization generated great public interest, but other scientists of his time were highly skeptical of these claims. Which two of the following statements (which are all true) explain why other scientists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries rejected Lowell's claims?
Lowell's canals did not appear in photographs of Mars taken through telescopes. Lowell's canals followed perfectly straight lines for thousands of kilometers.
All of the following statements are true. Which one explains why Mars has lost so much more interior heat than Earth.
Mars is smaller than Earth.
What do asteroids and comets have in common?
Most are unchanged since their formation in the solar nebula.
Which of the following statements about the moons of the jovian planets is NOT true?
Most of the moons are large enough to be spherical in shape, but a few have the more potato-like shapes of asteroids.
Which of the following statements is not an observed pattern of motion in our solar system?
Most planets orbit at the same speed.
Which of the following statements about asteroids, Kuiper belt objects, and Oort cloud objects is true?
Objects in the asteroid belt and Kuiper belt orbit the Sun in nearly the same plane as the planets, but objects in the Oort cloud do not.
Which of the following Mars surface features provides dramatic evidence that volcanism has played a role in shaping the surface of Mars?
Olympus Mons
The tallest mountain on Mars is called
Olympus Mons.
The ___ is a spherical halo of comets well outside of the orbits of the planets. Comets in it have orbits that are highly inclined and go around the Sun in any direction. Comets probably flung there early in the solar system's life by Jupiter.
Oort cloud
What do we conclude if a planet has few impact craters of any size?
Other geological processes have wiped out craters.
How do the interiors of the other jovian planets compare to that of Jupiter?
Other jovian planets have similar structures, except for the metallic hydrogen layer. Uranus and Neptune are too small to generate the pressures needed for this layer, while Saturn's layer is smaller than Jupiter's because Saturn does not generate the pressure needed for metallic hydrogen in as much of its volume as Jupiter does.
possible but not proven from New Horizons mission
Pluto has a subsurface ocean of liquid water Pluto has active volcanoes
Known prior to New Horizons mission
Pluto is less massive than any of the terrestrial planets Pluto is a member of the Kuiper belt Pluto is sometimes nearer to the Sun than Neptune Pluto has a comet-like composition of ice and rock
Which of the following does not lend support to the idea that Pluto is a Kuiper-belt object?
Pluto is regarded by many to be a planet.
Which of the following statements are supported by the data shown?
Rises in global average temperature tend to be closely associated with rises in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. Earth's global average temperature has generally risen over the past century. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have risen dramatically over the past century.
approximate mass
Scientist knew the ___ of Pluto because the 1978 discovery of its moon Charon allowed them to calculate it with Newton's version of Kepler 19s third law.
approximate composition
Scientist knew the ___ of Pluto from Pluto's calculated density.
sometimes nearer to the Sun than Neptune
Scientists knew that Pluto is ___ because decades of observation at allowed them to precisely plot its orbit.
member of the Kuiper belt
Scientists knew that Pluto is a ___ because they had discovered hundreds of other objects orbiting in the same region of the solar system.
All the following statements are true. Which of them are considered to be "exceptions" to the general trends described by the first three major features of the solar system?
Uranus rotates with an axis tilt that lies nearly in the ecliptic plane. Venus rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation of the other terrestrial planets. Our Moon has a diameter more than 1/4 the diameter of Earth.
Start on the home screen of the interactive figure, with "Elevation is off." Then turn elevation on, and compare what you see. You may wish to switch back and forth between elevation on and off a few times. Then select the statements below that are true. Note: Features such as impact craters that are actually round in shape are distorted into oval shapes at mid- to high-latitudes by map projection effects.
Several large volcanoes are found near or somewhat north of Mars's equator. There is a large, roundish region of low-elevation in the southern hemisphere. There is a long, deep canyon that strectches along a region close to Mars's equator. Most of the northern hemisphere has much lower elevation than the southern hemisphere.
Choose the correct statement about the differences in internal heat on the each of the pairs of the worlds.
Since the rate of cooling of a planet is proportional to the ratio, we would expect Mars's interior to be much warmer than the Moon's, and the Venus and the Earth should have comparable interior temperatures.
mars today
Surface pressure too low for stable liquid water. Solar wind strips atmospheric gas. Very weak greenhouse effect.
Assuming that features you see on Mars are similar to features found on Earth, what would a casual inspection of the interactive photo of Mars lead you to suspect about water on Mars?
