Astronomy Quiz 8 (Chapter 6)
How is the surface of Venus inhospitable to life?
- Too hot -Acidic -High pressure
About how big is Mercury compared to Earth?
0.4
About how far (in AU) is Mercury from the Sun?
0.4 AU
About how far from the Sun (in AU) does Venus orbit?
0.7 AU
About how far (in AU does Mars orbit from the Sun?
1.5 AU
What are the unique features of Mercury?
-The most iron rich planet in the solar system. -Closest planet to the sun
What are the large darker regions on the Moon called? The lighter higher regions?
-Maria (darker) -Lunar highlands (lighter)
Why is the Moon signficantly hotter than Earth during its day AND significantly colder at night?
-No atmosphere -Cant hold its heat
Does Venus have an atmosphere? a magnetic field? a magnetosphere?
-No magnetic field --Yes atmosphere of carbon dioxide
What features distinguish Ganymede
-largest moon, - has 2 types of terrain: dark cratered old, and light young, -produces own magnetic field
About how big is Venus compared to Earth?
Smaller than earth
How are the orbits of Io, Europa and Ganymede related?
their orbital periods are in a ratio of 1:2:4
Does Mars have an atmosphere? If so then how thick? What is it made of?
yes, Thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide
What causes the vast majority of the craters on the Moon?
Impacts by objects from space.
How is the surface of Venus different than Earth's?
Surface conditions affected by thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide
What is the name of Saturns largest Moon?
Titan
Which moon is the only one to have a thick atmosphere?
Titan
Mars has liquid water on its surface today.
False
What is the most volcanic object in the solar system?
Io
Why is the surface of Venus so hot?
-Thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide -High pressure
Does Mercury have an atmosphere? a magnetic field? a magnetosphere?
- NO atmosphere -Yes a magnetic field -?
What are the unique features of Mars?
-All of its water is frozen -most of its Carbon dioxide is frozen
Venus has plate tectonics.
-False -Venus has tectonics but not in the form of separate plates.
What are the unique features of Venus?
-Hottest planet in our solar system -Runaway greenhouse effect -Slow backward rotation -completely covered in thick clouds
What are the names of the 4 moons of Jupiter (Galilean satellites) and their order from innermost to outermost?
-Io (innermost) -Europa -Ganymede -Callisto (outermost)
What makes each of the 4 moons of Jupiter (Galilean satellite) unique?
-Io-most volcanic world in our solar and no impact craters -Europa-Ocean of water under its surface -Ganymede-Largest moon in our solar system -Callisto (outermost)-never separated by weight (not chemically differentiated)
About how big is Mars compared to Earth?
1/2 of earth
About how big is the Moon compared to Earth?
1/4 the diameter of earth
Why is Europa's surface so young with few craters?
Because its relatively active
Why does the Moon have significantly more craters than Earth?
Earth is more geologically active that it "erases" craters quickly
Which satellite's surface is dominated by system of cracks on water ice with a global ocean underneath?
Europa
Where does the large heat energy of Io and Europa come from?
From Tidal flexing
How is Neptune's Moon Triton different from the other 6 planet sized moons?
It has a retrograde orbit
Why are the icy moons of the outer planets more geologically active than terrestrial worlds (Mercury and the Moon) that are the same size?
It is much easier to melt ice to form ice volcanoes and tidal heating for some of the moons.
What is the runaway greenhouse effect and how does it work? Give one example where it occurs.
Its where hotter temperatures and more carbon dioxide lead to hotter temperature due to the lack of liquid water on venus. -Occurs in Venus
How are the density (and the primary material the moon is made of) different for 2 outer satellite than inner two moons?
NOT ON QUIZ
How does Mars' seasons compare to Earth's?
NOT ON QUIZ
What is the runaway icehouse effect and how has it affected Mars?
NOT ON QUIZ
Does Mars have a global magnetic field?
No
Does the moon have a global magnetic field?
No
Why does the Moon have no significant atmosphere?
Small worlds have too weak of gravity to hold onto a hot atmosphere.
Callisto is not chemically differentiated.
True
Ganymede and Callisto may have liquid water under surface as well as Europa.
True
Mars had liquid water on its surface in its (ancient) history.
True
Mercury is very hot during the day and very cold at night.
True
Mercury's rotates exactly 3 times for every 2 orbits.
True
Triton has active geysers of nitrogen
True
What is the hottest planet in the solar system?
Venus