Final Exam

Question 1

What is our solar system and its components?

Answer 1

our solar system is composed of several objects in space: moons, asteroids, our soon and Pluto

Question 2

How have Radar and Infrared technology helped us understand other planets in our solar system?

Answer 2

• Radar observations: Venus is a solid covered with thick clouds, Jupiter does not have a solid central portion
• Infrared methods: temperatures of planet surfaces, chemical composition, presence of water

Question 3

What were the goals of the following space probes:
Apollo, Voyager, Magellan, Pathfinder

Answer 3

A: mission to land man on the moon, bring back rocks for analysis and mapping of surface
V: to look at Jupiter in detail
M: mission to Venus, had to use radar map surface
P: landed on Mars for first surface investigation studied atmosphere and soils

Question 4

What do the inner terrestrial planets have in common?

Answer 4

solid surface, core of iron, nickel, sulfur

Question 5

Why does Mercury have such a great temperature change in one day?

Answer 5

it is close to the sun and has no atmosphere, meaning heat dissipates into space at night quickly

Question 6

Why is Venus so hot?

Answer 6

thick atmosphere of clouds trap heat and it is mostly carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid

Question 7

What kind of evidence do we have that Mars once had abundant water?

Answer 7

• large erosional cavities
• volcanoes present but not active
• plenty of sedimentary rocks

Question 8

Which of the outer planets is largest?

Answer 8

Jupiter

Question 9

Describe the atmospheres of Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune.

Answer 9

J - atmosphere of hydrogen and helium, giant red spot
S - thick atmosphere of hydrogen and helium, surface with very strong winds and large storms like on Jupiter
U - atmosphere oh hydrogen and helium, no developed storm systems, rings present but faint, in several bands

Question 10

Describe the rings of Saturn.

Answer 10

• three major rings, numerous smaller ones
• some very small, other quite large
• composition mostly of ice

Question 11

Why are Uranus and Neptune so blue?

Answer 11

U - rocky core with liquid component of water, methane and ammonia
N - Atmosphere with much methane

Question 12

How long does it take for Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune to orbit the sun (in Earth years)?

Answer 12

S - 29.5 earth years
U - 84 earth years
N - 165 earth years

Question 13

What two outer planets are known for large storm systems?

Answer 13

Neptune and Jupiter

Question 14

What is unusual of Pluto’s orbit around the sun?

Answer 14

it is very elliptical and sometimes closer to the sun than Neptune

Question 15

Describe our moon’s orbit and revolution.

Answer 15

• revolution around Earth every 28 days
• rotation once each rotation; thus, same side faces us at all times

Question 16

How does the geology of the Moon compare to Earth?

Answer 16

• rocks very similar to Earths igneous
• also discovered that water is present, but below the surfce

Question 17

Why are there changes in the phases of the moon (new, quarter, full)?

Answer 17

when sun and moon on same side we have a new moon, when sun and moon are on opposite sides we have a full moon

Question 18

What are the two types of eclipses?

Answer 18

Lunar and solar

Question 19

Describe a solar and lunar eclipse.

Answer 19

L - when Earth between sun and moon, moon is in shadow of Earth
S - when moon is between sun and Earth, Moon shadow is on Earth

Question 20

What is the cause of the ocean tides?

Answer 20

tides are the result of moon’s gravitational influence on Earth along with that of the sun, highest tides when earth moon and the sun are in a row

Question 21

What is the link between the moon phases and intensity of tides?

Answer 21

• water pulled toward moon when it is over head, high tide
• pulled toward when opposite

Question 22

Contrast Spring and Neap tides.

Answer 22

S - when the sun and moon are on the same side of Earth, the tides will be a little higher
N - when the sun and moon are not aligned high tides will be a little lower

Question 23

Describe the celestial terms Light Year, Parsec, and Astronomical Unit.

Answer 23

LY - distance light movies in one year
P - 3.26 light years
A - earth to sun distance

Question 24

What is the value of studying parallax?

Answer 24

apparent positional change of an object due to change of perspective, so we can estimate distance

Question 25

What is the value of measuring the Doppler Effect?

Answer 25

extent of change used to determine velocity of star and we can determine if it is moving toward or away from us

Question 26

Describe the celestial terms Solar System, Galaxy, and Universe.

Answer 26

U - all of space
G - cluster of stars, planets and stellar dust, galaxy which includes us is the milky way
SS - one star and its revolving objects, we have eight planets and other objects

Question 27

Describe the terms Nebula and Protostar relative to the beginnings of a star.

Answer 27

N - condensation of gases to form clouds, gravity pulls them together
P - movement of particles inward to produce an optically dense object, spinning of material, increased temperatures

Question 28

How do a Red Giant, White Dwarf, and Black Hole relate to the “life” of a star?

Answer 28

• expansion of outside layers to many sizes to a red giant
• release of a portion of the material remaining core shrinks to high density to become a white dwarf
• complete collapse, extreme density and small size to become a black hole

Question 29

What is the photosphere of our Sun?

Answer 29

the source of most light we see, mostly of gasses

Question 30

Where does the Aurora Borealis have its origin?

Answer 30

seen near poles at night as the northern lights due to outburst of energy from our sun

Question 31

What is the Milky Way.

Answer 31

the galaxy that contains our solar system, including earth