Surface water only exists as frozen ice.
is a high-elevation region dotted by tall volcanoes.
Tharsis Bulge
Which of the following statements about the Tharsis Bulge, often simply called "Tharsis," are true?
Tharsis has several large volcanoes. One end of Valles Marineris is connected to Tharsis. Tharsis has higher elevation than surrounding regions.
Consider the first major feature (orderly motions). Which of the following correctly describe patterns of motion in our solar system?
The Sun and most of the planets rotate in the same direction that the planets orbit. Planets have nearly circular orbits. All the planets orbit the Sun in nearly the same plane.
The evidence for recent geological activity on Pluto came as a surprise to most scientists, because they did not expect Pluto to retain enough heat to drive such activity. Which of the following best explains why Pluto is so geologically active despite its small size?
The activity involves nitrogen ice, so Pluto does not need much heat to cause this ice to undergo change.
Choose the correct explanation, where is the asteroid belt located, and why.
The asteroid belt lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It exists because of orbital resonances with Jupiter.
By studying the data in the table below, choose the correct description how escape velocity is related to mass and radius. Is the trend what you expect based on what you learned about escape velocity in Chapter Light and Matter?
The first trend is that the more massive planets all have higher escape velocities than the less massive planets. Neptune is somewhat more massive than Uranus and has a slightly smaller radius. Both of these factors tend to increase the escape velocity. Neptune's escape velocity is higher than Uranus's, which makes sense.
What is the primary reason why a Pluto flyby mission would be cheaper than a Pluto orbiter?
The fuel needed for an orbiter to slow down when it reaches Pluto adds a lot of weight to the spacecraft.
Consider only the first major feature, which concerns observed patterns of motion in the solar system. Scientifically, which of the following possible conclusions is justified from the patterns of motion alone?
The planets were not each born in a separate, random event.
Go to the screen "Key Evidence of Water," and and select the feature called "Recurring Slope Lineae." Study this feature at each of the four zoom levels offered, and be sure to view the animation called "recurring slope linaea (gif)" that you will see at the third zoom level. Which of the following statements are true?
The recurring slope lineae are found among impact craters. The recurring slope lineae appear to grow in spring and summer. The recurring slope lineae look like narrow dark streaks.
Go to the screen "Mars Mission Landing Sites," and and select Opportunity landing site (2004). Explore all five zoom levels offered, making sure to read the captions at the tops of the screens. Based on the information provided, why was the landing site,called Meridiani Planum, chosen for the Opportunity mission?
The region was already known to have minerals likely to have formed in liquid water.
Which one of the following is not one of the four major features of the solar system?
The solar system contains eight planets plus dwarf planets (such as Ceres, Pluto, and Eris).
Why aren't small asteroids spherical in shape?
The strength of gravity on small asteroids is less than the strength of the rock.
Why won't Pluto collide with Neptune?
The two planets have an orbital resonance that prevents them from colliding.
According to scientists, the naturally occurring greenhouse effect makes Earth about 31∘C warmer than it would be if there were no greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. How do scientists "know" what Earth's temperature would be without greenhouse gases?
They calculate this temperature from Earth's reflectivity and distance from the Sun.
Which of the following statements best explains why the densities of Uranus and Neptune are higher than that of Saturn, even though Saturn is much more massive?
They have a higher proportion of hydrogen compounds and rock.
Which of the following best describes the nature and origin of the atmospheres of the Moon and Mercury?
They have thin exospheres only, with gas coming from impacts of subatomic particles and photons.
An extrasolar planet is made primarily of hydrogen and helium. It has approximately the same mass as Jupiter but is the same size as Neptune. Choose the correct explanation, whether the discovery should be considered reasonable or surprising.
This is unlikely. A Jupiter-mass planet might be larger if it were hotter, but we know of no mechanism that would make such a planet much smaller than Jupiter's size.
Drilling into the surface, a robotic spacecraft discovers liquid water beneath the slopes of a Martian volcano. Choose the correct explanation of whether the discovery should be considered reasonable or surprising.
This would be exciting, but not surprising. Heat from Martian volcanoes may well be enough to melt water under the Mars' surface.
What is the relevance of tidal heating to the possibility of life on jovian moons?
Tidal heating can lead to subsurface zones of liquid water.
