ASTR Exam 3 Our Solar System Flashcards
(138 cards)
1
Q
Name the Classical Planets in order.
A
- Mercury
- Venus
- Earth
- Mars
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
2
Q
Which test does Pluto fail that keep it from being a classical planet?
A
It has not “cleared the neighborhood” of smaller objects
3
Q
What makes up our atmosphere?
A
- 78% Nitrogen
- 21% Oxygen
- 1% Everything Else
4
Q
Where is half of all the volume of our atmosphere located?
A
Within 5 km (about 3 mi) of the Earth’s surface
5
Q
What is the most abundant greenhouse gas on Earth?
A
water vapor
6
Q
What are the layers of the Earth?
A
- Crust
- Mantle
- Outer Core
- Inner Core
7
Q
What is the Core made of?
A
iron and nickel
8
Q
Is the Inner Core liquid or solid?
A
solid
9
Q
Is the Outer Core liquid of solid?
A
liquid
10
Q
Which is hotter, the Inner Core or Outer Core?
A
the Outer Core
11
Q
What is the Mantle made of?
A
dense, rocky material
12
Q
Why is the heavier material located in the Core?
A
Because when the Earth was young and still molten, the heavier (more dense) materials settled in the center
13
Q
What is Plate Tectonics?
A
Earth’s crust in motion
14
Q
What is it called when hot mantle is rising and cool mantle is sinking?
A
Convection Cell
15
Q
What are the 3 types of plates?
A
- Colliding plates
- Plates that pull apart
- Sliding Plates
16
Q
What do Colliding plates create?
A
Mountain Ranges
17
Q
What do plates that pull apart create?
A
Underwater Ridges
18
Q
What do sliding plates create?
A
Earthquakes
19
Q
What does is mean to be Earthlike?
A
Planets that are roughly the same size and mass as the Earth.
20
Q
What 3 ingredients is needed for a planet to have a magnetosphere?
A
- Liquid metal core
- Rapid spin rate
- Convection cells
21
Q
What causes the Aurora?
A
The magnetosphere is weakest at the magnetic north and south pole. It is the the Sun’s charged particles running into the Earth’s atmosphere.
22
Q
What keeps the Sun’s harmful charged particles from reaching Earth?
A
the Magnetosphere
23
Q
What can make it through the magnetosphere unaffected?
A
Neutral particles and electromagnetic waves
24
Q
What happens when moving charged particles from the Sun reach the magnetosphere?
A
They are with trapped or diverted around the Earth
25
When is the Moon outside of the magnetosphere?
When it is a New Moon
26
What 3 types of features does the Moon's surface have?
1. Maria
2. Highlands
3. Craters
27
What is the Maria and what is it Latin for?
- Circular dark areas
| - Latin for "seas"
28
What is the Highlands and what was originally called?
- lighter colored areas shaped similarly to the Earth's continents
- originally called terra, Latin for "land"
29
What are Craters Latin for?
"bowl"
30
Which side is more stressful on the Moon and why?
- the side facing away from the Sun
| - it's extremely cold
31
What is the hottest temperature on the Moon?
about 400 K or 100 C
32
What is the coolest temperature on the Moon?
about 100 K or -200 C
33
Is there any atmosphere on the Moon?
No
34
Why is there no atmosphere on the Moon?
Because the Moon is so small, the gravitational field is too weak to hold on to any gas or liquid molecules
35
Is there water on the Moon?
yes, but only as ice
36
Where is the water (ice) located on the Moon?
- at the poles
- in the bottoms of craters
- below the surface
- the lunar dust may be filled with tiny ice crystals
37
Which spacecraft first observed evidence of water on the Moon?
Clementine
38
Which elements are most abundant in Space?
- Hydrogen and Helium
| - Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen
39
Which molecules are most abundant in space?
- methane (H+C)
- water (H+O)
- ammonia (H+N)
40
How long does it take the Moon to orbit the Earth?
