ASTR 101-3, FALL 2010 1

LECTURE 10, SEPTEMBER 28, 2010

ASTR 101, SECTION 3INSTRUCTOR, JACK BRANDT

jcbrandt@unm.edu

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Question 1

Mercury’s surface most resembles which of these?

a) the Moon’s far side

b) Venus’ polar regionsc) Earth’s desertsd) the Moon’s near sidee) Mars’ deserts

Question 1

Mercury’s surface most resembles which of these?

a) the Moon’s far side

b) Venus’ polar regionsc) Earth’s desertsd) the Moon’s near sidee) Mars’ deserts

Both Mercury and the Moon’s far side are heavily

cratered.

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Question 6

Which of the following inner solar system bodies has the densest atmosphere?

a) Mercuryb) Venusc) Earthd) Moone) Mars

Question 6

a) Mercuryb) Venusc) Earthd) Moone) Mars

Venus’ atmosphere has a pressure about 90 times larger than Earth’s.

Many of its surface features are affected by this immense pressure.

Which of the following inner solar system bodies has the densest atmosphere?

Question 7

The greenhouse effect on Venus is due to ______ in its atmosphere.

a) nitrogenb) hydrogenc) carbon dioxided) oxygene) sulfuric acid

Question 7

The greenhouse effect on Venus is due to ______ in its atmosphere.

Venus’ atmosphere is over 96% CO2, resulting in a surface temperature

exceeding 900 °F.

a) nitrogenb) hydrogenc) carbon dioxide d) oxygene) sulfuric acid

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Question 10

Which of the following inner solar system bodies has the largest volcanoes?

a) Mercuryb) Venusc) Earthd) Marse) Moon

Question 10

a) Mercuryb) Venusc) Earthd) Marse) Moon

Mars’ largest volcano, Olympus Mons, rises more than 25 km (75,000 ft)

above the surrounding plains.

Which of the following inner solar system bodies has the largest volcanoes?

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What was the most likely source of the water that formed the huge outflow channels of Mars?

Question 13a) rainfallb) catastrophic but rare floodingc) annual melting of the seasonal ice

capsd) large comets that struck Marse) a collision with one of Jupiter’s frozen

moons

What was the most likely source of the water that formed the huge outflow channels of Mars?

Question 13a) rainfallb) catastrophic but rare floodingc) annual melting of the seasonal ice

capsd) large comets that struck Marse) a collision with one of Jupiter’s frozen

moons

Flooding on Mars appears to have occurred about 3 billion

years ago.

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ATMOSPHERIC EVOLUTION-COMPARATIVE PLANETOLOGY-1

• EARTH-Primary atmosphere (Gone) vs. secondary atmosphere (Needed). Oceans, require external source. Oxygen on Earth requires life. Nitrogen relatively inert.

• VENUS-Runaway Greenhouse Effect. Even if there were oceans, all water lost. See Fig. 6.34.

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ATMOSPHERIC EVOLUTION-COMPARATIVE PLANETOLOGY-2

• MARS-May have been “Earth Like” in the past. Lost much of its atmosphere due to collisions and escape. With no Greenhouse Effect, the temperature dropped. Gases combined with the surface materials and perhaps froze out of the atmosphere.

Venus and Mars probably evolved differently from Earth because

Question 11

a) they are slightly bigger than Earth.b) they are more massive than Earth.c) they have thicker atmospheres than Earth.d) they formed sooner than Earth.e) they orbit at different distances from the Sun.

Venus and Mars probably evolved differently from Earth because

Question 11

a) they are slightly bigger than Earth.b) they are more massive than Earth.c) they have thicker atmospheres than Earth.d) they formed sooner than Earth.e) they orbit at different distances from the Sun.