The only moon in the solar system with a thick atmosphere, it also has lakes of liquid methane and ethane.
Titan
this moon of Neptune orbits "backward" compared to Neptune's rotation.
Triton
has a rotational axis that is tilted so much it lies nearly in the plane of its orbit.
Uranus
Which of the following statements best describes the general pattern of composition among the four jovian planets?
Uranus and Neptune contain relatively more rock and hydrogen compounds than Jupiter and Saturn.
We now know of many Jupiter-size planets around other stars. Suppose that future observations show that one of these planets has two orbiting moons. What additional information, if any, would we need to decide whether these moons experience tidal heating?
We need to know their orbital periods.
Based solely on an understanding of the greenhouse effect (as displayed in the figure), which one of the following statements is true?
We should expect an increase in the greenhouse gas concentration to lead to global warming.
What is the difference in meaning between the terms weather and climate?
Weather refers to short-term variations in conditions, and climate refers to long-term variations in conditions.
In this photograph, the large and bright object in the sky is __________________.
a comet
Which of the following factors could explain a gradual warming trend in a planet's climate?
a decreasing albedo
In Part A, you found that Planet Z should not have strong winds and violent storms. What single change to Planet Z's characteristics would cause it to have strong winds and violent storms?
a faster rotation rate
Based on its surface features, the most important event on Venus in the past billion years or so was _______.
a global "repaving" that erased essentially all the surface features that had existed earlier
In Part A, you found that Planet Z should not have polar ice caps or liquid water. What single change to Planet Z's characteristics would allow it to have these things?
a greater distance from its star
What do we mean by a runaway greenhouse effect?
a greenhouse effect that keeps getting stronger until all of a planet's greenhouse gases are in its atmosphere
In Part A, you found that Planet Z should not have seasons. What single change to Planet Z's characteristics would cause it to have seasons?
a larger axis tilt
The strength of the Coriolis effect depends on
a planet's size and rotation rate.
In general, what kind of planet would you expect to have the thickest lithosphere?
a small planet
Listed following are several objects in the solar system. Rank these objects from left to right based on their distance from the Sun, from closest to farthest.
a typical asteroid in the asteroid belt a typical Kuiper belt object a typical Oort cloud object
Listed following are several objects in the solar system. Rank these objects from left to right based on their orbital period around the Sun from shortest to longest.
a typical asteroid in the asteroid belt a typical Kuiper belt object a typical Oort cloud object
Listed following are several objects in the solar system. Rank these objects from left to right based on the distance from the Sun at which they are presumed to have formed, from nearest to farthest.
a typical asteroid in the asteroid belt a typical Oort cloud object a typical Kuiper belt object
Orbital resonance also gives Europa an elliptical orbit, so it experiences tidal heating, too. However, Europa experiences less tidal heating than Io, because Europa __________ than Io.
is farther from Jupiter
Why does Mars have more extreme seasons than Earth?
because it has a much more eccentric orbit
In light of what we know about geological activity on the terrestrial worlds, why might it seem surprising to find geological activity on jovian moons?
because they are relatively small in size
How can we determine an asteroid's reflectivity?
by comparing its infrared thermal emission to its visible-light reflection
Imaginary Mars (features that do not exist)
cities built by an ancient civilization surface pools of liquid water frequent rainfall and snowfall a network of straight-line canals
Io experiences tidal heating primarily because __________.
its elliptical orbit causes the tidal force to vary as Io orbits Jupiter.
The following images show Earth and the four jovian planets of our solar system. Rank these planets from left to right based on their distance from the Sun, from closest to farthest. (Not to scale.)
earth jupiter saturn uranus neptune
Shown following are three terrestrial planets of our solar system. Rank the planets based on the amount of time the surface of the planet has had a moderate to high level of volcanic/tectonic activity, from longest to shortest.
earth mars mercury
The following images show Earth and the four jovian planets of our solar system. Rank these planets from left to right based on their size (average equatorial radius), from smallest to largest. (Not to scale.)
earth neptune uranus saturn jupiter
The following images show Earth and the four jovian planets of our solar system. Rank these planets from left to right based on their mass, from lowest to highest. (Not to scale.)
earth uranus neptune saturn jupiter
In this perspective view of the solar system, the sizes of the planets are ___________ relative to the sizes of their orbits.
exaggerated about 1,000 times
Gas particles in Earth's atmosphere most easily escape from the .
