EAPS 105: HW & QUIZ 7 , EAPS 105 - HW and Quiz 8 , EAPS 105 HW and Quiz 9 (EXAM 3)

Why does Asteroid bennu have the characteristics it does?

it is too small

What is unique about Neptune's Moon Triton?

c. It is the only large moon in the Solar System to have been captured.

What is the primary cause of Earth's seasons?

a. Its tilted orbit

In Wikipedia, look up "Rings of Neptune" and answer the following question: Aside from Saturn, which of the other giant planets have rings?

a. Neptune b. Uranus c. Jupiter d. All the above

Which of the following is true about Ceres?

b. Although it likely lacks an internal ocean of liquid water, brines (salty water) reach the surface, allowing cryovolcanoes.

Why is liquid water more stable on Earth compared to Mars

b. Because Earth has a higher atmospheric pressure

Why was the International Astronomical Union (IAU) motivated to declassify Pluto as a planet?

b. Because they did not want school children to have to memorize too many planet names.

Which is a characteristic of a comet gas tail?

b. It points away from the Sun.

Where do the Trojan asteroids orbit?

c. Within Jupiter's orbit

7.10. In Wikipedia, look up "Atmosphere of Earth", read the intro and then scroll down to "troposphere", and answer this question: Which of the following characterizes the troposphere?

d. This region contains ~80% of the mass of Earth's atmosphere and is where most of the Earth's clouds and weather takes place.

In Wikipedia, look up "Rings of Saturn", read the intro and then scroll down to "Physical characteristics" and answer the following question: What are Saturn's rings made of?

d. Water ice

What is Charon's likely origin

giant impacts

Which planet has rings?

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Why do Venus and Mercury have no moons?

Mercury and Venus spin too slow to sustain an orbiting moon - tidal forces would cause their moon to crash onto their surface in a short time

What is NOT the cause of gaps in Saturn's rings?

Mineralogical differences in ring particles

Why is a large part of saturn's moon Tethys yellowish in color?

Saturn's E Ring bombards Tethys leading hemisphere with bright water ice grains from enceladus

How did jupiter acquire the Galilean moons?

The accreated from a ring of material while jupiter formed

Which of our moon's current orbital parameters actually support the conclusion that our moon resulted from a collision with a mars sized object (theta)

The direction of its orbit

The New Horizons spacecraft that flew by Pluto in 2015 made a number of observations that the science team summarized as Pluto displays a surprisingly wide variety of geological landforms". What did New Horizons observe?"

a. Active glaciers b. Surface-atmosphere interactions c. Possible cryovolcanism d. All the above

What is unique about Pluto's moon Charon?

a. Charon is the only moon to have tidally locked its planet.

According to Alan Stern, the lead scientist if NASA's robotic mission to Pluto, which of the following would not be considered planets because they have also not cleared their orbit?

a. Earth b. Mars c. Jupiter d. Neptune e. None of the above would be considered planets

In Wikipedia, look up "Charon (moon)", read the intro and then scroll down to "Formation" and answer the following question: How did Pluto likely obtain Charon?

a. From a giant impact

In Wikipedia, look up "Rings of Saturn" and answer the following question: Which of the following is a primary cause of gaps in Saturn's rings?

a. Gravitational influence of Saturn's many moon

Why do we suspect an impact origin for Haumea's two moons?

a. Haumea has a rocky mantle and an anomalously thin icy shell, suggesting much of it was blasted off by an impact. b. The moons are almost pure ice (also unusual for Kuiper Belt objects), fitting in with an origin from Haumea's icy shell. c. Haumea is spinning very fast, the reason it is so elongated, which is consistent with an oblique collision. d. All the above

In Wikipedia, look up "Titan (moon)" and answer the following question: What is unique about Saturn's moon Titan compared to all other moons in the solar system?

a. It has lakes on its surface.

