Flashcards
Which Planet?
Cards in this deck (70)
- 1MercuryPlanetologists believe this planet has a large iron core which shrank when the planet cooled, leaving behind long, steep cliff faces called scarps.
- 2MercuryThe Caloris Basin is a large crater about ½ the radius of the planet. Planetologists found jumbled crust on the opposite side of the planet which they believe was caused by the object that created this basin.
- 3MercuryDominated by impact craters,
smooth volcanic plains, possible ice in deep craters - 4Mercury2 NASA Missions Mariner 10- flyby (1970s)
MESSENGER- orbiter (complete 2011)
Now more than 99% mapped surface - 5Venus3 large elevated “terra” or continents are on the surface of, which shows relatively few even-spaced crater impacts suggesting a recent planet-wide repavement in the last 750 million years.
- 6VenusThis planet boasts the hottest surface temperature of all planets in our solar system.
- 7VenusIt takes 243 Earth days for this planet to rotate once. This slow rotation is a primary reason why this planet does not have a global magnetic field.
- 8VenusClouds are sulfur dioxide and droplets of sulfric acid. Rains acid, but it evaporates before hitting ground (called virga)
- 9VenusMany types of volcanoes: plains, cones, shield volcanoes, pancake domes, caldera, tick volcano
- 10VenusMajor Missions: Soviet Venera program: first lander was Venera 7; NASA Mariner program flyby; Magellan: NASA mission that used radar to map up to 300 m resolution.
- 11VenusJust a little smaller and less massive than Earth; NO magnetic field, rotates backwards (retrograde), Sun rises west and sets east. Transits the Sun as viewed from Earth.
- 12VenusAtmosphere: mostly carbon dioxide and some nitrogen; runaway greenhouse effect causes temperature of 872 F, hottest surface temperature of all planets, super-rotation of atmosphere
- 13EarthMost refrigerator magnets have a magnetic field stronger than the this planets magnetic field which shields the planet from charged particles from the solar wind.
- 14Earthhas Plate Tectonics
- 15EarthMild greenhouse effect.
Atmosphere is mostly Nitrogen, then Oxygen, Argon, Carbon Dioxide… - 16Earthlarge stable bodies of liquid water; 7 continents, active geology
- 17EarthSolid inner iron core surrounded by liquid out core of iron, then mantle, thin crust.
- 18Earthaurora at poles caused by charged particles from the Sun getting caught in planets magnetic field and exciting the gasses in the atmosphere.
- 19MarsShield volcano Olympus Mons is the tallest mountain in the solar system rising over 85,000 ft.
- 20MarsNASA’s Spirit and Opportunity rovers found solid evidence that liquid water once was abundant here.
- 21MarsHas been known to have dust storms so large the entire planet is engulfed.
- 22MarsValles Marineris, Hellas Basin, and
Frozen dry ice caps that migrate
Subsurface water or permafrost in soil - 23MarsDiscovery: has been known since ancient times. Tuesday named after it.
- 24MarsMajor Missions: most visited / studied planet other than Earth; Current NASA mission is Curiosity Rover
- 25MarsNo global magnetic field, only a magnetism still “baked into” the rocks left; red surface is due to rust or iron oxidizing.
- 26MarsMoons: captured asteroids Phobos and Diemos
- 27JupiterHas the largest and strongest magnetosphere of the planets, and aurora have been documented at the poles of the planet.
- 28JupiterHas three cloud top layers: water, ammonium hydrosulfide and ammonia.
- 29JupiterMajor Surface Features: gas giant, no solid surface
Belts and zones (banding) of cloud top layers
Giant long term circular storms (Giant Red Spot- size of Earth!)) - 30JupiterDark carbon rings that “forward scatter” light.
- 31JupiterMoons: 67 confirmed moons.
4 Galilean moons discovered by Galileo in 1610: Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto - 32JupiterDiscovery: has been known since ancient times. Thursday named after it.
- 33JupiterMore than 2x’s the mass of all other planets combined.
