EARTH 113 FINAL
This dwarf planet resides in the main asteroid belt, is the largest of the asteroids, and is also composed in part of icy materials.
Ceres
What are the best candidates for life beyond mars?
Ceres (ice volcanoes) (also is the largest asteroid, spherical) Europa (active ice tectonics) Enceladus (ice, geysers) Titan (dense atmosphere)
What dwarf planets show geological evidence?
Ceres and Pluto
1st dark side of the moon landing was completed by whom?
China
Earth is the largest or smallest of the inner-terrestrial planets?
Largest
Tharsis rise:
Largest land mass on mars, a volcanic province, holds three volcanoes
Anorthosite is:
Light, white igneous rock, rarely found on Earth. Found on the moon.
What were the fixed landings on Mars?
Pheonix, Vikings, Insight
What do some scientists believe about Mars today?
That there is microbial life. Others believe there has been life but isn't in existence now.
Saturn could float due to its low density T or F
True
The Space Age began with the launch of Sputnik in 1957. (T or F)
True
Which landers explored Mars to find life?
Viking 1 and 2, after orbiting Mars. Evidence of river channels, past floods, other conduits for water, glacial outburst events, etc.
Which planet rotates backwards?
Venus
The biological experiments designed to test for the presence of life on Mars in the 1970's were conducted by:
Viking Landers
How do we explain Merc's active Magnetic field?
Weak remnant magnetism=present in lunar crust Elliptical orbit= converting energy into tidal energy to heat merc's interior.
What is the path in the sky that the planets, moon and Sun follow?
The Ecliptic
A round-trip to the Moon and back takes about:
a week
Which of these is NOT a requirement to be a planet in our solar system?
it has to be within 30 A.U. of the sun
What is Pluto?
it is a dwarf planet that is thought to be a Kuiper belt Object
What is Mars' problem with life
it is so small (approx. half the radius of Earth)
How is Venus's atmosphere?
massive and dense, 97% CO2, (v Earth's .04%) strong greenhouse effect. Sulfuric Acid clouds, so surface is probably hazy and murky
Kepler's 3rd Law of Planetary Motion requires that Mercury takes longer to complete one orbit around the Sun than Mars. (T or F)
False
The Apollo Program landed astronauts on the far side of the Moon. (T or F)
False
The Earth's Moon is larger than Mercury. (T or F)
False
The Moon and the Earth are each 4.567 billion years old. (T or F)
False
Voyager 1 is currently in orbit around Neptune. (T or F)
False
Europa is Jupiter's largest moon. (T or F)
False. Ganymede
Which astronomer discovered the 4 largest moons of Jupiter?
Galileo
We think the moon was formed after a giant asteroid "Theia" collided with Earth due to what evidence?
Identical Oxygen isotope ratios (indicates moon and earth formed together from same material)
Meteorites from Mars made up of what?
Igneous rock (basaltic meteorites)
Which mission was focused on mapping mars' interior, looking for earthquakes and seismic activity?
Insight
Does Venus have weather?
yes, venus has weather, despite lack of variation, due to planet's rotation and dense atmosphere
Io is:
-closest to Jupiter, volcanically active, youngest
Mercury's Surface composition
-lacks contrasts of moon surface -crust probs made of basaltic lava
Titan is:
-the largest moon after ganymede, smooth, lrgr than mercury!
Process to create planets:
1) condensation (dividing high t and low t zones) 2) accretion (small objects into large objects by collision 3)differentiation (iron sinks to form core of metal in largest objects via partial melting of hot interior)
Jupiter's diameter is ____ x Earth's
11
The year of the first Moon landing with astronauts was:
1969
Europa is:
2nd closest to Jupiter -same size as our moon -ice moon w/ ice tectonics
Venus rotates how many times per two orbits?
3
Neptune, the 8th planet, is located how far from the Sun?
30 AU
Ganymede is:
3rd, ice moon (frozen-in-time-version of Europa), largest moon in solar system
How old are CAI's?
4.567 Billion yrs old
The age of the solar system is:
4.567 billion years old
Jupiter has how many "satellites"
65, now 70-85 apparently
Mercury orbits the sun every ___ days
88
What is the most likely source of Jupiter's powerful magnetic field?
A metallic hydrogen interior
What does the term "transit" mean
A planet is it transit when it passes in front of the Sun.
Earth + Moon are how old?
About 4.5 Bys
Mars has this in common with Venus:
An atmosphere composed mostly of carbon dioxide
Which of these observations supports the idea that Mars once had lots of liquid water flowing across its surface at some point in the past?
Ancient river channels and lake deposits
Moon is made up of:
Anorthosite igneous rock (lunar highlands) Basalt Volcanic rock (lowlands) Lunar Regolith (impact pulverized moon rock)
What are important dates in the 60s and 70s?
Apollo 11 (1969) Apollo 13 (70) and Apollo 17 (72, last manned mission)
Source of most meteorites?
Asteroids of the main belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
When must we observe Mercury?
At dusk or dawn; it has a full cycle of phases
What are the oldest known objects in the solar system?
CAI's
Which rover is on Mars currently?
