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Asytonomy > Astronomy 2 > Flashcards

Astronomy 2 Flashcards

1
Q

Where are the asteroids located?

A

Most asteroids have orbits between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, but there are gaps caused by resonances with Jupiter.

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2
Q

Only the few largest asteroids are found to be spherical. Why is this?

A

Self-gravity for the most massive asteroids was sufficient to pull them to this shape during their early history.

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3
Q

A meteoroid is the name for a solid particle that

A

is drifting around in space.

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4
Q

Interplanetary material

A

falls on Earth at the rate of almost a hundred tons per day, mostly as cosmic dust.

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5
Q

Most comet nuclei are believed to be

A

chunks of dirty ice left over from the formation of the solar system.

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6
Q

A comet’s tail points

A

away from the Sun regardless of the comet’s motion.

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7
Q

The orbits of comets are

A

randomly oriented in the solar system and can extend far beyond the orbit of Pluto.

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8
Q

What is the Kuiper belt?

A

a relatively flat distribution of objects in the plane of the ecliptic, extending from around the orbit of Pluto out to about 50 AU from the Sun

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9
Q

The Oort cloud is

A

an approximately spherical distribution of comets centered on the Sun, extending out to about 50,000 AU.

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10
Q

A meteor shower occurs when

A

Earth passes through a swarm of dust particles in space.

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11
Q

How was Uranus discovered?

A

by accident, by an astronomer conducting a sky survey

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12
Q

Neptune was discovered by

A

the careful application of Newton’s laws to the motion of other planets.

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13
Q

The major planet whose spin axis lies almost in its orbital plane is

A

Uranus

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14
Q

What gives Uranus its blue-green coloration?

A

absorption of the red and yellow sunlight by methane gas

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15
Q

The Great Dark Spot on Neptune

A

disappeared sometime between the Voyager 2 flyby and when the Hubble Space Telescope photographed Neptune in 1994.

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16
Q

How do the densities of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune compare?

A

Uranus and Neptune are more dense than Jupiter or Saturn.

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17
Q

In what way do Uranus and Neptune differ from Jupiter and Saturn?

A

Hydrogen and helium make up a smaller fraction of the total mass of Uranus and Neptune.

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18
Q

How were the rings of Neptune first discovered?

A

occultation of a star as the rings moved in front of it

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19
Q

Triton, the giant moon of Neptune, differs from all other major moons of planets in that

A

it orbits in a retrograde way, opposite to the planet’s rotation.

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20
Q

What future awaits Triton, the largest satellite of Neptune?

A

tidal breakup as it slowly spirals closer to Neptune

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21
Q

The four giant moons of Jupiter were discovered by

A

Galileo.

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22
Q

Which satellite of Jupiter is volcanically active?

A

Io

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23
Q

Io would probably be less active geologically if

A

its orbit were circular.

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24
Q

The most active volcanic object in the solar system is

A

Io, the inner Galilean moon of Jupiter.

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25
Q

Jupiter’s magnetic field is caused by

A

the planet’s rapid rotation coupled with liquid metallic hydrogen in its interior.

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26
Q

All of the following exist on Titan except

A

liquid water on the surface.

(Rain, Nitrogen vapor and clouds=there)

27
Q

The largest satellite (moon) in our planetary system is

A

Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter.

28
Q

Titan is Saturn’s largest satellite. It is unusual among all the planetary moons because of its

A

dense atmosphere.

29
Q

Extensive volcanic activity observed on Jupiter’s satellite Io is caused by

A

tidal stresses from Jupiter and the other Galilean moons.

30
Q

Which of the planets fits the following description: “a solid, cool surface, with occasional dust clouds and a thin CO2 atmosphere”?

A

Mars

31
Q

Venus appears to be very bright in our skies at certain times because

A

it is relatively close to the Sun, Earth is close to it, and it is covered by very reflective clouds.

32
Q

Craters on Mercury appear to have been produced by

A

impacts from objects early in the planet’s history.

33
Q

Phobos and Deimos are moons of which planet?

A

Mars

34
Q

The clouds in the atmosphere of Venus consist primarily of

A

droplets of H2SO4 or sulfuric acid.

35
Q

The most common surface features on Venus are

A

volcanoes and lava flows.

36
Q

Hot-spot volcanism is a process that

A

produces gigantic volcanoes on Venus and Mars but produces chains of smaller volcanoes on Earth (e.g., the Hawaiian Islands).

37
Q
A
38
Q

The internal structure of Mercury is a

A

dense iron core taking up almost half of the volume of the planet and a rocky mantle surrounding the core.

39
Q

A major feature of the atmosphere of Mars is

A

occasional strong winds and dust storms.

40
Q

The polar caps on Mars are most likely made up of

A

water and CO2 ices.

41
Q

The rotation period of the Moon on its axis with respect to space (its absolute rotation) is

A

27.3 days, the sidereal revolution period.

42
Q

The Moon has

A

no measurable atmosphere or liquid water.

43
Q

Maria are

A

ancient lava floodplains.

44
Q

The mountain ranges on the Moon are

A

the walls of craters caused by impacts of large objects early in the geological history of the Moon.

45
Q

How many times have human beings landed on the Moon?

A

6

46
Q

The age of Moon rocks has been determined primarily by what method?

A

measurements of radioactive decay products

47
Q

How quickly is the Moon spiraling away from Earth?

A

a few centimeters per year

48
Q

One distinct difference between Earth and its neighboring planets, Venus and Mars, is
the presence of

A

liquid water on its surface and water molecules chemically locked into rocks.

49
Q

Earth’s mantle is composed largely of what chemical materials?

A

silicon-rich rocks and minerals

50
Q

Approximately how many tectonic plates make up Earth’s surface?

A

~10

51
Q

What are the Van Allen belts?

A

Regions of high-energy charged particles in Earth’s magnetosphere.

52
Q

The major layers of Earth’s atmosphere from the surface upward in correct order are

A

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere.

53
Q

At the present time, the energy of the Sun is generated

A

in its central core only, by fusion of hydrogen nuclei.

54
Q

The total time that the Sun will spend converting hydrogen to helium in its core is

A

about 10 billion years (1010 years).

55
Q

The phrase “’hydrostatic equilibrium”’ in the Sun refers to the

A

balance of gravity inward and gas pressure outward.

56
Q

Just outside the radiation zone lies the

A

convection zone.

57
Q

From the center outward, the order of the layers or parts of the Sun is

A

radiative zone, convection zone, photosphere, chromosphere, corona.

58
Q

What is the photosphere of the Sun?

A

the visible “surface” of the Sun

59
Q

Granulation on the surface of the Sun is caused by

A

convective currents carrying heat from beneath the surface.

60
Q

What is the corona on the Sun?

A

the Sun’s outer atmosphere

61
Q

What is the solar wind?

A

the Sun’s outer atmosphere streaming out into space

62
Q

At the present time, how many extrasolar planets have had confirmed discoveries?

A

thousands

63
Q

What is the astrometric method used in searches for planets orbiting stars other than the Sun?

A

a search for tiny wobbles in the position of the star due to the gravitational pull of a planet orbiting around it

Asytonomy (2 decks)

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