exosphere
A spacecraft traveling through the asteroid belt has a high risk of being destroyed through a collision.
false
The Coriolis effect is very important to the weather of Venus.
false
A comet entering the inner solar system from afar will __________.
form a coma and some time later form a tail
comets
form a coma when near the Sun visible in the sky as a fuzzy patch of light that rises and sets with the stars most are located either in Kuiper belt or Oort cloud
Today, scientists have a theory (the nebular theory) that explains all the major characteristics of the solar system. In science, we expect a theory like this not only to explain the observed characteristics of our solar system but also to predict __________.
general characteristics of other solar systems
The following images represent four types (wavelength bands) of light. Rank these from left to right based on the amount of each that is emitted (as thermal radiation) by Earth's surface, from greatest to least. If you think that two (or more) types should be ranked as equal, drag one on top of the other(s) to show this equality.
greatest: infrared least: ultraviolet x-ray visible
The following figures show four positions of a comet during its orbit of the Sun. Also shown is the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. Rank the positions of the comet from left to right based on the expected size of its tail, from shortest to longest. (Not to scale; tails not shown.)
homework 10 question 10
The main ingredients of most satellites of the jovian planets are
hydrogen compound ices.
Which of the following can contribute to explaining why jovian moons are sometimes much more geologically active than terrestrial worlds of similar (or smaller) size?
ice-rich composition tidal heating
Which geologic processes are most clearly evident in the southern highlands?
impact cratering and erosion
Each of the following statements is best associated with one of the four major geological processes. Drag each statement into the correct bin for its associated process.
impact cratering: Affected all solid worlds similarly. Mostly occurred during heavy bombardment. volcanism: Responsible for the existence of Earth's atmosphere and oceans. Created the smooth lunar maria. Erased virtually all craters on Io Tectonics: Includes surface compression that builds mountains. On Earth, involves motion of plates. erosion: Includes features sculpted by wind.
Scientists can estimate the age of a planetary surface by counting __________.
impact craters
Sort each of the planetary properties below based on whether they apply to some, all, or none of the four jovian planets in our solar system.
jupiter and saturn: -interior is mostly liquid or metallic hydrogen -composed mostly of hydrogen and helium uranus and neptune: -blue color because of methane -composed mostly hydrogen compounds all four jovian planets: -approximately 10 Earth-mass core -strong atmospheric winds and storms -orbited by rings of ice and rock -magnetic field stronger than Earth's no jovian planets: -solid surface under a thick atmosphere
Which pair of photos below shows Earth correctly scaled in comparison to Jupiter?
jupiter huge, earth is small dot
The most volcanically active world in the solar system.
lo
Most of the charged particles from the Sun are deflected around Earth by the
magnetosphere
This photograph was taken on the surface of another world in our solar system. What world is it?
mars
Ceres, the largest asteroid, has an orbital semimajor axis of 2.77 AU Compare your answer with the table below and name the planets that orbit just inside and outside Ceres's orbit.
mars and jupiter
The planet that orbits closest to the Sun is
mercury
The following images show five planets in our solar system. Rank these planets from left to right based on their average surface (or cloud-top) temperature, from highest to lowest. (Not to scale.)
mercury earth mars jupiter neptune
Shown below are the four terrestrial planets of our solar system. Assume that all the planets started out equally hot inside. Rank the planets based on their expected cooling rates, from fastest cooling to slowest cooling.
mercury mars venus earth
Unknown Mars (features that might or might not exist)
microscopic life underground pockets of liquid water
Which of the following occur as the greenhouse gas concentration increase?
more infrared light is absorbed in the lower atmosphere the average surface temperature rises
is about 30 times as far from the Sun as our own planet.
neptune
The following images show five planets in our solar system. Rank these planets from left to right based on the amount of time it takes them to orbit the Sun, from longest to shortest. (Not to scale.)
neptune jupiter mars earth mercury
A comet's plasma tail always points directly away from the Sun because __________.
of pressure exerted by the fast-moving charged particles in the solar wind
Now consider why the observed patterns of motion lead to the conclusion that the planets were not born in separate, random events. The reason for this conclusion is that, if the planets had been born in separate, random events, we would expect that __________.
planetary orbits would have many different orientations and directions, rather than all being in the same direction and in the same plane
The following images show six objects in our solar system. Rank the objects from left to right based on their average distance from the Sun, from farthest to closest. (Not to scale.)
