Exam 3: Chapters 9-12
all life that we know depends o the presence of ________ and __________.
carbon and liquid water
several gases can absorb re-radiate infra-red light. Which one is thought to be most affected by human activities?
carbon dioxide
what is portable source of carbon that plants use to build complex organic compounds?
carbon dioxide
What are the four most common element in the universe?
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and helium
the ion tail of a comet:
consist of straight streamers
Neptune's magnetic north and south poles are:
displaced form its rotation axis pole and also from the center of the planet
Uranus's magnetic north and south poles are:
displaced from its rotation axis poles and also from the center of the planet
you may hear big earth impact warning at a certain level on the Torino scale. That scale ranges from zero to ___.
10
compared to the earth, the planet Uranus is roughly _______ as large.
4 times
The SETI program has decided to listen for microwave signals rather than more exotic types of signals (such as laser light, gamma rays, neutrinos, gravitational waves, etc.). What is the main reason for this choice?
a microwave signal can sen the target amount of information for a given amount of energy used to generate the signal
underneath the Atlantic Ocean is an undersea mountain range call the midatlantic ridge. what causes this ridge?
an upward current in the earths mantel
describe the orbit of comets that originate in the outer Oort Cloud.
at all ages to the plane of the solar system
the Oort Cloud of our sun reaches:
at least a quarter of the way to the nearest star
What usually happens when a large interstellar cloud collapses?
fragments into several smaller clouds which then form stars
What is something you would find within the troposphere?
hurricanes
what is the most common element in the universe?
hydrogen
Jupiter has an atmosphere of:
hydrogen and helium with no real surface
the molecules of both water ice and liquid water are attached to one another by what?
hydrogen bonds -- different parts of each molecule have opposite charges
meteorite
once it has landed
during a meteor shower , shooting stars seem to be coming from where?
the radiant
What would you expect in a region of the atmosphere in which the temperature falls with increasing altitude?
rapid changes
which of the following features in the light reflected from a planet would indicate the presence of earth-type plants on its surface?
red light is not reflected, but infra-red light is strongly reflected
most plants here on earth are green because the process of converting carbon dioxide and water inorganic matter uses only
red, blue, and violet light
On earth, the carbon that end up as ocean sediment and limestone is:
returned to the atmosphere by volcanoes when the sea floor is pulled deep into the earth
Pioneer 11 was early space probe sent to fly past what planet?
saturn
habitable zone
the range of distances of a planet from its primary star that will permit the existence of liquid water on the planets surface
In SETI programs, the "water hole" refers to:
the range of signal frequencies between emissions caused by hydrogen and hydroxyl molecules
What results in a hydrogen bond?
the. electrical attraction between a hydrogen atom on one molecule and an oppositely charged part of another molecule
an annual meteor shower occurs when?
when the earth passes through comet debris
what is the approximate number of objects observed to be orbiting the outer Oort cloud?
0
as of 2018, how many space probes have flow past Neptune closely enough to take detailed pictures?
1
as of 2018, how many space probes have flown past Neptune closely enough to take pictures?
1
Compared to the earth, the planet Jupiter is roughly ______ times as large.
10 times
there appear to be a bot less than 1000 near-earth asteroids that are more than _______ in diameter
1000 meters
As of July, 2018, the number of confirmed exoplanets found by the transit photometry method is close to ______.
2500
It has been theorized that planets do not easily form in binary star systems. If they do form, there are three possible arrangements: (1) Planets with orbits similar in radius to the distance between the two stars. (2) Planets with orbits much smaller in radius than the distance between the two stars. (3) Planets with orbits much larger in radius than the distance between the two stars. Of those three which are possible?
2 & 3
the alpha centauri system consist of:
2 stars in close orbit around each other and a third star orbiting further away
In the earths atmosphere, what is roughly the percentage of oxygen?