What is unusual about asteroid Bennu compared to larger asteroids?

a. It has no regolith

The Kuiper belt is a disc of bodies extending from the orbit of Neptune (30 AU) to at least 50 AU from the Sun (though it could extend much farther). How does it differ from the asteroid belt?

a. It is 20 times as wide b. It is 20-200 times as massive c. Most Kuiper belt objects are composed largely of frozen volatiles (ices), such as methane, ammonia, and water, as opposed to the mostly rock composition of the asteroid belt. d. All the above

Which of the following is true about Saturn's hexagon?

a. It is a persistent approximately hexagonal cloud pattern around the north pole of the planet. b. It rotates at a period of just over 10.5 hours c. It changes color d. All the above

Which of the following describes characteristics of Venus' atmosphere?

a. It is composed primarily of carbon dioxide and is much denser and hotter than that of Earth.

In Wikipedia, look up "Io (moon)", read the intro and then scroll down to "Orbit and rotation" and answer the following question: Why is Io in an elliptical orbit?

a. It is in an orbital resonance with Europa and Ganymede.

What is special about Halley's comet?

a. It is the only comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye that can appear twice in a human lifetime.

Why is Haley's comet the most famous of all comets?

a. It is the only comet visible to the naked eye that comes around once in a lifetime.

In Wikipedia, look up "Iapetus (moon)", read the intro and then scroll down to "Equatorial ridge", and answer the following question: Why does Saturn's moon Iapetus have a bulge around its equator?

a. It is the remnant of an oblate shape (stretched spherical shape) from a time when the moon spun very fast. b. Because a ring crashed down onto its surface. c. Icy material welled up along its equator. d. All the above have been suggested.

Which of the following about Jupiter's Great Red Spot is true?

a. It may have existed for over 350 years c. Its diameter is bigger than Earth's b. It is currently shrinking d. All the above

Which of the following is true about Jupiter's Great Red Spot?

a. It's about twice the size of Earth b. It may be more than 350 years old c. It is shrinking d. All the above

Which of the following observations support the idea that our Moon formed from a giant impact?

a. Its anorthosite crust b. Its small core c. Its similar chemistry to Earth's crust and mantle d. All the above

What's happening at the Tiger Stripes on Saturn's moon Enceladus?

a. Jets of ice particles are being shot into space.

9.2. In Wikipedia, look up "Giant-impact hypothesis" and answer the following question: Which of the following observations does the giant-impact hypothesis explain?

a. Moon samples indicate that the Moon was once molten. b. The Moon has a relatively small iron core. c. The stable-isotope ratios of lunar and terrestrial rock are identical, implying a common origin. d. All the above

9.9. In Wikipedia, look up "Triton (moon)", read the intro and then scroll down to "Capture" and answer the following question: Neptune is believed to have captured its largest moon Triton. What is the evidence?

a. Moons in retrograde orbits (opposite the spin of the planet) cannot form in the same region of the solar nebula as the planets they orbit. b. Triton's eccentric orbit. c. Triton is nearly identical to Pluto in composition, suggested it originated from the Kuiper belt. d. All the above

What happens to the temperature of Earth's atmosphere as we lose sea ice?

a. Nothing, sea ice only affects water temperatures The atmosphere grows warmer.?

Which is an indication that a moon was captured?

a. Retrograde orbit b. Highly elliptical orbit c. Non-equatorial orbit d. All the above

What is the cause of meteor showers?

a. Streams of debris from a comet.

In what way is Jupiter and the Galilean moons system like the Sun and planets?

a. The Galilean moons and the planets all formed from an accretionary disc. b. The accretion process of Galilean moons and the planets were all influenced by an ice line. c. The Galilean moons and the planets all have different chemistries from the objects they are orbiting. d. All the above

Which of the following are characteristics of C-type asteroids?

a. The comprise ~75% of all asteroids. b. They are distinguished by a very low albedo (they are dark) because their composition includes a large amount of carbon. c. They have a volatile-rich (icy) composition. d. All the above

The visible surface of Jupiter is divided into several bands parallel to the equator. There are two types of bands (clouds): lightly colored zones and relatively dark belts. What is the difference between the clouds that make up these bands?

