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astronomy > Exam 3 Answers > Flashcards

Exam 3 Answers Flashcards

1
Q

Which internal energy source is the most important in continuing to heat the terrestrial planets today?

A

Radioactivity

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2
Q

Which of the terrestrial worlds has the strongest magnetic field?

A

Earth

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3
Q

Which of the following has virtually no effect on the structure of a planet?

A

It’s magnetic field

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4
Q

Which of the following does not have a major effect in shaping planetary surfaces?

A

Magnetism

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5
Q

What cooling process allows energy to be lost into space?

A

Radiation

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6
Q

Which surface shaping process is an external factor?

A

Impact cratering

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7
Q

Glaciers moving across the landscape is what type of erosion?

A

Solid

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8
Q

Cooling and contraction of what planet has created huge ridges on the surface of the planet?

A

Mercury

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9
Q

Which moon has the most substantial atmosphere?

A

Titan

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10
Q

What is the most abundant gas in Titan’s atmosphere?

A

Nitrogen

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11
Q

Which of the Jovian planets have rings: Uranus, Jupiter, Saturn, or Neptune?

A

All of them

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12
Q

The motion of charged particles in a magnetic field is

A

Helical

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13
Q

What moon is larger than Mercury, the smallest planet?

A

Ganymede

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14
Q

Which of Saturn’s medium sized moons is outgassing water vapor: Mimas, Rhea, Tethys, Dione, or Enceladus?

A

Enceladus

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15
Q

Neptune looks blue because the methane clouds ________ blue light and ________ other colors.

A

Reflects; absorbs

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16
Q

What is differentiation in planetary geology?

A

The process by which gravity separates materials according to density.

17
Q

The lithosphere of a planet is the layer that consists of

A

The rigid rocky material of the crust and uppermost portion of the mantle.

18
Q

The terrestrial planet cores contain mostly metal because

A

Metals sank to the center during a time when the interiors were molten throughout.

19
Q

What describes best why the smaller terrestrial worlds have cooler interiors than the larger ones?

A

They have relatively more surface area compared to their volumes.

20
Q

Which two properties are most important in determining the surface temperature of a planet?

A

Distance from the Sun and atmosphere

21
Q

When we see a region of a planet that is not as heavily cratered as other regions, we conclude that

A

The surface in the region is younger than the surface in more heavily cratered regions.

22
Q

Volcanism is more likely on a planet that

A

Has high internal temperatures

23
Q

Why does the Moon have a layer of powdery “soil” on its surface?

A

It’s the result of gradual erosion by micrometeorites striking the Moon.

24
Q

How have we been able to construct detailed maps of surface features on Venus?

A

By using radar from spacecraft that were sent to orbit Venus.

25
Q

How does seafloor crust differ from continental crust?

A

Seafloor crust is thinner, younger, and higher in density

26
Q

What drives the motion of the tectonic plates on Earth?

A

Convection cells in the mantle

27
Q

Is there water in Mars?

A

No. If there was, it would change straight to gas, skipping the liquid phase.

28
Q

Why do Jovian planets budge around the equator, that is, have a “squashed” appearance?

A

Their rapid rotation flings the mass near the equator outward.

29
Q

How do astronomers think Jupiter generates its internal heat?

A

By contracting, changing gravitational potential energy into thermal energy

30
Q

Why is Jupiter denser than Saturn?

A

The extra mass of Jupiter compresses its interior to a greater extent than that of Saturn.

31
Q

Why does Jupiter have several distinct cloud layers?

A

Different layers represent clouds made of gases that condense at different temperatures.

32
Q

What is Jupiter’s Great Red Spot?

A

A long-lived, high pressure storm

33
Q

Why do Uranus and Neptune have blue methane clouds but Jupiter and Saturn do not?

A

Methane does not condense into ice in the warmer atmospheric temperatures of Jupiter and Saturn.

34
Q

The four Galilean moons around Jupiter are

A

A mixture of rock and ice

35
Q

Why are there no impact craters on the surface of Io?

A

Io did have Impact craters but they have all been buried in lava flows.

36
Q

Is the backward orbit of Triton (a moon of Neptune) due to tidal forces?

A

No

37
Q

How were most of the large Jovian planets formed?

A

By condensation and accretion in a disk of gas around the planet

38
Q

The core, mantle, and crust of a planet are defined by differences in their

A

Composition

astronomy (6 decks)

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