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Cosmos > Inner Solar System > Flashcards

Inner Solar System Flashcards

1
Q

How does Venus appear in evening or morning sky? why?

A

A bright object, it was high albedo

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2
Q

What is Venus covered in?

A

Thick layer of white clouds

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3
Q

Venus Has phases, what range in appearance do we see?

A

Narrow crescent to an almost disk.

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4
Q

Venus can be seen at any point in the day. T/F?

A

False, only evening or morning

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5
Q

Does venus have moons?

A

No

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6
Q

Venus is similar, in size, to earth. T/F?

A

True

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7
Q

What do radar measurements tell us about venus?

A

Very slow rotation period, 243.01 days, and is retrograde

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8
Q

Why does Venus display retrograde motion?

A

Large impact with planetismal

Effect of thick atmosphere perturbing Venus’ rotation

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9
Q

Does venus have a magnetic field?

A

No

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10
Q

What are venus clouds formed from?

A

Sulphuric acid

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11
Q

Atmosphere composition of Venus

A

96% CO2, 3.5% N2, 0.5% H20 h2SO4 HCl and HF

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12
Q

What component of Venus’ atmosphere could indicate life?

A

Phosphine gas (PH3)

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13
Q

Why does CO2, a greenhouse gas, dominate Venus’ atmosphere?

A

Venus didnt have enough water to cause weathering of rocks, which wouldve removed CO2 from atmosphere.

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14
Q

Describe Venus’ protective magnetic field

A

Very low

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15
Q

What happened to Venus’ water?

A

UV radiation broke up water molecules in upper atmosphere and hydrogen was lost to space.

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16
Q

How did this lack of water in venus result in a runaway greenhouse effect?

A

Limited water gave no possibility to store Co2 in rocks, planet became very hot. ST = 472 degrees Celsius

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17
Q

What does Venus’ surface appear to be?

A

Basalt

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18
Q

Why were soviet spacecrafts (Venera) destroyed when they landed on the surface of Venus?

A

High temp, pressure and acidic atmosphere.

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19
Q

How do we obtain images of large areas of Venus’ surface?

A

Radar mapping

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20
Q

What can Venus’ clouds be penetrated by?

A

Radio waves

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21
Q

What did the Magellan space probe of venus show?

A

Lava flows

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22
Q

Classic features of an impact crater?

A

Smooth floor, central peaks, rough surface of ejecta

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23
Q

Dark halo around some Venus Impact Craters. Why?

A

Smooth area of pulverised rock produced by shock wave from meteorite

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24
Q

Has Venus ever had volcanic activity?

A

Yes, many volcanoes and structures associated with a period of intense volcanic activity about 500 million years ago.

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25
Q

What are coronae

A

Circular bulges caused by magma rising from below the surface

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26
Q

What are pancake domes?

A

Circular structures formed by lava

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27
Q

Tectonic activity on Venus

A

Ranges of wrinkled mountains

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28
Q

When is Mercury seen? Why?

A

Only in twilight, due to close proximity to Sun.

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29
Q

Does mercury have moons?

A

No

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30
Q

Ha an atmosphere been detected from Mercury?

A

No, stars blocked out abruptly

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31
Q

What telescope measured Mercurys surface temp?

A

Arecibo radio telescope

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32
Q

Mercurys rotation and orbital period

A

Rotation = 59 days

Orbital = 88 days

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33
Q

Mercury Solar day length/

A

2 Years

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34
Q

How many times does mercury rotate in 2 years?

A

3

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35
Q

What cellestial object is Mercury a similar size to?

A

The Moon

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36
Q

Describe the presence of craters on Mercury

A

Heavily cratered, many sizes and different ages.

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37
Q

Are basins present on Mercury/

A

Yes, some large basins

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38
Q

Caloris Basin

A

Huge impact basin on Venus’ surface, partially filled by lavo flows and surrounded by concentric rings of hills

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39
Q

Why is Venus’ terrain described as weird?

A

terrain on opposite side of Caloris impact is weird, jumbled and chaotic.

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40
Q

How did this weird terrain come about

A

Shock waves traversed Mercury from the Caloris Basin impact to the opposite side of the planet

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41
Q

What are Venus’ lobate scarps?

A

Curved Cliffs, newever than many craters and cut across them.

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42
Q

Where did Venus’ scarps come from?

A

As mercury cooled it shrank, causing surface wrinkles. Lobate scarps are wrinkles.

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43
Q

First Messenger results of Mercury

A

Wtaer-ice present in craters
Possibly relatively younf
Prokofiev crater reveals features of frozen deposits

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44
Q

Does Mercury have a magnetic field?

A

Yes, a weak magnetic field.

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45
Q

Describe Mercurys interior?

A

More dense than moon
Normal, rocky surface
Large metallic core (mainly iron)

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46
Q

Is mercurys core fully solid?

