Inner Planets
Mercury has almost no atmosphere, while Venus has an extremely thick atmosphere. Which planet experiences the larger day-night temperature CHANGES? Why?
Mercury; as it has no atmosphere to trap heat.
An astronaut descends into Jupiter expecting to land on solid ground. Explain why this plan would fail.
Jupiter does not have a solid surface, instead he would find increasing pressurized fluids and gases.
What phase of the star is the Sun (what part of its life is it in)? What type of nuclear fusion does the sun do during this phase?
Main Sequence, the Proton-Proton Chain
Which type of asteroid is made mostly of carbon?
C-Type Asteroid
Which type of nebula glows because nearby hot stars ionize its gas?
Emission Nebulae or HII regions
Venus is farther from the Sun than Mercury, yet Venus is much hotter. Why?
Venus; due to the greenhouse gas effect.
Which planet has a Hexagonal Storm at its poles?
Saturn
What causes sunspots?
Caused by an extra-strong magnetic field that blocks plasma from reaching the surface.
Why are there very few asteroids inside the Kirkwood Gaps?
Jupiter's gravity (orbital resonances) removes asteroids from those orbits.
Around hot, massive O and B type stars, UV radiation creates a spherical ionized hydrogen (H II) region called a _____ sphere.
Stromgen
Why is Mercury covered in rifts, cracks, and large wrinkles in its crust? Hint: There are no tectonics on Mercury
Due to the fact that Mercury is shrinking, and its crust had already cooled which led to buckling of the surface.
Which planet has a Hydrogen, Helium, and Methane atmosphere that sports extremely fast winds. It is known to sport the Great and Small dark spots. Which planet has a Hydrogen, Helium, and Methane atmosphere that sports extremely fast winds. It is known to sport the Great and Small dark spots.
Neptune
A photon is created in the Sun's core. Which layer takes the photon millions of years to travel through?
The Radiative zone, as it is relatively dense and opaque.
A group of scientists are using their telescopes to search for new dwarf planets far out from Neptune’s orbit. They find a small icy world around 30-55 AU from the Sun. They want to send a probe to land on it, so what part of the Solar System should they send their probe to?
The Kuiper Belt.
Describe Molecular Clouds, what they are made of, and why they are great locations for star formation.
Molecular Clouds are vast, cold, and dense regions of interstellar gas and dust where atoms are able to bond to form molecules like Hydrogen (H2) and Carbon Monoxide (CO). Relatively low levels of disturbance allows for gas to come together gravitationally.
What planet is the largest canyon in the Solar System found and what is it called?
Mars, Valles Marineris.
You discover a giant planet with rings, over 280 moons, and a density lower than water. Which Solar System planet is it most similar to?
Saturn
Name the Giant Balloon like clouds of magnetically active plasma ejected by the sun, often interacting with the Earth’s field which causes Aurora.
The Coronal Mass Ejections (Solar Flare not acceptable)
Which planet has the largest known population of Trojan and Greek Asteroids
Jupiter
A Sun-like star reaches the end of its life and ejects its outer layers into space. What type of nebula forms?
Planetary Nebula
What planet is considered Earth’s “Sister Planet”? Name the major similarities and differences with Earth; and why it cannot support life.
Venus. Venus is similar in mass and gravity to Earth, however its runaway greenhouse effect traps extreme heat while supporting a thick atmosphere of mostly CO2 that is inhospitable to terrestrial life. Venus also has concentrated sulfuric acid rain and extreme pressures at its surface which would crush any organisms.
Why does Uranus experience much more extreme seasons than Earth?
It has an extreme axial tilt of about 98 degrees, causing extreme 21 year winters and 21 year summers.
Place these layers in order from the center of the Sun outward: Photosphere, Core, Chromosphere, Convection Zone, Radiative Zone, Corona.
Core, Radiative Zone, Convection Zone, Photosphere, Chromosphere, Corona
A comet is approaching the sun, which part of the comet will point directly away from the sun and why?
The Ion tail, this is because the solar wind from the sun will create a stream of plasma directly away from it. Different from the dust tail, which points in the direction the comet goes.
Scientists are studying a Nebula. They try to recreate it in the lab and notice that the electrons are jumping from the n=4 energy level to the n=2 energy level. Given a Rydberg constant of 1.1*10^-2 nm^-1, what is the wavelength of light the nebula should be emitting?
484.85 nm