Curiosity (geologist robot)
Which of these statements regarding Venus and the Earth is TRUE? A) Venus takes longer to go around the Sun than the Earth does B) Neither Venus nor the Earth are visible in the night sky C) Earth is the slightly larger of the two planets D) About every 200,000 years, Venus and Earth switch orbits
Earth is the slightly larger of the two planets
Which is more dense, Earth or Mars?
Earth, but Mars is extremely dense for its size, which indicates a large iron core.
Which of Jupiter's moons shows evidence for geysers venting through an icy crust from a subterranean ocean?
Europa
What moons show geological evidence
Europa, Enceladus, Titan, Triton, and Pluto
Venus' environment is:
Harsh, extremely hot (500 celsius), pressure = 90 bars versus Earth's >1 bar @ sea level. Temperature is the same all over, unlike Earth
What are the 4 galilean moons of Jupiter?
Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto
The 4 Galilean moons of Jupiter, in order of increasing distance from Jupiter, are:
Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto
Why was Pluto demoted to 'dwarf planet' status in 2006?
It is part of a multi-body system and not gravitationally dominant
The name of the current mission in orbit around Jupiter is:
Juno
Which of these planets orbits the Sun at 5 A.U.?
Jupiter
What is significant about the pheonix polar lander?
MI faculty noticed from its photos something on its landing gear; beads of what could be briny liquid
The name of the NASA mission that mapped Venus from orbit is:
Magellan
______________ did flyby in 70s
Mariner 10
How is Mars' atmosphere?
Mostly CO2, thin (pressure = .0065 bar, or 8 millibars @ surface). So, liquid water would evaporate immediately on Mars, ice is stored in polar ice caps.
The moon has more or less iron than Earth?
Much less (less than 3 percent versus 30%)
notable missions for Mercury:
NASA Mariner 10 (flyby(s)) - 74-75 (photo'd only 50% of surface) NASA Messenger Orbiter (04-15) (4 year mapping mission after entering into orbit in mar 2011)
Is Mars more dense than Earth?
No, it's density is 4.0 and Earth's is 5.5
What is the name of the largest volcano in the universe?
Olympus Mons, on Mars
The largest volcano in the solar system is:
On Mars
What were the rovers on Mars, looking for water?
Pathfinder-maybe looking for water (1997), Opportunity/Spirit (2004)
What are the gully-like features on inside crater rim walls of mars evidence of, potentially?
Seasonal release of groundwater
Radar imaging of Venus shows what?
Shield volcanoes! (pancake dome volcanoes, coronae (another mysterious volcanic feature))
Which mission was the only one to successfully land on Venus (soft landing)?
Soviet Venera mission
Kepler's First Law of Planetary Motion
The orbit of each planet around the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus.
What is the main evidence that Mercury's diameter has decreased since it formed?
The presence of 'wrinkle ridges' in Mercury's crust, indicating that Mercury shrank
Kepler's Third Law
The square of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.
Which of these statements is FALSE regarding carbonaceous chondrite meteorites?
They are thought to be from another solar system
The first astronauts to walk on the Moon did so at what location?
Tranquility Base
Apollo 11 was the first mission to land astronauts on the Moon and return them safely to the Earth. (T or F)
True
Briny liquids (salt water) on the surface of Mars could provide habitats for life. ( T or F)
True
Hydrogen is the most abundant element on Jupiter. (T or F)
True
Mars has a narrow orbit T or F
True
Mars has two small moons named Phobos and Deimos. (T or F)
True
Mercury has a magnetic field that is about 1% the strength of Earth's magnetic field. (T or F)
True
Mercury's high density indicates that it has a large iron core. (T or F)
True
Messenger was the NASA mission that mapped the surface of Mercury from orbit. (T or F)
True
Organics on Mars?
Yes! In old sedimentary rocks.
Does Mars have moons?
Yes, phobos and deimos
How long is Mars in retrograde?
about 4 months. Happens every 2 years
What would earth's atmos. bar be if released?
close to 70 bar, 97% CO2
The Main Asteroid Belt is located approximately where in relation to the Sun?
between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
The Kuiper Belt is located:
beyond 30 AU
Venus has an atmosphere composed mainly of:
carbon dioxide
Mar's surface is basically a:
dry, waterless desert with red sand (used to be H2O)
How's the weather on Mars?
dust devils, seasonal release of CO2 from polar caps, global dust storms
The moon and Mercury are both:
geologically dead worlds
What did Galileo observe about Venus 400 years ago that helped advance the science of astronomy?
he observed the complete cycle of phases, proving that the Sun is at the center of the solar system
Jupiter is made up of what, mostly?
hydrogen, helium, with a density of 1.3 and a strong magnetic field. Super earth @ core? we're not sure -rotates every 10 hrs
Where did the curiosity rover land on Mars?
in Gale Crater (aug 2012)
Pure liquid water probably cannot exist on the surface of Mars today because:
of the very thin atmosphere
Callisto is:
oldest of the four, ice moon pock-marked with craters, not in gravitational orbit (?)
Kepler's Second Law
states that an imaginary line from the sun to a planet sweeps out equal areas in equal time intervals
The best explanation for the Moon's origin is:
the Giant Impact Hypothesis
mars mosaic mission took photos of what?
valles marineris (which contains volcanic rock)
What are the polar ice caps on Mars made of?
water ice and carbon dioxide ice