A

No - partially molten

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47
Q

What caused flooding of mercurys cratered surface?

A

Period of lava flow, perhaps triggered by Caloris impact

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48
Q

Is Mercury still volcanically active?

A

No

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49
Q

Final stage of Venus’ planet evolution

A

Slow Erosion by micro-meteorites.

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50
Q

Describe the rotation of the moon

A

Locked to orbit due to gravitational tidal resonance (Same side always faces Earth)

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51
Q

How many rotations does the moon undergo about its axis per orbit around earth?

A

1

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52
Q

How does tidal resonance in the moon come about?

A

Differences in gravitational attraction between Earth and Moon

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53
Q

Why can we see slightly more than half of the moons surface?

A

Elliptical orbit

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54
Q

Describe the Moons appearance

A

Heavily cratered, with large impact craters, basins and dark plains called Maria.

55
Q

Describe Maria on the moon

A

Not completely smooth (contain ridges, geological faults and small craters)

56
Q

Features of Impact Bains

A

Circular with raised rim
Central peak where rock rebounded

57
Q

What is the material thrown out of an impact crater called?

A

Ejecta

58
Q

Steps of typical impact crater formation

A
  1. A body strikes the surface of the Moon
  2. It buries itself below the surface
  3. An explosion and a crater is formed
  4. The rocks in the center rebound
59
Q

How was the Maria created?

A

Large impacts cause fissures in crust, allow lava to flow toward surface

60
Q

Compare far side of the moon to near side

A

More cratered, no maria, more mountains

61
Q

Why is the far side of the moon different to the near side?

A

More exposure to comets, thicker crust.

62
Q

Describe the Interior of the Moon

A

Crust, which is thinner on side facing earth

Deep mantle of brittle rock

Low density, rules out an iron core more than a few hundred km in diameter.

63
Q

Does moon have a liquid metallic core? why?

A

No - cooled rapidly because so small

64
Q

Moons Magnetic field

A

No large-scale magnetic field, No dynamo mechanism

65
Q

Does the Moon have an atmosphere? How do we know this?

A

No, completely dark shadows, stars obscured by moons disk, gravitational field too weak

66
Q

What is the Large Impact Theory for the formation of the moon?

A
  1. Earth was struck by a smaller body, perhaps the size of mars, called Theia
  2. Impact was a bit off-centre
  3. Impact stripped much of the mantle of the body from its core and removed much of earths mantle
  4. Most of the core of the second body and some of the material from both mantles fell back to earth
  5. remainder material coalesced and formed the moon.
67
Q

What does the Large Impact Theory explain?

A

Moons low density, Similar chemical compositionof crust to Earths, Moon being dry, near and far sides having different thicknesses

68
Q

What two types of seismic waves (sound waves) do Earthquakes produce?

A

S (shear) and P (pressure)

69
Q

Do S or P waves travel faster?

A

P waves

70
Q

Differences between S and P waves?

A

S - produce displacement perpendicular to direction of travel
- cant travel in liquid

P - can travel through biology

71
Q

Commonality of S and P waves

A

Reflect partially at a boundary

72
Q

What has the study of Seismic waves told us about earths interior?

A

Crust of solid low density rocks at the surface

Dense rocky mantle below the crust

Outer part of earths core is liquid and inner is solid

73
Q

What is Earths core made of?

A

Iron, nickel and a small fraction of other elements

74
Q

Requirements for a magnetic field

A
  • Electrically conducting liquid core
  • Convection currents in the core
  • Fast rate of rotation
75
Q

What is the magnetosphere

A

Region of space where motion of charged particles is controlled by planets magnetic field, not solar wind

76
Q

What does magnetosphere do to solar wind

A

Keeps solar wind away from the surface of the planet

77
Q

What is Bow shock

A

Interference with solar wind

78
Q

What are Auroras

A

Light displays at earths magnetic poles

79
Q

How do auroras come about?

A

Electrons are accelerated by voltage in magnetosphere, and strike upper atmosphere causing emission of light.

80
Q

When are auroras the most vivid and active?

A

During geomagnetic storms, caused by ejections from Sun striking earth.

81
Q

During geomagnetic storms, auroras can be seen _____ than normal

A

Closer to equator

82
Q

What is the lithosphere?

A

Region of right, low density rock in the crust and top of the mantle

83
Q

What is the asthenosphere?

A

Lies below the lithosphere in the mantle. Rock is close to melting point and very plastic.

84
Q

What are tectonic plates

A

Large, rigid sections of the lithosphere.

85
Q

What does plasticity allow the tectonic plates to do?

A

Move slowly but steadily over Earths surface

86
Q

What are the two types of tectonic plates?

A

Oceanic, Continental

87
Q

What are the two typed of tectonic plates made for?