a. Their altitude b. Their temperature c. Their ammonia concentration d. All the above

Which of the following statements about Martian dust devils is true?

a. They can be many times larger than dust devils found on Earth. b. They can be powerful enough to threaten rovers. c. They can help clean dust off of rovers. d. All the above

Most comets and small asteroids are thought to be rubble piles. Which of the following is a characteristic of a rubble pile?

a. They consist of numerous pieces of rock that have coalesced under the influence of gravity. b. They have low density because there are large cavities between the various chunks that make them up. c. When they pass close to a much more massive object, tidal forces change their shape. d. All the above

What is the evidence that liquid water existed on Mars' surface in the past?

a. Thousands of features that appear similar to terrestrial gullies. b. Observed dendritic (having a branched form resembling a tree) valleys. c. Observed dry deltas and alluvial fans (where rivers emptied into bodies of water leaving significant sediment deposits). d. All the above

In Wikipedia, look up "Shepherd moon" and answer the following question: What is a shepherd moon?

b. A moon that clears a gap in planetary-ring material or keeps particles within a ring contained.

Why is it important to know how long Mars had water on its surface?

b. Because the evolution of life takes time.

Jupiter's zonal clouds are a different color then its belt clouds because they are comprised of different ices (ammonia as opposed to ammonium hydrosulfide). Why is this?

b. Because the top of the zones are higher and colder

Why do comets readily come apart before impact?

b. Because they are a loose collection of rocks (a rubble pile).

Why do shepherd moons like Saturn's Atlas and Pan have fissures and elongated equators?

b. Because tidal forces are trying to pull them apart.

In Wikipedia, look up "Galilean moons", read the intro and then scroll down to "Origin and evolution", and answer the following question: What is the theory regarding how Jupiter obtained its four largest moons, the Galilean moons?

b. From a circumplanetary disk, a ring of accreting gas and solid debris around Jupiter analogous to a protoplanetary disk around a Sun.

In Wikipedia, look up "Ganymede (moon)" and answer the following question: What is unique about Jupiter's moon Ganymede compared to all other moons in the solar system?

b. It is the only moon with a substantial magnetic field.

In Wikipedia, look up "Triton (moon)" and answer the following question: What will be the fate of Neptune's moon Triton?

b. It will cross the Roche limit and become a ring around Neptune.

In Wikipedia, look up "Rings of Saturn", read the intro and then scroll down to "Physical characteristics" and answer the following question: How big are the particles that make up Saturn's rings?

b. Less than 10 m

Which of the following has Saturn's moon Mimas not been compared to?

b. Mickey Mouse

What fills the Sputnik Planum impact basin?

b. Nitrogen ice

What condition for a planet did the IAU come up with that Pluto did not meet?

b. Planets must clear their neighborhood

Which type of comet originates from the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune's orbit?

b. Short period comets

7.6. In Wikipedia, look up "Mars", read the intro and then scroll down to "hydrology", and answer this question: In general, why can liquid water not exist on the surface of Mars today?

b. The atmospheric pressure is too low.

In addition to the temperature of a planet's atmosphere, which of the following factors strongly influence the velocity of an atmospheric gas molecule?

b. The atomic weight of the gas molecule

9.1. In Wikipedia, look up "Giant-impact hypothesis", read the intro and then scroll down to "Basic model", and answer the following question: According to the basic model, which of the following is not an inferred characteristic of the collision that led to the formation of the Moon?

b. The collision was a direct hit, not at an oblique angle.

Which tail points away from the Sun?

b. The gas tail

Why does Pluto have normal faults on its surface?

c. Because the surface is expanding as its subsurface ocean cools

How was Pluto discovered?

c. By comparing pictures of the night sky taken days apart using a blink comparator.

Which of the following observations support the idea that Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos formed from a giant impact?

c. Equatorial orbits

How do we know there are rings around small asteroids like Chariklo and Chiron and the dwarf planets Haumea?

c. From the manner in which starlight dims as these bodies passes in front of them (called occultation).

