The Solar System Lecture 8 Flashcards
What is the average distance of Mars to the Sun?
1.5 AU
What are the surface rocks of Mars rich in? (2 Factors)
Iron and Silicon
How many days is Mars’ year?
686 days
What does Mars’ apparent size change?
Due to the change of distance to the Earth
What kind of atmosphere does Mars have?
A thin atmosphere
What are Mars’ two moons called?
Deimos and Phobos
Where did Mars’ moons come from?
Likely captured from an asteroid belt in-between Mars and Jupiter
What is the rough diameter of Deimos?
12km
What has the Phoenix Mars Mission robot been looking for?
For water on the surface of Mars
What was the first robot to orbit and land on Mars?
Viking 1 and 2
What did Mars Rover Spirit and Opportunity find on Mars?
Evidence of existance of water on Mars
Why is there less AR-36 on Mars than the Sun or Jupiter?
Because it has a weaker gravitational field
What is AR-36 used to measure?
How much atmosphere Mars has lost since warmer, wetter days
Why is the gas AR-36 special?
It is a noble gas, so it does not react with other elements.
What is Mars atmosphere highly comprised of?
CO2 :95%, N2 and Ar: 1.6%, a little H2O
Why can solar winds go through the atmosphere of Mars’ and strip away the surface?
As Mars has a low magnetic field
What is the surface temperature of Mars?
-140 to +20
What is a Macroweather?
Stable conditions between short term variations (weather and) and long-term trends (climate)
What seems to be a large factor of Mars’ macroweather?
The sun
How long does it take Mars’ macroweather to transition in comparison to Earth?
It takes 1.8 days as opposed to 10 days for Earth
What may be the cause of flash floods on Mars?
Mars’ obliquity has not been constant
What are the two ancient impact basins on Mars called?
Argyre and Hellas
What is Mars’ large raised region called?
Tharsis Bulge
What is the large volcano on Mars called and what region is it in?
Olympus Mons, Tharsis Region
What is one of the large canyons on Mars called?
Valles Marineris
How long is the large canyon Valles Marineris?
4000-5000km
What is the diameter and height of Olympus Mons?
600km diameter, 25km height
What are volcanoes on Mars so large?
Due to the lack of tectonic plates.
What robot discovered the canyon Valles Marineris in 1971?
Mariner 9
Why can liquid water not exist on the surface of Mars?
It would freeze and become ice
What is some evidence for water on Mars?
Gullies have been found on crater walls
What robot has discovered strong evidence for water under the surface of Mars?
Mars Odyssey