20%
Compared to the frequency of photons absorbed during a transition from a -5ev state to a -4ev state, transitions from the -5ev state to a -2ev state would correspond to absorbing photons whose frequency is
3 times as high
the earths distance form the sun is defined as 1 au. Neptune is about 30 au form the sun. What is a reasonable distance of an object in the outer Oort Cloud?
40,000 au
exosphere
500km-10,000km; temperature falls
A multiple star system close the the earth that is known to have stable orbits in the habitable zones of each of its starts is:
Alpha Centauri
The closest star to Earth (other than the Sun) is part of a multiple star system called
Alpha Centauri
give a statement of the Fermi Paradox.
Any long-lasting technological civilization should be obvious and might even be visiting us, so where are they?
What are the Galilean satellites of Jupiter?
Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, and Io
the first spacecraft to go into orbit around Saturn was:
Cassini-Huygens
Ephoton=hf
Ephoton is the energy of a single photon f is the frequency of the wave h is a constant
T/F: Jupiter has an extensive ring system made of ice-covered rocks.
FALSE; Jupiter has few rings that are made of dark rocks
T/F: earth is the only planet that orbits nearly in the plane of the Suns equator.
FALSE; all of the other planets do as well
Uranus has an atmosphere of:
Hydrogen and Helium with some methane
Which planet is the most likely candidate for a second star in our solar system?
Jupiter
the new horizons space probe made close approaches to which planets?
Jupiter and pluto
short-period comets are thought to be:
Kuiper belt objects deflected by Neptune
what was the first spaceship to orbit around Jupiter?
Mariner 9
Which planet has a rotation that is inclined in much the same was as that of the earth?
Neptune
which spacecraft was the first to fly past jupiter?
Pioneer 10
a single sugar phosphate chain with nitrogenous bases attached along it describes what type of molecule?
RNA
which object has a magnetic field similar in intensity to the earth field?
Saturn
which planet had a system of rings made of ice-covered rocks?
Saturn
which planet has a hexagon-shaped pattern of clouds near its North Pole?
Saturn
Had Jupiter ignited, we would be living in a multiple star system. T/F: multiple star systems are quite common.
TRUE
T/F: S waves travel about half the speed p waves.
TRUE way to remember: p = "primary" s = "secondary"
T/F: the energy needed to separate hydrogen and oxygen in water is the same as the energy released when the hydrogen is burned
TRUE; we get no net gain of energy
Suppose that some very strange creatures are found in a long-isolated place such as underneath the ice of Antarctica. Which of the following would be the strongest evidence that these creatures are descended from a different `first replicating molecule' than the rest of life on Earth?
The creatures use amino acid molecules that are mirror-images of the usual ones.
Troposphere
The lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere; the sun warms the ir nearest the ground, so the temperature falls with increasing height up to about 12km
which spacecraft was the second to fly past Saturn to target the moon titan?
Voyager 1
describe the earths core.
a central core of solid iron and an outer core of liquid iron
What requirement for life appears to be lacking on the planet of Mars?
a global carbon-return process
if an asteroid that is one kilometer in diameter strikes the earth, what result is likely?
a planet-wide catastrophe
what would you expect to see underneath a place where the sea floor is spreading?
a rising convention current in the earths mantel
give an example of a life form that does not get its energy originally from the sun.
a tube worm near a black smoker
What is the size of the largest moon Pluto has?
about 1/2 the diameter of Pluto
How long does it take Saturn to rotate on its axis once?
about 10 hours
The magnetic field of Jupiter is:
about 10 times the intensity of earths magnetic field
How long does it take Uranus to rotate on its axis?
about 17 hours
Ionosphere
about 500km above the surface of the earth; ultraviolet light for the sun knocks electrons from atoms
How long does it take Pluto to rotate on its axis?
about once a week
stratosphere
above 12km where temperatures rise with increasing height as it is approaching the ozone layer
Mesosphere
above 45km up to 80km; the temperature falls as we get farther form the heated ozone layer
Thermosphere
above 80km
What would you find within the ozone layer?