Which is the only moon in the Solar System with a substantial magnetic field?

c. Ganymede

What do most asteroids look like?

c. Irregularly shaped with smooth surfaces

In Wikipedia, look up "Callisto (moon)" and answer the following question: What is unique about Jupiter's moon Callisto compared to all other large moons in the solar system?

c. It is the largest object in the Solar System that may not be properly differentiated.

Which of the following definition of a planet, according to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), does Pluto fail?

c. It must have cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.

Which is a characteristic of a comet dust tail?

c. It points away from the Sun and rotates away from the direction the comet is traveling.

What happens when Neptune's moon Triton migrates inside Neptune's Roche limit?

c. It will be pulled apart and form a ring

In Wikipedia, look up "Roche limit" and answer the following question: What happens to a moon if it migrates inside the Roche limit?

c. It will be pulled apart.

Which is not a reason why the asteroid belt could never become a planet?

c. Mars' gravity keeps large bodies from accreting in that orbit.

Why is Phobos moving toward Mars?

c. Mars' slow rotation compared to Phobos' orbit causes the tidal bulge to lag behind the direction to Phobos.

Which of the following is not a type of comet tail?

c. One made of house-sized chunks of ice and rock when comets break up as they get close to the Sun

To live comfortably at the top of Venus' clouds, what would you have to bring with you?

c. Oxygen

If our Moon resulted from a giant impact, how do you explain the fact that the Moon is currently 30 Earth diameters away and does not orbit around the Earth's equatorial plane?

c. Since its origin, the Moon has experienced tidal forces that changed its orbit.

What does the fact the comets come at us from all directions tell us about the Oort cloud?

c. That the Oort cloud must be spherical in shape

Why are Saturn's bands colors muted (less bright) compared to Jupiter's?

c. The change in temperature in Saturn's atmosphere is more gradual

Which of the following is not a major difference between the atmospheres of Venus and Mars?

c. The composition

The Great Oxidation Event is a period in time on the Earth from 2.0-2.5 billion years ago when our atmosphere first experienced a significant rise in oxygen. What is inferred to have been the cause of this event?

c. The emergence of cyanobacteria (bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis)

In addition to the mass of a planet, which of the following factors influences the escape velocity from the surface of a planet?

c. The radius of the planet

Which of the following characterizes the stratosphere?

c. The rise in temperature in this region is caused by the absorption of ultraviolet radiation (UV) radiation from the Sun by the ozone layer.

Which of the following statements about greenhouse gases is true?

c. Without them our planet would be completely covered over by ice

What is regolith?

d. A layer of dust and small particles that rain down on their surface after impacts.

Why do comets have an average density less than that of ice?

d. Because they have a significant amount of empty space in their interiors.

Why is the Moon moving away from Earth?

d. Earth's fast rotation compared to the Moon's orbit causes the tidal bulge to move ahead of the direction to the Moon.

What is unique about Saturn's moon Titan?

d. It is the only body besides Earth to have liquid on its surface.

Which of the following is true about Vesta?

d. It is the only known remaining rocky protoplanet (with a differentiated interior) of the kind that formed the terrestrial planets.

Which statement about the Oort cloud is correct?

d. It lies more than 2000 AU from the Sun, far beyond Neptune's orbit.

Which is a consequence of Uranus spinning on its side compared to the other planets?

d. Its summers and winters are a 21-year-long day and night, respectfully.

In Wikipedia, look up "Roche limit" and answer the following question: What is the Roche limit?

d. The distance from a celestial body within which a second celestial body will disintegrate because the first body's tidal forces exceed the second body's gravitational self-attraction.

How did Earth achieve its oxygen rich atmosphere?

d. The emergence of oxygen producing bacteria.

Which of the following observations is the key factor differentiating a giant impact moon from a co-accretion moon?

d. The moon's mineralogy

A greenhouse gas absorbs radiant energy within which part of the light spectrum?

infrared

What planets experience large temperature changes between seasons?