A

Oceanic - basalt

Continental - Rock from volcanoes

88
Q

How are oceanic plates created?

A

Convection currents in mantle

89
Q

Where do continental plates reside?

A

Float on the mantle, forming continents and associated continental shelves under shallow seas.

90
Q

Continental plates are less ____ than oceanic plates

A

dense

91
Q

What is continental drift?

A

Tectonic plates move over earths surface, typically a few cm per year

92
Q

How many years have we had continental drift?

A

200 million years

93
Q

What happens at mid ocean ridges/rifts?

A

Material rises to ocean floor and spreads outward

94
Q

How is the rising material formed

A

Molten rock is magnetised by earths magnetic field as it solidified.

95
Q

What forms subduction zones?

A

Caused by two plates colliding, one pushed under the other

96
Q

What does subduction of oceanic plate under another give?

A

Volcanic Island Arcs

97
Q

What does subduction of oceanic plate under a continental plate give?

A

Ocean Trenches

98
Q

Where does Mountain Building occur?

A

Collision of continental plates

99
Q

What does Mountain Building give?

A

Ranges of mountains with folded rocks

100
Q

What zones are volcanoes associated with?

A

Subduction zones

101
Q

When building a continent, what is the key aspect of the lava being expelled?

A

Less dense than material of upper mantle

102
Q

Rocks float on the _____ and form the continents.

A

Mantle

103
Q

What are continents shaped by?

A

Volcanic activity, plate tectonics and erosion

104
Q

Why are shield volcanoes called that?

A

Lava flows easily and their shape is like that of an inverted shield

105
Q

What do Island Chains prove?

A

That tectonic plates are moving.

106
Q

What causes a chain of volcanic islands?

A

Drift of lithosphere over asthenosphere causes surface to move over hot spot.

107
Q

Structure of Stratiform Volcanoes

A

Smaller and more pointed than shield volcanos

108
Q

What are stratiform volcanoes associated with?

A

Volcanoes at subduction zones

109
Q

Original source of atmosphere

A

Release of gases from hot interior and by volcanic activity.

110
Q

What was different about the composition of the atmosphere orignally?

A

Orginal atmosphere was much thicker, and mainly CO2, water vapour and N2

111
Q

How was most of carbon dioxide removed from earths atmosphere?

A

Liquid water resulted in weathering of rock

112
Q

What does photosynthesis produce and remove?

A

Produces oxygen, removes CO2

113
Q

Effects of photosynthesis

A

Organisms that use oxygen

Ozone layer

114
Q

What does the ozone layer block?

A

UV radiation

115
Q

4 Components of the Atmosphere

A

Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere, Troposphere

116
Q

1st stage of Earth Evolution

A

Accretion and Differentiation

117
Q

2nd stage of earth evolution

A

Period of intense bombardment

118
Q

3rd stage of earth evolution

A

Flooding by lava and/or water

119
Q

4th stage of earth evolution

A

Period of slow evolution

120
Q

What gives the earth thick layers of sediment

A

Weathering of mountains

121
Q

How have craters from comets been hidden?

A

Effects of tectonic plate activity.

122
Q

What must a theory for the formation of the Solar System explain?

A
  • The patterns of the motions of the planets
  • 2 planet categories : Terrestrial and Jovian
  • Existence pf huge numbers of asteroids and comets, and why they reside where they do
  • Make allowances for exceptions
123
Q

What is De Buffon’s Passing Star Model?

A

Planets formed from material pulled from the Sun by another star passing close by.

124
Q

De Buffons Passing star Model is an example of a catastrophic model.

What does this mean?

A

The result of a singular, peculiar event.

125
Q

What does De Buffons Passing Star Model suggest about stars?

A

That very few stars have planets.

126
Q

Problems with De Buffons Passing Star Model

A
  • We have way too many planets
  • Material from sun would be too hot to form planets
  • Stable, almost circular orbits are unlikely
  • Doesn’t explain varying properties of planets
127
Q

What is the Solar Nebula Hypothesis

A

Sun and planets formed from a nebula of gas and dust.

128
Q

What is an evolutionary model e.g - Solar Nebula Hypothesis

A

Process occurred slowly without requiring an unusual event

129
Q

Stage 1 of the Solar Nebula Hypothesis

A

Sun and planets formed at the same time from a contracting rotating cloud of gas.

Formation of planets is common

130
Q

Stage 2 of Solar Nebula Hypothesis

A

Cloud rotates, becomes smaller and the disc speeds up and flattens

131
Q

How is the sun formed in stage 2 of the solar nebula hypothesis

A

Gravity caused a concentration at the centre of the disc

132
Q

How are accreting bodies formed in the Solar Nebula Hypothesis

A

Further from the centre, grains of dust and molecules of gas start to form other bodies by a process called accretion

133
Q
A

Cosmos (3 decks)

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