absorption of ultraviolet radiation
Why is Pluto is not regarded as a planet?
according to the current definition of a planet, it has not cleared it neighborhood of other orbiting objects
Saturns Magnetic north and south poles are:
almost exactly aligned with its rotation axis
The rotation axis of Uranus is:
almost in the plane of its orbit so that its ring system can sometimes be seen as near-circles
Neptune's atmosphere is:
an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium with some methane
What is plutos atmosphere like?
an extensive atmosphere of nitrogen and methane
The tail of a comet always points in what direction?
away from the sun
meteoroid
before it hits the atmosphere
the objects of the Kuiper belt are mostly orbiting:
beyond all of the Jovian planets
Where is the inner Oort Cloud located?
beyond the Kuiper belt
a large asteroid impact can affect the earths climate primarily by:
blocking sunlight with its smoke and dust
Describe the orbit of Pluto in relation to neptune.
crosses the orbit of Neptune
what would carbon dioxide in the atmosphere do on a world with liquid water but no life?
decrease as the water dissolves it to form an acid that combines with surface rocks
early (before 1970) theoretical estimates of the number of near-earth asteroids were very low because the astronomers of that time:
did not realize that Jupiter's gravity was deflecting asteroids from the belt
What system do most living things on earth now use to reproduce themselves?
each DNA molecules splits in half and each half acts as a pattern to complete its other half
the edges of the moving pates on the earths surface are of often where:
earthquakes occur
As saturn orbits the sun, we see its rings from different angles. We see the rings do what?
edge-on as a straight line exactly twice each orbit
according to current theories it seems likely that "rouge planets" or planetary mass objects that are not in orbit around any particular star:
exists and may be more common than planets in orbit around stars
How bright are protostars?
far bright than typical stars because of their large surface area
the absorption and re-radiation of infrared light by gases is the key process in:
greenhouse effect
What makes the moon Miranda peculiar?
has a surface feature that looks like a giant check mark
high frequency light correspond to ______ energy photons.
high
How was the Oort Cloud formed?
icy object were ejected outward from the neighborhood of the Jovian planets
How was the Kuiper belt thought to have originated?
icy objects condensed out just beyond Neptune
why can S waves only travel through solids?
if solid rock is heard sideways like this, it will spring back. A liquid will not spring back.
Why is it that in the original solar nebula, objects that condensed near the protons tended to be mostly rock and iron rather than volatile gases and water?
in that part on the nebula it as too hot for volatile gases and water to condense
If there is life on one of the Jovian moons, we would expect that life to most likely be:
in the subsurface oceans, using chemical and thermal energy
Gerard Kuiper predicted that the region we now call the "juicer belt: should be empty. He was:
incorrect because he assumed a mass for Pluto that is now known to be too large
What portion of the earth is made of solid iron and nickel?
inner core
an asteroid impact that leaves a huge crater is probably sure to an asteroid that is made of what?
iron and nickel
If the frequency of electromagnetic radiation goes from 2×10¹⁴Hz to 6×10¹⁴Hz, the energy of each individual photon in the radiation
is multiplied by 3
icy objects condensed from the outskirts of the solar nebula form what?
the Kuiper belt
What can we assume about Jupiters core based on its magnetic field?
it contains large amounts of liquid that can conduct electricity
What is the photosphere of a protostar?
it is where light is scattered
a "rouge planet" or planetary mass object that is not in orbit around any particular star could be detected if:
its gravity magnifies the light from a star that it happened to pass in front of
The eclipse or resit photometry method of searching for exoplanets can be expected to find what?
less than one out of every 10 exoplanets
low frequency light correspond to ____ energy photons.