Uranus

Which objects have the greatest escape velocity?

b. Giant planets

Can jets throw an astronaut off the surface?

we dont know. but if so, it would be very slow

High pressure experiments suggest large amounts of diamonds are formed from methane on the ice giant planets Uranus and Neptune.

True

What happened to the Philae lander when it reached the surface of comet 67P?

d. It bounced.

Which statement best characterizes water on the surface of Mars?

a. Billions of years ago there were lakes and rivers on the surface of Mars, but none exist today.

What might the compression of methane in the icy mantles of Uranus and Neptune lead to?

a. Diamond snow

Going strictly by the IAU definition for a planet, which of the following are not planets?

a. Exoplanets b. Jupiter c. Earth d. All the above

Where are asteroids located?

a. The asteroid belt b. Co-orbital with Jupiter c. Near Earth's orbit d. All the above

Which of the following is a characteristic of comets?

a. They are relatively small icy bodies. b. They release gas when the warm as they approach the Sun. c. They have highly elliptical orbits around the Sun. d. All the above

Why does the wind speed on Venus increase with altitude

Because atmospheric density increases with altitude

How do we know the oort cloud is sphere?

Because long-period comets come from all different directions.

Which of the following atmospheric layers exists on Earth but not Venus or Mars?

Stratosphere

The Earth's atmospheric circulation varies from year to year, but the large-scale structure of its circulation remains fairly constant — a banded or cell structure. Which of the following factors do not influence this circulation pattern?

b. Earth's magnetic field

Which of the following characterizes the troposphere?

d. Almost all clouds and weather occur in it.

There are an estimated 1 million asteroids 1 km in diameter and greater. How fat is the average distance between them?

500,000 km

How do we know the oort cloud extends several light years from the sun?

By the elongated shape of its orbits of long period comets

What will happen to the moist air in a spaceship if an external door is suddenly blown open?

It will condense into a cloud

Do comet jets turn on and off with the sun?

No. They turn on and off sporadically

7.8. In Wikipedia, look up "Martian polar ice caps" and answer this question: Which of the following statements is true about the polar caps on Mars?

They are composed primarily of water ice. b. They are composed primarily of carbon dioxide ice.

Where do meteor showers arise from?

They occur when Earth passes through remnants of a broken up comet.

On the surface of Venus, daytime and nighttime temperatures are the same.

True

7.2. In Wikipedia, look up "Primary Atmosphere" and answer this question: A primary atmosphere is an atmosphere of a planet that forms by accretion of hydrogen and helium from the solar nebula. The giant planets still have their primary atmospheres, but the terrestrial planets lost theirs. Which factors influenced why the terrestrial planets lost their primary atmospheres?

a. Surface temperatures b. Mass of the atoms c. Escape velocity d. All the above

The total mass of the asteroid belt is approximately what percent of the mass of the Moon?

a. 3% (1/33rd the mass of the Moon)

9.7. In Wikipedia, look up "Enceladus" and answer the following question: Enceladus is an icy moon of Saturn experiencing tidal forces because of an elliptical orbit due to an orbital resonance with another moon Dione. What are the consequences of tidal heating of Enceladus because of this elliptical orbit?

a. A subsurface ocean b. Geysers c. Tectonically deformed terrains (cracked ice). d. All the above

What is an aerosol?

a. A suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in the air.

Why is Neptune blue?

a. Absorption of red light by methane in the atmosphere.

What are the main components of a primary atmosphere?

a. Hydrogen and Helium

Which pairing of comet types and the reach of the orbit is correct?

a. Ultra-short period comets orbit inside of Jupiter's orbit

What is the size range of asteroids?

c. 1 m - 1,000 km

What is regolith?

c. A blanket of unconsolidated, loose deposits covering solid rock.

What is albedo?

c. A measure of the capacity of a surface to reflect light.

9.4. In Wikipedia, look up "Io (moon)" and answer the following question: What is unique about Jupiter's moon Io compared to all other moons in the solar system?

e. It is the most volcanically active.

What season is it when the Earth is closest to the sun?

need more info. Because season depends on tilt.