pluto saturn jupiter mars earth mercury
Which of the following best describes the lunar maria?
relatively smooth, flat plains on the Moon
Based on what you learn about jovian moons by watching the videos or reading your textbook, what types of evidence for recent or ongoing geological activity have been observed on one or more jovian moons?
river valleys feeding into surface lakes of very cold liquids active volcanoes ice crystals being sprayed out into space surfaces with very few impact craters
The planet with the lowest average density is
saturn
Earth's ___ absorbs most of the ultraviolet light arriving here from the Sun.
stratosphere
The following images show six objects in our solar system. Rank these objects from left to right based on their mass, from highest to lowest. (Not to scale.)
sun jupiter earth mars mercury pluto
The images below show six objects in our solar system. Rank these objects by size (average equatorial radius), from largest to smallest. (Not to scale.)
sun jupiter earth mars mercury pluto
Which pair of photos shows Earth correctly scaled in comparison to the Sun?
sun is huge, earth is tiny dot
Sunsets are red because
sunlight must pass through more atmosphere then, and the atmosphere scatters even more light at bluer wavelengths, transmitting mostly red light.
During the time that a comet passes through the inner solar system, the comet can appear quite bright because __________.
sunlight reflects off the comet's tail and coma
Listed following are characteristics that can identify a planet as either terrestrial or jovian. Match these to the appropriate category. Consider only the planets of our own solar system.
terrestrial: solid, rocky surface small size located within the inner solar system jovian: -primarily composed of hydrogen, helium, and hydrogen compounds -numerous orbiting moons -extensive ring systems -low average density
The Caloris Basin on Mercury covers a large region of the planet, but few smaller craters have formed on top of it. From this we conclude that
the Caloris Basin formed toward the end of the solar system's period of heavy bombardment.
The solar system contains vast numbers of small bodies, which we call asteroids when they are rocky and comets when they are icy. These small bodies are concentrated in the region(s) of the solar system that we call __________.
the asteroid belt the Oort cloud the Kuiper belt
Which of the following does not provide evidence that Mars once had large amounts of flowing water?
the presence of vast canals discovered in the late 1800s by Giovanni Schiaparelli and mapped by Percival Lowell
Most of the X-rays coming from the Sun are absorbed in the
thermosphere
the densest layer of the atmospheres of Venus, Earth, and Mars is the .
troposphere
Process of Science: Observations of asteroids, comets, and meteorites help refine the theory of the formation of the solar system.
true
asteroids
typically orbit the Sun at approximately 3 AU compositions similar to that of the terrestrial planets
is the planet with the highest average surface temperature.
venus
In Part A, you found that Earth emits only infrared light. This infrared light can be absorbed by greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, in the atmosphere. In fact, all the terrestrial planets emit infrared light from their surfaces. The following images show the four terrestrial planets in our solar system. Rank these planets from left to right based on the total amount of infrared-absorbing greenhouse gases in their atmospheres, from greatest to least.
venus earth mars mercury
The following images show the four terrestrial planets in our solar system (not to scale). Rank these planets from left to right based on the total amount of gas in their atmospheres, from most to least.
venus earth mars mercury
The following images show the four terrestrial planets in our solar system. Rank the planets from left to right based on the amount by which the greenhouse effect increases their surface temperatures, compared to what their temperatures would be without the greenhouse effect, from largest to smallest increase.
venus earth mars mercury
The following images show the four terrestrial planets in our solar system. Rank the planets from left to right based on the strength of the greenhouse effect occurring at their surfaces, from strongest to weakest.
venus earth mars mercury
The following images show the four terrestrial planets in our solar system (not to scale). Rank these planets from left to right based on the atmospheric pressure at the surface, from highest to lowest.
venus earth mars mercury
Listed following are characteristics of the atmospheres of Venus, Earth, and Mars. Match each atmospheric characteristic to the appropriate planet.
venus: sulfuric acid clouds almost no surface winds runaway greenhouse effect earth: atmosphere composed primarily of nitrogen ultraviolet-absorbing stratosphere mars: global dust storms extremely low density atmosphere
meteors
visible in the sky as a bright streak of light for only a few seconds dust particles entering Earth's atmosphere at high speed
The energy that warms Earth's surface comes primarily in the form of __________.
visible light from the Sun