Astronomy 101 FINAL EXAM 2024-2025. Questions and Correct, Verified Answers. Graded A+, Exams of Astronomy

Download Astronomy 101 FINAL EXAM 2024-2025. Questions and Correct, Verified Answers. Graded A+ and more Exams Astronomy in PDF only on Docsity! Astronomy 101 FINAL EXAM 2024-2025. Questions and Correct, Verified Answers. Graded A+ As of 2012, how many moons orbit each planet/& dwarf planet? - ANS... Besides the moon, which planets exibit a full set of phases? - ANSMercury and Venus have a full set of phases in additon to Earth's Moon. Billions of years ago the Moon was alot closer to Earth. How did this effect the tides and day length? - ANSmeaning that each day/night cycle was shorter, and tides would also have been higher [possible couple hundred meters high] Callisto - ANSJupiters, "black with star pattern", +++preserved craters, cool, furthest from Jupiter, Chemical composition of terrestrial planets? - ANSrocky & metallic Chemical compositions of Jovian planets? - ANSliquid & gaseous Dwarf Planet criteria: - ANSOrbits around the Sun • Sufficient mass for its self-gravity to shape itself into a sphere (or ellipsoid) • Not cleared its neighborhood around its orbit • Not a moon Enceladus: - ANSSaturnian, "tiger stripe", cracks=water geyser venting from South Polar Region and forms the E-ring [shoots 100+ mi. into space], N.Hemisphere=preserved, surface covered in water ice Europa - ANSJupiters, "q-ball", water/ice, cracks caused by Jupiters gravity Ganymede - ANSlargest moon in the solar system, old regions=dark-many impact craters, youg=light-few craters, bright area=rich in water/ice high pressure systems - ANSrotate clockwise in the N. Hemispher and counter-clockwise in the S. Hemisphere [Jupiters Eye] How do the atmopheres of the Jovian planets differ from eachother? - ANSJupiter: 90% hydrogen, 10% helium Saturn:hydrogen and helium, ++sulfur=yellow color,nitrogen and oxygen Uranus: blue methane, reflects blue& absorbs other colours Neptune: blue methan, clouds=crystalized methane How do volcanoes grow so big on other planets? - ANSIf a planet doesn't have plate techtonics then the terrestrial portion of that planet adjusted over the magma hot just continues to grow. How does one determine high pressure/low pressure systems on other worlds? - ANSHurricanes are low pressure systems: rotate counter-clockwise in the N. Hemisphere and clockwise in the S. Hemisphere • High pressure systems rotate the opposite sense How would the sunset look on the surface of Mars? - ANSappear blue because dust scatters, and reflects Sun's light towards me [ie. in space= appear red because blue scatters away from me], Sun would have a halo How would the sunset look on the surface of Mercury? - ANSjust a big freakin yellow Sun against a background of black, atmosphere=1%of Earth's How would the sunset look on the surface of Venus? - ANSCloudy, dark, Raining sulfuric rain Hyperion: - ANSSaturnian, "sponge-like'' Not enough mass to shape itself into a sphere, abnormal craters, covered with sharp edges If the Earth's axis was no longer tilted, then how would Earth be affected? - ANSno more seasons Mimas: - ANSSaturnian, "death star", is causing a gap in Saturn's Ring through a gravitation resonance [2:1] [like kicking on the swing at just the right time] Moon vs. Mercury - ANSAverage density of Moon is 3.3 g/cm3 • Mare- dark flat lowlands with few impact craters and formed when lava flowed in to the low areas of the moon about 3.1-3.8 billion years • Highlands - bright, mountainous, cratered regions that are the result of countless meteorite impacts and formed about 4.2 - 3.9 Billion years ago • No tectonic activity • Moon-quakes caused by gravitational interactions with the Earth and not by tectonic activity • Little interior heat • Transient atmosphere produced by evaporation of surface material • Weak magnetic field Moons further away from Jupiter - ANSexperience less gravitational heating: less active surface, more cratered, older surface Neptune - ANS• Diameter: 3.9x Earth • Mass: 17x Earth • Orbit: 30x further from Sun than Earth • Methane in the upper atmosphere gives its blue color, White clouds of crystal methane found high in the atmosphere • Great Dark Spot is a high pressure storm system Oort Cloud - Sph - ANSerical shell between 10,000 - 100,000 AU containing up to a trillion comets Outside the frost line - ANSrocks, metals and hydrogen compounds like water, methane and ammonia condense to form a solid material, Jovian planets form Planet criteria: - ANSOrbits around the Sun • Sufficient mass for its self-gravity to shape itself into a sphere (or ellipsoid) • Cleared its neighborhood around its orbit Planetary Atmospheres - ANS• The more massive the planet the larger the gravity and the more gas it can hold in its atmosphere • The speed of the gases will determine if the planet's gravity can hold the gas in its atmosphere • Higher the temperature, the faster the gas velocity Planets that have tilts similar to Earth are? - ANSMars=25°, Saturn 26°, Neptune 29.6° Plutoid Criteria: - ANSOrbits around the Sun • Sufficient mass for its self-gravity to shape itself into a sphere • Not cleared its neighborhood around its orbit • Not a moon • Orbits beyond the orbit of Neptune Roche Limit - ANSminimum radius at which a moon may orbit a planet without being ripped apart Runaway Greenhouse Effect - ANScaused by the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere Saturn - ANS• Diameter: 9.5x Earth • Mass: 95x Earth • Orbit: 10x further from Sun than Earth Saturn - ANSJovian, Diameter: 9.5x Earth Mass: 95x Earth Orbit: 10x further from Sun than Earth -thick upper atmosphere=cannot see below it Saturn: Possible Ring Origin - ANSan object came too close to this planet and was torn apart by gravity, creating rings Saturn's Ring Characteristics - ANSRings are very thin: 30 feet thick (on average) Rings are composed of icy dust particles that orbit around this planet's equator Should there be another planet [not dwarf] between Mars and Jupiter? - ANSNot enough material[=~4%Earth's Moon] to form another planet. Jupiter gravity=movement and jostling of material, made it impossible for formation of another planet. Solar System Formation - ANSfrom the collapse of a rotating cloud ~10000 AU in size (Solar Nebula) composition of a planet depends on the type of material that condenses into a solid at the planet's location, frostlines Terrestrial planets vs. Jovian planets - ANSSmall/Low Mass, Rocky/Metallic, High Density, Thin Atmosphere Titan: - ANSSaturnian, 2nd largest, Only moon with a dense atmosphere - Atmosphere: Nitrogen (90%), no Oxygen - Methane clouds rains down methane on surface Triton - ANSNeptunean's, the only major moon to orbit its planet in retrograde motion (captured Kuiper belt object) Venus - ANSDiameter: 95% of Earth's, Mass: 82% of Earth's, Orbit: 28% closer to Sun Solar Day = 117 Earth days Axis: tilted by 177° (rotating backwards) Venus' atmosphere - ANSAtmosphere: 85x Earth's, 96.5% CO2, Temperature: 870° F, without CO2 the temperature would drop to about 150° F Venus' interior - ANSis very hot like the Earth, but does not possess a magnetic field of its very slow rotation of 243 days