- 34JupiterHumans witnessed Comet Shoemaker Levy 9 impact this planet in July 1994 which was the first ever direct observation of a collision between Solar System objects.
- 35SaturnThis planet is the most oblate planet, meaning that the equatorial region bulges outward—looking like it is squashed at the poles.
- 36SaturnIts rings were first seen by Galileo who described them as “ears” or possibly moons on either side of the planet.
- 37SaturnThe ring system is comprised of bits of highly reflective ice/rock chunks which have been broken up by this planets gravitational field.
- 38SaturnRings have gaps due to resonance with this planet and its many moons.
- 39SaturnHexagonal storm system at pole.
- 40SaturnMajor Surface Features: gas giant, no solid surface
Generally bland atmosphere, banding is deeper in than Jupiter
Polar aurorae do exist due to magnetic field
Lightning on planet 1,000 x’s stronger than on Earth - 41SaturnMoons: 62 moons, 53 are named; hundreds of moonlets in the rings.
- 42SaturnDiscovery: has been known since ancient times. Saturday named after it.
- 43SaturnMissions: Pioneer flyby 1979
Voyager 1 in 1980
Voyager 2 in 1981
Cassini-Huygens in 2004 - 44SarturnOther Interesting Facts:
Density less than water!
Easily visible to naked eye.
Tilt of rings changes to Earth observers - 45UranusFirst planet discovered by humans with the aid of a telescope – Sir William Herschel in Bath, England in his garden on March 13, 1781
- 46UranusThis planet has extreme 20 year long seasons due to the fact that its axis of rotation is tipped roughly 97° , parallel to the ecliptic (plane of solar system).
- 47UranusMethane in the atmosphere of this planet absorbs red light from the Sun and reflects blue light. Additional smog-like scatter makes it appear greener than Neptune.
- 48UranusMajor Surface Features:
Ice giant (failed gas giant?)
No solid surface
No storms visible
Very bland surface layer
Contains much more ices than Jupiter/Saturn
Ices are water, ammonia, methane, ethane (not - 49UranusMoons: 27 known moons
Named for charcters in Shakespeare and Alexander Pope - 50UranusMissions: Voyager 2 in 1986 flyby
- 51UranusKnown as planet “George” or “George’s Star”
- 52Uranus84 year orbital period
- 53UranusPlanet was knocked over on its side
- 54UranusRings discovered during an occultation of a star
Aurorae seen at poles - 55NeptuneFirst planet to be “found” mathematically first, then found observationally with a telescope by Johann Gottfried Galle in 1846.
- 56NeptuneKnown for the fastest winds in the solar system, wind speeds can reach up to 700 miles/hour.
- 57NeptunePlanets arc ring system was discovered by Voyager spacecraft in 1989.
- 58NeptuneMajor Surface Features:
Ice giant (failed gas giant?)
Bluer in appearance than Uranus
Dark and white storms visible on top layer of atmosphere - 59NeptuneMissions: Voyager 2 flyby
- 60NeptuneMoons: 13 known moons (1 more awaiting official confirmation)
Top 3 largest: Triton, Proteus, Nereid - 61NeptuneCannot be seen with the unaided eye. (must use telescope)
- 62Neptune6 rings
- 63Neptune165 years to orbit the Sun
- 64PlutoMajor Surface Features:
Remarkably varied surface, changes in brightness
Surface seems to be mostly nitrogen ice with traces
Made of rock and ice - 65PlutoMoons: 5 known moons
Charon is largest, and is so large it is often called a double-object with this planet - 66PlutoDiscovery: discovered by Kansas farm boy Clyde Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory in 1930
- 67PlutoMissions: New Horizons mission will flyby in 2015!
- 68PlutoIn 2006, deemed a dwarf planet because it has not cleared its orbit of debris
- 69Pluto2nd most massive dwarf planet
- 70PlutoOrbit is highly inclined off the ecliptic=17 degrees!
247 years to go around Sun once!