1 month
41
How long does it take for the Moon to spin on it's axis?
1 month
42
Is Mercury the hottest planet?
no, it's the 2nd hottest
43
Which other object in space is Mercury similar to?
the Moon
44
What is the Heavy Late Bombardment Era?
- about 4 billion years ago
| - cratering on planets (such as Mercury) and Moons when they were young and not yet completely solid
45
What are 3 important features on Mercury?
1. Double-Ringed Crater
2. Caloris Basin
3. Weird Terrain
46
What causes the Double-Ringed Craters on Mercury?
High energy impacts from meteors
47
What is the Caloris Basin and what is it Latin for?
- biggest crater on Mercury
- has 3 rings
- Caloris is "hot" in Latin
48
What is the Weird Terrain?
- an area of random hills that represent a localized upheaval that lifted the surface and dumped it down again in a random jumble of hills and depressions
- also called "Hilly and Lineated Terrain"
49
Where is the Weird Terrain located?
precisely on the other side of the planet from the Caloris Impact Basin
50
How do astronomers think the Weird Terrain and Caloris Basin was created?
A meteor hit Mercury with such a high impact where the Caloris Basin is located and sent seismic waves through the planet disrupted the landscaper on the other side.
51
Does Mercury have any atmosphere?
No
52
Why does Mercury have no atmosphere?
- it has a weak gravitational field because it's so small
| - it's too hot because it's to close to the Sun
53
What may resemble a temporary atmosphere on Mercury?
- Solar wind lingers around the surface
- Sodium and Potassium outgassed from the rocks
- Oxygen sublimating from the polar ice caps
54
What are the temperatures on Mercury?
- the night side can be as cold as 100 K
| - the sunny side can be as hot as 700 K
55
Which planet has the biggest difference in temperature?
Mercury
56
Why Venus the hottest planet?
- because it's atmosphere is so dense
57
What are the clouds on Venus made up of?
sulphuric acid
58
What do we use penetrate the thick clouds on Venus and what did astronomers find out?
- a radar/ radio waves
| - the spin rate and which way it spins
59
How fast does Venus spin and which way does it spin?
- 243 Earth days to spin once
| - it rotates towards the West (retrograde spin)
60
What land feature does Venus have a lot of?
Volcanos
61
In what ways is Venus similar to Earth?
- it is about the same size
62
What is Venus' atmosphere made up of?
- about 95% CO2
| - about 4% N2
63
Is there any evidence of water on Venus?
No
64
What are the clouds made up of?
Sulfuric acid
65
How is Venus' atmosphere different from Earth's atmosphere?
It is denser and thicker
66
How is Venus' atmospheric pressure compared to the Earth's?
- The pressure on Venus' surface is 90 atmospheres
| - equal to being 1 km underwater
67
What is the temperature on Venus?
- it is a consistent 750K
68
Why is Venus' temperature so high?
extreme green house effect
69
How many "continents" does Venus have and what are their names?
- 2 continents
- Ishtar Terra (in the north) (babylonian)
- Aphrodite Terra (along the equator) (Greek)
70
What does volcanism cause Venus to do under the surface?
- it causes a rock cycle
| - resurfaces the planet every 100 million years
71
How many volcanos does Venus have?
about 1600
72
What are shield volcanos?
- built up by successive eruptions
- caldera (crater) at the top
- some craters arduous to meteor impacts
73
What spacecraft landed on Venus and sent back photos?
- Venera -13
| - Venera - 14
74
What does differentiated mean?
Denser materials settle in the middle
75
Why is Mars red?
- it is not differentiated
| - Iron/ Iron Oxide is throughout Mars
76
Why did people think Mars may have had an advanced civilization?
- they saw channels (canal in Latin)
77
Why are there channels on Mars?
From the carbon dioxide melting from the ice caps
78
Why is it so easy to see Mars better through a telescope than Venus?
