Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Chapter 10, Problem 19E
We believe that all of the terrestrial planets had similar histories when it comes to impacts from space. Explain how this idea can be used to date the formation of the martian highlands, the martian basins, and the Tharsis volcanoes. How certain are the ages derived for these features (in other words, how do we check the ages we derive from this method)?
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How many impacts would you expect to strike a 100m2 region in one hour during Earth’s formation, assuming that Earth grew to its present size in 10 million years from particles averaging 100 grams each? (Hint: Assume that Earth had its current radius of 6378km.) (Notes: The surface area of a sphere is 4pir2 ; 1yr=3.2x107 .)
a. About 1300.
b. About 13 .
c. About 13,000.
d. About 130
1. (a) Calculate thermal escape times for H,
He, and H2O on Mars with exosphere
temperatures of 210 K and 1000 K.
Comment on the volatile history on Mars if
transient events ever heated its exosphere
to 1,000 K for 1 My (b)Why is the calculation
inadequate to fully explain the escape of
Martian volatiles?
We think the terrestrial planets formed around solid “seeds” that later grew over time through the accretion of rocks and metals.
a) Suppose the Earth grew to its present size in 1 million years through the accretion of particles averaging 100 grams each. On average, how many particles did the Earth capture per second, given that the mass of the Earth is = 5.972 × 10 ^24 kg ?
b) If you stood on Earth during its formation and watched a region covering 100 m^2, how many impacts would you expect to see in one hour. Use the impact rate you calculated in part a. You’ll need the following as well: the radius of the Earth is = 6.371 × 10 ^6 m and the surface area of the Earth is 4??^2Earth
Chapter 10 Solutions
Astronomy
Ch. 10 - List several ways that Venus, Earth, and Mars are...Ch. 10 - Compare the current atmospheres of Earth, Venus,...Ch. 10 - How might Venus’ atmosphere have evolved to its...Ch. 10 - Describe the current atmosphere on Mars. What...Ch. 10 - Explain the runaway refrigerator effect and the...Ch. 10 - What evidence do we have that there was running...Ch. 10 - What evidence is there that Venus was volcanically...Ch. 10 - Why is Mars red?Ch. 10 - What is the composition of clouds on Mars?Ch. 10 - What is the composition of the polar caps on Mars?
Ch. 10 - Describe two anomalous features of the rotation of...Ch. 10 - How was the Mars Odyssey spacecraft able to detect...Ch. 10 - What are the advantages of using radar imaging...Ch. 10 - Venus and Earth are nearly the same size and...Ch. 10 - Why is there so much more carbon dioxide in the...Ch. 10 - If the Viking missions were such a rich source of...Ch. 10 - Compare Mars with Mercury and the Moon in terms of...Ch. 10 - Contrast the mountains on Mars and Venus with...Ch. 10 - We believe that all of the terrestrial planets had...Ch. 10 - Is it likely that life ever existed on either...Ch. 10 - Suppose that, decades from now, NASA is...Ch. 10 - We believe that Venus, Earth, and Mars all started...Ch. 10 - One source of information about Mars has been the...Ch. 10 - The runaway greenhouse effect and its inverse, the...Ch. 10 - In what way is the high surface temperature of...Ch. 10 - What is a dust devil? Would you expect to feel...Ch. 10 - Near the martian equator, temperatures at the same...Ch. 10 - Estimate the amount of water there could be in a...Ch. 10 - At its nearest, Venus comes within about 41...Ch. 10 - If you weigh 150 lbs. on the surface of Earth, how...Ch. 10 - Calculate the relative land area-that is, the...Ch. 10 - The closest approach distance between Mars and...
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Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- What evidence do we have that there was running (liquid) water on Mars in the past? What evidence is there for water coming out of the ground even today?arrow_forwardFor which of the following reasons (select all that apply), is it useful/important to send rovers to other planetary bodies in our solar system? a. More direct probes of the planetary surface are possible to detect signs of the building blocks of life. b. Rovers/landers can be outfitted with various tools and equipment that can be used to inform of us of the geological histories of each of the planets they visit. c. Rock samples can be used to calibrate our estimations of the age of the solar system. d. The data collected can help improve our understanding of the evolution/development of our solar system. e. The engineering innovations developed to produce successful/viable rovers and landers on other planets can help lead to developments in the technology used here on Earth that may have taken far more time to develop without the limitations provided by space travel to foreign worlds.arrow_forwardWhich of the following planetary traits is well established? choose one of the following: a) Mercury has a similar compositon to that of our moon, in that they both have a substantial metal content. b) Venus rotates more rapidly than Earth, but in the opposite direction. c) Earth's atmosphere exhibits a slightly stronger greenhouse effect than that seen on Venus. d)Astronomers have precisely calculated the mass of Mercury thanks to artificial satellites sent from Earth.arrow_forward
- Why Wait? To explore a planet, we often send first a flyby, then an orbiter, then a probe or a lander. There’s no doubt that probes and landers give the most close-up detail, so why don’t we send this type of mission first? For the planet of your choice, based just on the information in this chap- ter, give an example of why such a strategy might cause a mission to provide incomplete information about the planet or to fail outright.arrow_forwardWe believe that chains of comet fragments like Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9’s have collided not only with the jovian planets, but occasionally with their moons. What sort of features would you look for on the outer planet moons to find evidence of such collisions? (As an extra bonus, can you find any images of such features on a moon like Callisto? You can use an online site of planetary images, such as the Planetary Photojournal, at photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov.)arrow_forwardWhat evidence can you give that Venus once had significant amounts of water? Where did that water come from? Where did it go?arrow_forward
- What were the canals on Mars eventually found to be? How do they differ from the outflow channels and valley networks on Mars?arrow_forwardWhere is the oxygen on Mars today? How do you know?arrow_forwardThe runaway greenhouse effect and its inverse, the runaway refrigerator effect, have led to harsh, uninhabitable conditions on Venus and Mars. Does the greenhouse effect always cause climate changes leading to loss of water and life? Give a reason for your answer.arrow_forward
- Describe sources and sinks of CO2, if any, on Mars today.arrow_forwardExplain the role of impacts in planetary evolution, including both giant impacts and more modest ones.arrow_forwardPlanetary scientists are hoping that the samples collected by the Perseverance Mars rover will eventually be collected by other robotic spacecraft and returned to Earth. Even if Perseverance could collect samples from all over Mars's surface, why wouldn't this tell us what the entire planet is made of? Group of answer choices The deep interior of Mars has had its composition altered (compared to the surface) by the impacts of asteroids that plunged almost all the way down to Mars's center. Since Mars has a powerful magnetic field, it must have a liquid-iron portion of its core, and this material can't be collected by a rover on the surface. Early in its history, Mars differentiated into layers of materials that had different densities, much like the Earth did. Mars has such a low density that most of its interior must be made of liquid water and ice, so rocks from the surface simply won't be representative of the deep interior.arrow_forward
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