Term
| In your own words explain why belts and zones on the jovian planets have different colors, and what determines the color of a particular belt or zone. |
|
Definition
| (Must refer to convection, cloud hieght, temperature, and chemical compostion. |
|
|
Term
| Give two reasons why the Jovian planets all have stronger magnetic fields than the terrestrial planets. |
|
Definition
| They all spin and have a conductive core. |
|
|
Term
| Describe the layers of Jupiter's interior, including composition, phase (solid/liquid/gas) and any special properties. |
|
Definition
Solid rocky core-
liquid metallic hydrogen middle layer-
molecular hydrogen layer- |
|
|
Term
| Describe the differences between the interior of Jupiter and the interior of Neptune or Uranus. |
|
Definition
| Jupiter has a liquid metallic hydrogen middle layer and Unranus and Neptune have an icy, slushy layer. |
|
|
Term
| How does the Nebular Theory of Solar System formation explain the difference in composition of Uranus and Neptune compared to Jupiter and Saturn. |
|
Definition
| Lighter elements condense in the outer solar system |
|
|
Term
| How are the cores of the jovian planets different from the other layers of the planet? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is unusual about the magnetic field of Mercury, and the density of Mercury? What does this tell us about the interior of Mercury? |
|
Definition
| Mercury has a small, but detectable, magnetic field. This is unusual because Mercury spins very slowly. Mercury is more dense than expected. These two facts imply that Mercury had a large amount of dense material in its core, and that the material is electrically conductive. The conclusion is that Mercury has a large, dense, iron core. |
|
|
Term
| Why would the presence of volcanoes on Venus lead a scientist to expect that Venus would have a magnetic field? Why doesn't Venus have a magnetic field? |
|
Definition
| To have volcanoes, Venus must have a molten interior. The Earth's molten interior is a requirement for having a magnetic field. Venus does not have a magnetic field because it does not spin. |
|
|
Term
| How did Venus develop a "runaway greenhouse effect"? |
|
Definition
| Venus may have had a liquid water on its surface at some time, which would have helped remove carbon dioxide generated by volcanoes. Venus's temperature became too hot to keeep liquid water on its surface, due to an increasing greenhouse effect, and Venus's nearness to the Sun. Once the temperature climbed above the boiling point of water, Venus's oceans would have evaporated, and the CO2 level would not have anything to stop it- causing a "runaway" greenhouse effect. |
|
|
Term
| What evidence is there that water once flowed on the surface of Mars? |
|
Definition
| There are many channels which show the same erosion features that flowing water causes on Earth. The northern hemisphere has very few craters and is at a low elevation, which could have been caused by an ocean. Some rocks studied on Mars show chemical differences that could be explained by running water. |
|
|
Term
| Why did the atmosphere of Venus evolve into something so different than the atmosphere of the Earth? |
|
Definition
| The temperature of Venus increased to the point where the liquid water boiled into water vapor. |
|
|
Term
| Why did the atmosphere of Mars evolve into something so different than that of Earth? |
|
Definition
| Mars was too small to sustain a molten interior. When volcanic activity shut down, Mars gradually lost most of the CO2 in its atmosphere. |
|
|
Term
| Where do planetary ring systems like Saturn's come from? Answer in a sentence or two. |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Where are dwarf planets found in the Solar System? Name three dwarf planets from different parts of the Solar System, and identify where they appear. |
|
Definition
Most dwarf planets exist in the asteroid belt or Kuiper belt, except for Pluto, whose orbit is in the outer Solar System close to the Kuiper belt.
Examples:
Ceres - asteroid belt
Pluto - outer solar system
Eris, Sedna, Makemake, etc. - Kuiper Belt. |
|
|
Term
| List the criteria that must be true of a body for it to be considered a "major" planet. Why is Pluto not considered a major planet? |
|
Definition
1: The body must orbit the sun.
2: The body must be massive enough to pull it into a spherical shape.
3: The body must have formed by accumulating material from the area around it.
Since Pluto crosses the orbit of Neptune, it does not meet the requirement for #3. |
|
|
Term
| Discuss two ways that moons affect a planet's ring system. |
|
Definition
| Major moons' gravity combines with Saturn's to separate the rings into large bands and cause large gaps. Complicated gravitational patterns form 'grooved' appearance of the rings. Shepherd moons support and constrain thin rings. |
|
|