It's atmosphere is very transparent
79
What is the spin rate on Mars?
about 24.6 hours
80
Does Mars have seasonal changes?
yes
81
What are some evidence of seasonal changes on Mars and why?
- Ice caps grow and shrink
- Dark features change size and shape
- It has high pressure systems and low pressure systems (wind)
- Dust storms
- Melting of ice caps causes huge winds
82
How many layers of ice does Mars have on its poles?
- 2 layers
- water on bottom
carbon dioxide on the top
83
What does rarified mean?
having low density
84
How far is Mars' axis tilted?
24 degrees
85
What does a planet need to keep water in liquid form on the surface?
Hydrogen in the atmosphere
86
What is Mars' atmospheric pressure compared to Earth's?
It is about 1/150 of what Earth has
87
What is Mars' temperature compared to Earth's?
- It is about 50 K cooler
- It is equal to 20 miles above Earth's surface
- Mount Everest is about 6 mi tall
88
What makes up Mars' atmosphere?
- about 95% CO2
| - about 3% N2
89
Is there any evidence of water on Mars?
- yes but very little
- lots of evidence that water once flowed
- no evidence of water on surface
- Water might be frozen below surface (Phoenix Lander may have found evidence of this)
90
In which area of Mars' surface is "younger" and why can we tell this?
- Northern Hemisphere
- Fewer Craters
- Large volcanic plains
- Southern Hemisphere has heavily cratered highlands
91
What 3 unique features does Mars have?
- Tharsis Bulge
- Olympus Mons
- Valles Marineris
92
What is the Tharsis Bulge
- continent like bulge near the equator
| - fewest craters of all
93
What is unique about Mars volcanoes?
They are the largest volcanoes in the solar system
94
What is the largest volcano on Mars and our solar system called and what is it Latin for?
- Olympus Mons
| - "Mount Olympus"
95
How big is Olympus Mons?
- as large as Texas
| - 25 km (15mi) tall
96
Why is Olympus Mons so tall?
- because of Mars' weak gravity
97
What is Valles Marineris and how was it formed?
- It is a "Grand Canyon" on Mars
- Not formed my erosion like Earth's Grand Canyon
- Caused by a split as Tharsis region bulged outward (became stressed and cracked)
98
What are the 2 views of life on Mars?
- "Kool-aid" view (optimists)
| - "Buzz-kill" view (pessimists)
99
How do astronomers view life on Mars?
- No living systems have discovered yet
| - they predict that Earth formed organisms have been carried to Mars on the solar wind
100
What are Mars moons named and what are they in greek philosophy?
- Phobos and Deimos
- It means "fear" and "terror"
- They were the horses of Aries
101
What is unique about Jupiter?
- It has colored bands that are parallel to the equator
| - The Great Red Spot
102
What are Jupiter's bands called?
- dark-colored- belts
- light-colored - zones
- due to convection
103
What are Jupiter's atmospheric structure?
- 3 main layers
- ammonia ice is white
- ammonium hydrosulfide ice is yellow and brown
- water ice is blue
104
Does Jupiter have a magnetosphere?
- yes, the strongest in the solar system
- about 20,000 times that of Earth's
- All 4 Galilean moons lie within it
105
Why does jupiter have such a strong magnetosphere?
- it's the fastest spinning planet
- a lot of convection
- astronomers think it might have a large magnetic core
106
What is the Great Red Spot?
- high pressure system
- has persisted for 300 years
- about 2 to 3 Earths wide
107
What is Jupiter in mythology?
- king of the gods/ ruler of Mount Olympus
- the child of Saturn and the youngest of his siblings (12 children)
- known for his erotic escapades
108
What are the Galilean moons in order?
- Io
- Europa
- Gannymede
- Callisto
109
Which Galilean moon is the largest and which is the smallest?
- largest - Gannymede (slightly larger than Mercury)
| - smallest - Europa (smaller than our own moon)
110
What is unique about Io?
