5C-D Flashcards
Compare mercury’s rotation with its revolution around the sun
It moves through its orbit at great speed but it spins slowly on its axis.
Which planet in the solar system appears the brightest when viewed from earth
Venus
Why can’t Venus be observed in its full phase
Because the full phase always occurs when Venus is hidden behind the sun
Describe the atmosphere of Venus
A hot,dense atmosphere that our most powerful optical telescopes cannot penetrate
Why was it so difficult for Venus landing probes to survive on the surface of the planet
Extremely harsh conditions on the planet’s surface
How can a casual observer with a telescope tell the difference between Mars and Venus in the sky
Reddish color
What are the names of Mars moons
Phobos and Demos
Describe the temperature at the equator on the surface of Mars
Chilly to comfortable 32-77 degrees
List the probes that successfully landed on Mars
Viking 1and 2
Which planet is the largest
Jupiter
What is the collective name for the four largest moons of Jupiter
Ganymede Callisto Io Europa
How does the size of Jupiter’s moon compare to the other planets
Both Ganymede and calisto are larger than Mercury
List three distinguishing features of Jupiter
The bands of turbulent clouds that extend around the planet parallel to the equator
The great red Spot
Jovian winds
What makes Jupiter’s moon Io so spectacular
It might be inhabitable
What is the feature of Saturn that makes it stand out from the other planets
It’s rings
List three ways in which Saturn is similar to Jupiter
It has bands of clouds in its atmosphere parallel to the equator
It radiates more energy than it receives
It has winds
It has temporary small spots somewhat like Jupiters great red Spot
It has a magnetosphere
Describe Cadini’s division
It is the large gap between the two largest rings of Saturn cost by the gravitational pull of the Moon Mimas
When was Uranus discovered
1781
Who discovered Uranus
William Herschel
What color is Uranus as seen in voyager two photographs
Pale blue
How does this color different from how Uranus appears from earth
From earth Uranus appears to be a greenish color
What is unusual about Uranus
It appears to be tilted 98°
What caused some astronomers to expect that there was another planet beyond Uranus
Uranus sometimes was not quite and it’s calculated place in the sky
Which two man-made mathematical calculations about the location of Neptune
John Adams
Urban Leverrier
Who discovered Neptune
Johann Gottfried
What is different about Neptunes moon called triton
It orbits Neptune in a retro grade orbit
During what year was Pluto discovered
1929
Who discovered Pluto
Clyde Tombaugh
Describe the characteristics of Pluto’s moon
Sharon’s diameter is about half Pluto’s making it the largest moon in proportion to its planet in the solar system
What is unusual about the orbit of Pluto
Pluto’s rotational axis is tilted at nearly 122°
Why is Mercury such a difficult planet to observe
It is too close to the sun to be seen
