Mod 4 - Mod 4 PDF

Preview

Summary

Mod 4...

Description

Module 4 Question 1: There are no auroras on Venus because it Answer: lacks a strong magnetic field. Question 2: Which component of our atmosphere has steadily increased in the last 100 years and has led to warming temperatures? Answer: Carbon Dioxide Question 4: How would you describe Venus's retrograde rotation? Answer: It rotates very slowly in a direction opposite to its revolution Question 5: The origin of Earth's only natural satellite, Moon, is Answer: a combination of the "capture" theory and the "daughter" theory, sometimes called the impact theory which posits that early in the solar system history the formative years. a young, molten Earth collided with a Mars-like object in a sort of glancing blow. Question 7: Earth's atmosphere contains only small amounts of carbon dioxide because Answer: carbon dioxide dissolves in water, and most of it is now contained in the oceans and carbonate rocks. Question 11: What function does the ozone layer provide on the Earth? Answer: It shields us from ultraviolet radiation that is harmful to life Question 12: Why does the burning of fossil fuels increase the greenhouse effect on Earth? Answer: Burning releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere Question 13: How have we been able to construct maps of surface features on the planet Venus? Answer: by using radar from spacecraft that were sent to orbit Venus Question 16: Which of the following does Jupiter not have? Answer: crustal plates on its surface Question 21: What is the region around a planet called where the magnetic field is able to deflect the solar wind and other charged particles? Answer: Magnetosphere Question 22: Which of the following do the Jovian planets not have in common? Answer: They are all less dense than water Question 23: What is a Roche zone? Answer: the region near a planet where tidal forces would tear apart an object held together only by gravity

Question 24: How does the atmospheric pressure on Mars compare to that on Earth and Venus? Answer: Lower than on both Earth and Venus. Question 27: The belts and zones of Jupiter are Answer: alternating bands of rising and falling air at different latitudes Question 28: What did the Huygens probe discover about Saturn's moon, Titan? Answer: Methane rains onto the surface, evaporates, and rains again cyclically Question 29: Which of the following is not classified as a dwarf planet? Answer: Triton Question 31: Why are there no impact craters on the surface of Io? Answer: Io did have impact craters but they have all been buried in lava flows. Question 32: What is the Cassini division of Saturn's rings? Answer: a large gap, visible from Earth, produced by an orbital resonance with the moon Mimas Question 34: This satellite's interior has probably warmed enough by tidal stressing to have a liquid water ocean below an icy crust Answer: Europa Question 36: Why is Triton referred to as Neptune's "backward" moon? Answer: It orbits in the opposite direction of its revaluation. Question 37: Planetary rings are Answer: all of the above. Question 38: What mechanism is most responsible for generating the internal heat of Io that drives the volcanic activity? Answer: tidal heating Question 39: Why was Pluto's status was changed to that of "dwarf planet" by the IAU? Answer: Because it has not cleared its orbital region of other objects. Question 40: Why isn't there a planet where the asteroid belt is located? Answer: Gravitational tugs from Jupiter prevented material from collecting together to form a planet. Question: Jupiter and Saturn emit _________ heat than absorbed from the sun due to __________ Answer: More; heat left over from their formation Question: Which of these moons is the most geologically active Answer: Io

Question: Mercury's large core is composed of Answer: Iron Question: We know about Earth’s interior because of Answer: Study of waves created by earthquakes Question: Why does Jupiter have several distinct cloud layers Answer: Different layers represent clouds made of gases that condense at different temps Question: Which of the following objects contains mostly nitrogen with some methane Answer: Titan Question: Planetary rings are Answer: All of the above Question: Why does Mars have more extreme seasons than Earth Answer: Because it has a more eccentric orbit Question: Why does the burning of fossil fuels increase the greenhouse effect on earth? Answer: Burning releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere Question: In what ways is Earth different from other terrestrial planets? Answer: All of the above Question: Why do astronomers believe Triton may have been a planet that was captured by Neptune? Answer: It orbits Neptune in the opposite direction of Neptune’s rotation Question: Which of the following is not a Kuiper Belt Object Answer: Triton Question: At what special time in Venus’s orbit might we be able to see a solar transit? Answer: inferior conjunction Question: Which of the following planets was found using Newton’s laws after discrepancies were observed in another planets orbit? Answer: Neptune Question: Where do the majority of the confirmed dwarf planets in the solar system reside? Answer: The Kuiper Belt Question: What is a likely feature of the moons of Mars? Answer: They are captured steroids. TRUE/FALSE