- most geologically active object in our solar system
- more than 80 volcanoes
- plumes rises 150 km above surface
- color comes from sulfur compounds
111
What is Europa like?
- craterless surface of ice
- many ice filled cracks due to shifting "icebergs"
- ice several km thick
- 100 km deep water oceans lies below ice
- the presence of water lead to speculations about life on Europa
112
What is Gannymede like?
- largest moon in solar system
- larger than Pluto and Mercury
- dark regions are old, dust covered, ice
- light regions are newly frozen ice
113
What is Callisto like?
- dark regions are old, dust covered ice
- light regions are newly frozen ice
- not as many cracks and many more craters than Ganymede
- Valhalla Basin is a noteworthy feature
114
What is the Valhalla Basin?
- A crater on Callisto with many rings
- "Palace of Thor"
- Nordic
115
Why is Jupiter more colorful than Saturn?
- Jupiter's atmosphere is more compacted
116
How is Saturn's atmosphere different from Jupiter's?
- not as colorful
| - made up of less dense material
117
Who was Saturn in mythology?
- the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, descendants of Gaia (Earth), and Uranus (the Sky)
- overthrew his father (Uranus) and ruled during the mythologicalGolden Age, until he was overthrown by his sons, Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto
118
What are Saturn's moon named and who is he in mythology?
- Titan
- race of powerful deities that ruled during the Golden Age
- 12 Titans ruled by the youngest, Saturn
- The Titans overthrew their father, Uranus, at the urgings of their mother, Gaia
- Their role as Elder Gods was overthrown by a race of younger gods, the Olympians, in what is referred to as the War of Titans
119
What is Titan like?
- similar to Ganymede and Callisto in terms of size
- has it's own atmosphere
- the atmosphere is thicker and denser than Earth's
- it is 90% nitrogen
- photo dissociated ammonia - sunlight causes molecules to break apart - nitrogen comes from ammonia
120
What is Titan's surface temperature?
- about 94 K
- colder which is why it has a thick atmosphere
- Surface conditions are near triple point of methane
121
What spacecraft visited Titan?
Cassini/Huygens
122
What are Saturn's rings like?
- 2 divisions (blakc gap)- Cassini and Encke
- very thin - disappear when when they appear edge on
- Made up of ice particles
- millimeters to 10's of meters across
123
Why are Neptune and Uranus blue?
methane
124
Which 2 planets resemble each other?
Jupiter and Neptune (looks like a blue Jupiter)
125
Why can't you see as many features on Uranus?
it has a thicker atmospheric haze
126
Who was Neptune in mythology?
- the god of the sea
- brother of Jupiter and Pluto
- the three of them overthrew the Titans
127
What is Neptune's moon's name?
Triton
128
Who is Triton is mythology?
- a god, messenger of the deep
- son of Neptune
- usually represented as a merman
129
What is Triton like?
- smallest of the "large" moons
- smaller than our moon and Europa
- very thin nitrogen atmosphere
- retrograde orbit
probably a captured Kuiper Belt object
130
Who is Pluto in mythology?
- god of the underworld
| - he and his brothers defeated the Titans
131
What spacecraft will be the first to study Pluto up close?
New Horizons
132
What are the moons of Pluto and when were they discovered?
- Charon, 1978
- Nix
- Hydra
- Styx
- Kerberos
133
What do astronomers speculate about Pluto?
- it was a Kuiper Belt object
134
Who was Charon in mythology?
- ferryman of Hades
| - carried souls across the river Styx that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead
135
What is Nix in mythology?
- the Greek goddess of darkness and night
| - the mother of Charon
136
What is Hydra in mythology?
- the 9 headed serpent which battled hercules in Greek mythology
- the 9 heads of hydra are a reference to Pluto's tenure as the ninth planet
137
What is Styx in mythology?
- the goddess of the River of the underworld
138
What is Kerberos in mythology?
the 3 headed dog that guards pluto's underworld
