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Description
Flashcards by Amanda Chaiet, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Amanda Chaiet
almost 8 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Mercury | Planetologists believe this planet has a large iron core which shrank when the planet cooled, leaving behind long, steep cliff faces called scarps. |
| Mercury | The 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. |
| Mercury | Dominated by impact craters, smooth volcanic plains, possible ice in deep craters |
| Mercury | 2 NASA Missions Mariner 10- flyby (1970s) MESSENGER- orbiter (complete 2011) Now more than 99% mapped surface |
| Venus | 3 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. |
| Venus | This planet boasts the hottest surface temperature of all planets in our solar system. |
| Venus | It 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. |
| Venus | Clouds are sulfur dioxide and droplets of sulfric acid. Rains acid, but it evaporates before hitting ground (called virga) |
| Venus | Many types of volcanoes: plains, cones, shield volcanoes, pancake domes, caldera, tick volcano |
| Venus | Major 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. |
| Venus | Just 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. |
| Venus | Atmosphere: mostly carbon dioxide and some nitrogen; runaway greenhouse effect causes temperature of 872 F, hottest surface temperature of all planets, super-rotation of atmosphere |
| Earth | Most refrigerator magnets have a magnetic field stronger than the this planets magnetic field which shields the planet from charged particles from the solar wind. |
| Earth | has Plate Tectonics |
| Earth | Mild greenhouse effect. Atmosphere is mostly Nitrogen, then Oxygen, Argon, Carbon Dioxide… |
| Earth | large stable bodies of liquid water; 7 continents, active geology |
| Earth | Solid inner iron core surrounded by liquid out core of iron, then mantle, thin crust. |
| Earth | aurora at poles caused by charged particles from the Sun getting caught in planets magnetic field and exciting the gasses in the atmosphere. |
| Mars | Shield volcano Olympus Mons is the tallest mountain in the solar system rising over 85,000 ft. |
| Mars | NASA’s Spirit and Opportunity rovers found solid evidence that liquid water once was abundant here. |
| Mars | Has been known to have dust storms so large the entire planet is engulfed. |
| Mars | Valles Marineris, Hellas Basin, and Frozen dry ice caps that migrate Subsurface water or permafrost in soil |
| Mars | Discovery: has been known since ancient times. Tuesday named after it. |
| Mars | Major Missions: most visited / studied planet other than Earth; Current NASA mission is Curiosity Rover |
| Mars | No global magnetic field, only a magnetism still “baked into” the rocks left; red surface is due to rust or iron oxidizing. |
| Mars | Moons: captured asteroids Phobos and Diemos |
| Jupiter | Has the largest and strongest magnetosphere of the planets, and aurora have been documented at the poles of the planet. |
| Jupiter | Has three cloud top layers: water, ammonium hydrosulfide and ammonia. |
| Jupiter | Major 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!)) |
| Jupiter | Dark carbon rings that “forward scatter” light. |
| Jupiter | Moons: 67 confirmed moons. 4 Galilean moons discovered by Galileo in 1610: Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto |
| Jupiter | Discovery: has been known since ancient times. Thursday named after it. |
| Jupiter | More than 2x’s the mass of all other planets combined. |
| Jupiter | Humans 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. |
| Saturn | This planet is the most oblate planet, meaning that the equatorial region bulges outward—looking like it is squashed at the poles. |
| Saturn | Its rings were first seen by Galileo who described them as “ears” or possibly moons on either side of the planet. |
| Saturn | The ring system is comprised of bits of highly reflective ice/rock chunks which have been broken up by this planets gravitational field. |
| Saturn | Rings have gaps due to resonance with this planet and its many moons. |
| Saturn | Hexagonal storm system at pole. |
| Saturn | Major 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 |
| Saturn | Moons: 62 moons, 53 are named; hundreds of moonlets in the rings. |
| Saturn | Discovery: has been known since ancient times. Saturday named after it. |
| Saturn | Missions: Pioneer flyby 1979 Voyager 1 in 1980 Voyager 2 in 1981 Cassini-Huygens in 2004 |
| Sarturn | Other Interesting Facts: Density less than water! Easily visible to naked eye. Tilt of rings changes to Earth observers |
| Uranus | First planet discovered by humans with the aid of a telescope – Sir William Herschel in Bath, England in his garden on March 13, 1781 |
| Uranus | This 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). |
| Uranus | Methane 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. |
| Uranus | Major 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 |
| Uranus | Moons: 27 known moons Named for charcters in Shakespeare and Alexander Pope |
| Uranus | Missions: Voyager 2 in 1986 flyby |
| Uranus | Known as planet “George” or “George’s Star” |
| Uranus | 84 year orbital period |
| Uranus | Planet was knocked over on its side |
| Uranus | Rings discovered during an occultation of a star Aurorae seen at poles |
| Neptune | First planet to be “found” mathematically first, then found observationally with a telescope by Johann Gottfried Galle in 1846. |
| Neptune | Known for the fastest winds in the solar system, wind speeds can reach up to 700 miles/hour. |
| Neptune | Planets arc ring system was discovered by Voyager spacecraft in 1989. |
| Neptune | Major Surface Features: Ice giant (failed gas giant?) Bluer in appearance than Uranus Dark and white storms visible on top layer of atmosphere |
| Neptune | Missions: Voyager 2 flyby |
| Neptune | Moons: 13 known moons (1 more awaiting official confirmation) Top 3 largest: Triton, Proteus, Nereid |
| Neptune | Cannot be seen with the unaided eye. (must use telescope) |
| Neptune | 6 rings |
| Neptune | 165 years to orbit the Sun |
| Pluto | Major Surface Features: Remarkably varied surface, changes in brightness Surface seems to be mostly nitrogen ice with traces Made of rock and ice |
| Pluto | Moons: 5 known moons Charon is largest, and is so large it is often called a double-object with this planet |
| Pluto | Discovery: discovered by Kansas farm boy Clyde Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory in 1930 |
| Pluto | Missions: New Horizons mission will flyby in 2015! |
| Pluto | In 2006, deemed a dwarf planet because it has not cleared its orbit of debris |
| Pluto | 2nd most massive dwarf planet |
| Pluto | Orbit is highly inclined off the ecliptic=17 degrees! 247 years to go around Sun once! |
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