low
Give an example of a planet which ay occasionally have liquid water but retains an atmosphere of most carbon dioxide
mars
Panspermia Model
material impacts on other planets had been deposited in earth. bacterial spores known to be hardy, they could have survived long space trips and brought life to earth from elsewhere
you hear a loud noise and go outside to find a smoking rock embedded in your driveway underneath your wrecked car. The object is probably a:
meteorite
when water freezes, the resulting ice occupies ________ than the liquid water did.
more volume
Because different molecules vibrate with distinctive radio frequencies, it is possible for radio telescopes to identify the chemical compounds that are present in interstellar clouds. What do they find when they look for complex compounds (more than four atoms)?
mostly carbon compounds
comets that originate in the inner Oort cons would be expected to have orbits that are:
mostly close to the plane of the solar system
the gravitational influence of the planets cause asteroids to do what?
move form the asteroid belt into the inner solar system
Pressure waves (p waves)
move material back and forth in the direction the wave is moving; can travel through other solid or liquid
shear waves (s waves)
move material perpendicular to the direction that the wave is moving; can travel though solid but not liquid.
Compared to earth the temperature on Jupiter is:
much colder than anywhere on earth
according to the definition of "habitable zone" that we are using, earth is:
near the inner edge of the habitable zone of our solar system
What are the main components of the atmosphere in order by volume?
nitrogen oxygen water argon carbon dioxide
What number of the moons of Uranus are larger than the earths moon?
none
the viking landers carried out several experiments on martian soil. one of those experiments gave a positive result for the presence of life forms. That result was interpreted to mean:
nothing because sterilized control sample gave the same result
Abiogenesis Model
original self-replicating molecule led to earth life being formed spontaneously from non-living material here on earth
meteor
passing through the atmosphere
The search for extrasolar planets has started to find "super-Earths," planets several times as large as Earth but with about the same density. From what we understand so far about plate tectonics on Earth, how likely is it that these super-Earths would have active surfaces like ours?
possible if other condition are also present
What is the role of the DNA molecule in current earth life?
provide the patterns for the enzymes that carry out the chemical processes of life
List the different frequencies from lowest to highest.
radio, TV, microwaves, heat, infra-red, visible light, ultra-violent, x-rays, gamma
What is the earths mantel made of?
semi-liquid rock
define a spectrum
set of frequencies or colors present in a light source
What was the Kepler spacecraft designed to measure?
small changes in starlight from nearby stars
What would you find within the stratosphere?
smoke and dust lingering for years
a very large number of new asteroids have been discovered since 1990 primarily because:
telescopes started using digital imaging instead of film
Which layer of the earth has a thickness of about 10 miles?
the crust
the radiant
the point in the sky where the shore seems to come from
Why does mars retain a carbon dioxide atmosphere?
the pressure is very close to the triple point of water
Th evoking Landers carried out several experiments on martian surface soil. What was the final conclusion from those experiments?
the surface of mars is extremely hostile to all forms of organic matter
Why does venus retain dense carbon dioxide atmosphere?
there is no liquid water there
if we wish to find life with carbon-return process similar to the one here on earth, we should look for planets with:
thin, unstable surfaces
Which moon or planet has an atmosphere with about 1.6 times the surface pressure of earths?
titan
which moon could have two levels of oceans, with oceans of liquid hydrocarbons on the surface and oceans of liquid water beneath the surface?
titan
which object is the largest moon of Saturn?
titan
the two hydrogen atoms in a water molecule are both attached to:
to the oxygen atom, but offset so that the molecule looks bent
List layers on earth atmosphere in order from lowest to highest.
troposphere, stratosphere, ozone, mesosphere, thermosphere, ionosphere
a DNA molecule consists of:
two sugar phosphate chains connected by pairs of nitrogenous bases
which of the following spacecraft is the only one to have flown past Uranus?
voyager 2
which spacecraft is the only one to have flown past Neptune?
voyager 2
Convection
warm air rises, cold air falls
describe the presence of water on mars.
water frozen in its ice caps and may've liquid water below its surface