Question 3: All but one of the following statements about Mercury are true. Which one is false? Answer: Mercury has a very thin atmosphere which is strange because there are still active volcanoes outgassing carbon dioxide and water vapour Question 6: All of the following statements about Venus are true but one. Which one is false? Answer: The magnetic field on Venus has about the same intensity as on Earth, although it appears to change directions every 100,000 years or so. Question 8: Which of the following statements about Earth is false? Answer: The poles of the Earth's magnetic field are precisely aligned with Earth's rotational axis. Question 9: All but one of the following statements about Venus are true. Which one is false? Answer: The atmospheric pressure on Venus is significantly greater than on Earth, about 9 times as great. Question 10: Which of the following statements about conjunctions and opposition is false? Answer: Mars can have an inferior conjunction but not a superior conjunction from Earth's perspective. Question 14: Which of the following statements about Uranus is false? Answer: Uranus has the Great Red Spot on its surface that has been visible for the last 400 years. Question 17: Which of the following statements about Neptune is true? Answer: Neptune's largest surface feature is the Great Dark Spot that is about the size of Earth and is probably a storm of some sort. Question 19: All of the following statements about Jupiter are true but one. Which one is false? Answer: The Great Red Spot is a large storm center that has been observed for only the last 75 years. Question 26: All of the following statements about Jupiter are true but one. Which one is false? Answer: The density of Jupiter is greater than that of air but less than that for water. Question 30: All of the following statements about Charon, Pluto's moon, are true except which one?

Answer: As strange as it may seem, astronomers have actually observed seasonal effects on Charon Question 33: Which of the following statements about Jovian moons is false? Answer: All of the Jovian moons orbit their planet in the same direction, counter-clockwise as seem from above the solar system Question 15: Exploration on Mars has been accomplished by orbiters, lander and rovers. Which of the following statements about Martian exploration is false? Answer: The remains of some type of life form have been found near Olympus Mons, the largest volcano on Mars. Question 35: Which of the following statements about Pluto is false? Answer: Pluto is one of the larger Kuiper Belt Objects discovered to date and is actually bigger than Mercury. Question: Which of the following statements about the rings of the four Jovian planets is not true Answer: All probably looks much like they did when the solar system first formed Question: All but one of the following statements about Mars are true. Which is false Answer: The Martian atmosphere is fairly substantial with a composition similar to earth Question: All but one of the following statements about Mercury is true. Which one is false? Answer: Mercury’s orbit around the sun is circular, more so than any other planet Question: Which of the following statements about Saturn is false Answer: Saturn was first discovered by Galileo about 400 years ago Question: Which of the following statements about the moons of the Jovian planets is false Answer: Tiania, one of the largest Jovian moons, has a wrinkly surface that is often referred to as “cantaloupe terrain” Question: All but one of the following statements about Mercury are true. Which one is false? Answer: Mercury’s orbit about the sun is almost circular, more so than any other planet in the solar system.

DISTANCES/TIMES

Question 18: Mars is about how far from the Sun, on average? Answer: 1.5 AU Question 20: About how far from the Sun, on average, is Saturn? Answer: 10 AU Question: How thick are Saturn’s rings from top to bottom Answer: A few tens of meters Question: The orbit of Venus around the sun is almost circular. What is the radius of its orbit Answer: 0.72 AU Question: A solar day on Mercury is about how long Answer: 176 Earth days Question: What is the moons average orbital distance from the sun? Answer: 1.0 AU Question: Mercury is how far from the Sun, on average? Answer: 0.39 AU...