Download EAPS 105 Exam 4: Planetary Science Questions & Answers and more Exams Astrophysics in PDF only on Docsity!
And Answers Latest Update 2025
Collision (in regards to moon formation) - - - correct answer ✅Impact with object creates loose matter for a moon to form Capture (in regards to moon formation) - - - correct answer ✅Gravitational forces pull an object in (Orbit differs from planet) Co-Accretion (In terms of moon formation) - - - correct answer ✅Moon formed from protoplanet disk orbiting a new planet Evidence which supports the impact theory for our Moon's origin - -
correct answer ✅1. Very small core, similar to Theia and Earth
- Chemistry of the Moon's crust can only form from the slow cooling of a magma ocean. The oxygen isotopes identify with the ratio of them from Earth
- Few volitiles, they were boiled off due to heat
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What is the most likely manner in which Mars aquired its moons? -
correct answer ✅Large Collision Phobos ~ 20km diameter Deimos ~ 12km diameter How did Jupiter acquire the Galilean moons? - - - correct answer ✅Co-Accretion with plantetary disk. Io Europa Ganymede Callisto Why does Io have no ice? - - - correct answer ✅Io orbits Jupiter close enough that it is withing Jupiter's ice-line What is unique about Ganymede and Callisto? - - - correct answer ✅Ganymede:
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What is unique about Neptune's moon Triton? - - - correct answer ✅It is in retrograde, it has an elliptical orbit which means in was captured by Neptune. It also has an icy exterior and rocky interior. Why are there high tides and low tides on two sides of the Earth at the same time? - - - correct answer ✅The Moon and Sun elongate the Earth. The Lunar Tide is a tidal swelling caused by the Moon's orbit The Solar Tide is a tidal swelling caused by the Sun Why is the moon moving away from the Earth? - - - correct answer ✅1. The Earth's rotation carries the tidal bulge a little ahead of the Moon's orbit, which accelerates the Moon's orbit, forcing it away from Earth little by little. It is drifting away around 4cm per year. Part of the stabalization of Earth's orbit
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What does it mean to be Tidally Locked? - - - correct answer ✅Occurs when the rotation of a satellite completes one cycle in the time it takes to orbit a planet. Tides within the satellite point towards the body, and it becomes elongated toward the body over time. Are the majority of large moons in the Solar System tidally locked? -
correct answer ✅Most moons in the Milky Way Galaxy are tidally locked Exceptions:
- Hyperion, Orbits Saturn, its ressonance with Titan does not allow it to be tidally locked
- Pluto's 4 moons, they interfere with each other
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What is the approximate thickness of Saturn's rings? - - - correct answer ✅On average, about 10m thick. Objects within the ring are only centimeters to meters in diameter. Which planets have rings? - - - correct answer ✅Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune What is the fate of Neptune's moon Triton? - - - correct answer ✅It's gonna die, Neptune will pull it in. What is the transit method for detecting Exoplanets? - - - correct answer ✅Dips in sunlight caused by a planet passing in front of a star. What is the Radial Velocity method for detecting Exoplanets? - - - correct answer ✅The gravitaional pull of an orbiting planet will cause the star to wobble - move slightly toward Earth (Blue doppler shift) and then away from Earth (Red doppler shift) each time a planet orbits. What is the Gravitational Microlensing method for detecting Exoplanets? - - -
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correct answer ✅Detects the bending of light from bodies magnifying the object behind it. (Think of a magnifying glass. The glass doesn't get bigger but the object does.) What is the Direct Imaging method for detecting Exoplanets? - - - correct answer ✅Looking at a star in Infrared and checking other warmed bodies that could orbit -This is good for detecting planets orbiting far from their host star as well as detecting rogue planets. What do the two components of the Transit Method (Time between transits and Amount of Light Blocked) reveal about Exoplanets? - - - correct answer ✅Amount of Light Blocked:
- More light blocked means bigger planet Time between Transits:
- Tells us the orbital period of the planet
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- Missing colors of light show up as black lines, indicating specific gases are present because each gas absorbs different colors of light How will the James Webb and WFIRST telescopes improve on the capability of Hubble? - - - correct answer ✅100x - 400x observed area of Hubble Why haven't we found any solar systems like ours so far? - - - correct answer ✅Technol;ogy is not refined enough yet to detect all types of space bodies What is meant by the term "Hot Jupiter" - - - correct answer ✅Jupiter sized planet orbiting close to a sun What is meant by the term "Hot Neptune" - - - correct answer ✅Neptune sized planet orbiting close to a sun (May leave ice trails) What is meant by the term "Lava World" - - - correct answer ✅Planet completely covered by Magma
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What is meant by the term "Ocean World" - - - correct answer ✅Planet completely covered by Ocean Why are mini-Neptune's unlikely to support life? - - - correct answer ✅Atmosphere is thicker, more greenhouse gasses, and a Hydrogen-Helium Atmosphere Life as we know it cannot survive in a Hydrogen-rich atmosphere What is meant by an Exoplanet Habitable Zone? - - - correct answer ✅Range from the sun where liquid water can exist Planet size must be no greater than 2x that of Earth
- Too small = can't hold onto atmosphere
- Too big = Atmosphere won't be life-sustainable What are the factors considered in the Earth Similarity Index (ESI) - -
correct answer ✅Size Density Escape Velocity
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What killed the Apollo 1 Astronauts? - - - correct answer ✅Fire in the cabin -Pure oxygen environment caused rapid spread of fire What happened to the Apollo 13 Astronauts? - - - correct answer ✅An Oxygen tank exploded, so they could not land on the Moon. The circled the Moon and made it back safely. What was the main cause of the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion? - - - correct answer ✅Crashed into the sea due to faulty O-Rings What killed the Space Shuttle Columbia astronauts? - - - correct answer ✅Burned up on re-entry due to famage to the wings. What is the danger to Spacecraft and Astronauts from micrometeoroids? - - -
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correct answer ✅Basically space bullets, they're very fast and very small making them hard to detect. What do Astronauts need to protect themselves from in Space? - - - correct answer ✅-Vacuum of Space -Extreme Heat & Cold -Micrometeoroids -Radiation What is Solar Wind? - - - correct answer ✅Force exerted by solar radiation on space objects What is a Solar Flare and is it Hazardous to Humans on Earth? - - - correct answer ✅Large emission of energy from the sun Not really harmful, Earth's magnetic field reflects most of it
- Definite danger if inhabiting planet without a magnetic field Where do Cosmic Rays originate from? - - - correct answer ✅Supernovas
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Why does sound not travel through Space? - - - correct answer ✅Atoms are too far spread out to carry sound vibrations effectively What would kill you first if you took off your helmet in space? - - - correct answer ✅Suffocation Is it possible to walk on a small asteroid or Comet? - - - correct answer ✅Not really, not enough gravity to pull you in, you would simply bounce off What was the first Exoplanet discovered? - - - correct answer ✅51 Pegasi B
