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ch.1 astronomy > ch.9 > Flashcards

ch.9 Flashcards

(76 cards)

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1
Q
A
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2
Q

Which planets never appear far from the Sun?

A

Venus and Mercury

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3
Q

What characterizes the terrestrial planets in terms of density and size?

A

Similar densities and roughly similar sizes

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4
Q

How do the rotation periods, surface temperatures, and atmospheric pressures of terrestrial planets vary?

A

They vary widely

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5
Q

How can Mercury’s rotation rates be measured?

A

By radar

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6
Q

What is the resonance of Mercury’s day and year?

A

3:2 resonance

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7
Q

Which planet has a retrograde rotation?

A

Venus

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8
Q

Does Mercury have a detectable atmosphere?

A

No

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9
Q

What is the primary reason Mercury has no atmosphere?

A

It is too hot, too small, and too close to the Sun

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10
Q

What is the composition of Venus’s atmosphere?

A

96% CO2, 3.5% N2, small amounts of H2O and other gases

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11
Q

What do the clouds of Venus consist of?

A

Sulfuric acid droplets with traces of water

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12
Q

What is the primary composition of Mars’s atmosphere?

A

95% CO2, traces of N2, oxygen, and water

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13
Q

What is the atmospheric density of Mars compared to Earth’s?

A

About 1% that of Earth’s

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14
Q

What is Mercury’s radius and mass compared to Earth?

A

1/3 radius and 1/20 mass of Earth

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15
Q

What is the largest crater on Mercury called?

A

Caloris Basin

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16
Q

What geological features are found on Mercury’s surface?

A

Circular craters and congealed lava flows

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17
Q

How is cratering on Mercury similar to that on the Moon?

A

Similar cratering patterns

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18
Q

What geological feature is formed by the cooling and shrinking of Mercury?

A

Enormous scarps (cliffs)

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19
Q

What is the Tharsis bulge on Mars?

A

A major feature 10 km above the surroundings, size of North America

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20
Q

What is Valles Marineris?

A

A canyon 4000 km long, 100 km wide, and 7 km deep

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21
Q

What is Olympus Mons?

A

The largest volcano in the Solar System

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22
Q

What evidence suggests there was running water on Mars?

A

Runoff channels resembling those on Earth

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23
Q

What is the primary atmosphere of planets at formation?

A

Hydrogen, helium, methane, ammonia, water vapor

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24
Q

What comprises the secondary atmosphere of Earth?

A

Water vapor, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen

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25
What is the current atmosphere composition of Earth?
~20 percent oxygen
26
What caused Venus's atmosphere to become thick and dense?
A runaway greenhouse effect
27
What are the Martian moons called?
Phobos and Deimos
28
What is the size of Phobos and Deimos?
About 20 km across
29
What is the main reason for the interest in life on Mars?
Misinterpretation of 'canali' as 'canals'
30
Which planet has no atmosphere?
Mercury
31
Which planet has a very dense atmosphere?
Venus
32
Which planet's atmosphere is similar to Earth's in composition but very thin?
Mars
33
What is the significance of the Caloris Basin?
It is the largest impact feature on Mercury
34
Which planet is known for having a very slow rotation?
Venus
35
What is the surface temperature of Venus?
Hot enough to melt lead
36
Which hemisphere of Mars is heavily cratered?
Southern hemisphere
37
What is the average altitude of Mars's southern hemisphere?
5 km above the northern
38
What geological feature is prominent in the northern hemisphere of Mars?
Rolling volcanic terrain
39
What is a key feature of the surface of Venus?
Lava domes and shield volcanoes
40
What is the largest difference in features between the northern and southern hemispheres of Mars?
Northern is younger and flatter, southern is older and cratered
41
What does the lack of evidence for plate tectonics on Mars suggest?
No significant tectonic activity
42
What is the main reason for the high density of Mercury?
Higher fraction of iron than Earth
43
What do the clouds of Venus primarily consist of?
Sulfuric acid
44
Which terrestrial planet has the longest solar day?
Mercury
45
Which terrestrial planet has the largest daily temperature variation?
Mercury
46
Which terrestrial planet has the highest surface barometric pressure?
Venus
47
What explains the difference in atmospheric composition between Earth and its neighboring planets?
Presence of life on Earth
48
What is one characteristic that distinguishes Venus's atmosphere from Earth's?
Much denser and thicker atmosphere
49
What are squishy-looking flow patterns around crater impact sites called?
They are features indicating past geological activity ## Footnote These patterns suggest the presence of liquid at some point in the past.
50
What do features resembling channels cut by floods indicate?
They indicate past water flow on the surface ## Footnote Such features suggest that a significant amount of water once flowed across the surface.
51
What phenomenon occurs due to periodic eruptions of geysers?
Geysers erupt when subsurface ice is melted by volcanic activity ## Footnote This process can lead to the expulsion of steam and water vapor.
52
What did the Mars rovers discover in surface rocks?
Chemicals formed in the presence of large amounts of water ## Footnote This finding supports the theory of past water presence on Mars.
53
What do satellite measurements reveal about Mars?
They show the presence of water in the polar caps ## Footnote Polar caps are crucial in understanding Mars' climate and water history.
54
What is unique about Mercury's crust?
It may have been mostly lost after a collision with a large planetesimal ## Footnote This aspect contributes to its current geological features.
55
What are scarps on Mercury?
Long, steep cliffs in its crust ## Footnote They likely formed due to tectonic activity or impacts.
56
How were maps of Venus created?
By bouncing radio waves off the planet from satellites and the Earth ## Footnote This method allowed scientists to penetrate the thick atmosphere.
57
Where would you most likely find pancake-shaped lava domes?
On Venus ## Footnote These domes are indicative of volcanic activity.
58
True or False: The primary reason that Mercury and the Moon lack atmospheres is because they are not volcanically active.
True
59
True or False: Mars has almost no water.
False
60
True or False: Venus' atmosphere lacks water because the Sun's ultraviolet rays tend to break up any water molecules at the top of the atmosphere.
True
61
True or False: The atmospheric pressure at the surface of the terrestrial planets increases as their distance from the Sun increases.
False
62
True or False: Venus' surface temperature is hotter than Mercury.
True
63
True or False: Venus spins slower than any other terrestrial planet.
True
64
True or False: The retrograde spin of Venus could be the result of a collision with a large planetesimal.
True
65
True or False: One reason the Earth's atmosphere contains substantially less carbon dioxide than Venus is that carbon dioxide dissolves in water and is carried by rain to the surface where it reacts with rocks and forms carbonates.
True
66
True or False: Venus' retrograde spin is not unique among terrestrial planets.
False
67
True or False: The clouds of Mars consist mainly of frozen carbon dioxide and frozen water.
True
68
True or False: The axial tilt of Mars causes the polar ice caps to shrink and grow in cycles.
True
69
True or False: Mars' moons are probably captured asteroids.
True
70
True or False: Mars' moon Phobos completes one orbit around the planet in about 8 hours.
True
71
True or False: The 2:3 resonance between the orbital and spin periods of Mercury implies that the planet completes 2 orbits around the Sun in 3 solar days.
True
72
True or False: Mercury completes 2 orbits around the Sun in the time between two successive sunrises.
True
73
True or False: Mars has the longest orbital period of all the terrestrial planets.
False
74
True or False: The present atmospheres of the terrestrial planets probably originated from their internal activity.
True
75
True or False: Earth and Venus have more substantial atmospheres because they are larger and had more volcanic activity.
True
76
True or False: The highest mountain of our Solar System exists on Earth.
False

ch.1 astronomy (15 decks)

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