Question 1

Which body has the densest atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth 
B)  Mars 
C)  Mercury 
D)  our Moon 
E)  Venus 
A)  Earth 
B)  Mars 
C)  Mercury 
D)  our Moon 
E)  Venus E

Question 2

Why isn't there water on Venus?

Accepted Answer

High temperatures and the runaway greenhouse effect drove water vapor high up in the atmosphere, where solar ultraviolet radiation split it into hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The light hydrogen boiled off into space, and the oxygen combined with crustal rocks.

Question 3

Because of their low surface gravities, the Moon and Mercury lack .

Accepted Answer

atmosphere

Question 4

Why do we know much more about the surface of Mars than that of Venus?

Accepted Answer

Venus has a thick cloud cover that preve

Question 5

Mercury's rotation and revolution are an example of a 3:2 resonance.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

The polar caps and dust storms of Mars can be seen with Earth- based telescopes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

While surface conditions differ greatly, name three ways that Venus and Earth are indeed "sister planets."

Accepted Answer

No other two planets in the so

Question 8

Why are Mars' seasons more extreme than those of the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mars' orbit is more eccentric than our almost circular one. 
B)  Mars' weather is affected by evaporation from the polar ice in its summer. 
C)  Mars' seas dried up long ago. 
D)  Mars' axial tilt is slightly more than our 23.5 degrees. 
E)  All of these contribute to the huge seasonal changes that Mars experiences. 
A)  Mars' orbit is more eccentric than our almost circular one. 
B)  Mars' weather is affected by evaporation from the polar ice in its summer. 
C)  Mars' seas dried up long ago. 
D)  Mars' axial tilt is slightly more than our 23.5 degrees. 
E)  All of these contribute to the huge seasonal changes that Mars experiences.

Question 9

The planet which shows us the widest range of surface temperatures between day and night is

Accepted Answer

A)  Venus. 
B)  our Moon. 
C)  Earth. 
D)  Mars. 
E)  Mercury. 
A)  Venus. 
B)  our Moon. 
C)  Earth. 
D)  Mars. 
E)  Mercury.

Question 10

The Phoenix lander on Mars failed to confirm the presence of water ice under the surface.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Contrast the compositions and heights of the clouds of Earth and Venus.

Accepted Answer

Our clouds of water droplets occur in ou

Question 12

Although it has no liquid water, Mercury has a tidal bulge.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Mercury presents the same side to the Sun

Accepted Answer

A)  all the time, just like our Moon. 
B)  every other orbit. 
C)  twice every orbit. 
D)  every 12 hours. 
E)  every third orbit. 
A)  all the time, just like our Moon. 
B)  every other orbit. 
C)  twice every orbit. 
D)  every 12 hours. 
E)  every third orbit.

Question 14

Why is the atmospheric pressure at the surface of Venus so much higher than Earth's?

Accepted Answer

The atmosphere is much more ma

Question 15

Compared to the orbits of Venus and Earth, the orbits of both Mercury and Mars have much eccentricity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compared to the orbits of Venus and...

Question 16

The main constituent of the Martian atmosphere is

Accepted Answer

A)  helium. 
B)  nitrogen. 
C)  hydrogen. 
D)  carbon dioxide. 
E)  methane. 
A)  helium. 
B)  nitrogen. 
C)  hydrogen. 
D)  carbon dioxide. 
E)  methane.

Question 17

Mercury has the widest variation in surface temperatures between night and day of any planet in the solar system.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

We now know of polar caps on Mercury, the Moon, Earth, and Mars.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

In what way is Mercury's core unusual?

Accepted Answer

Mercury has the larg

Question 20

The surface temperature of Venus is 730K, even hotter than Mercury.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Which body has the densest atmosphere?

Why isn't there water on Venus?

Because of their low surface gravities, the Moon and Mercury lack .

Why do we know much more about the surface of Mars than that of Venus?

Mercury's rotation and revolution are an example of a 3:2 resonance.

The polar caps and dust storms of Mars can be seen with Earth- based telescopes.

While surface conditions differ greatly, name three ways that Venus and Earth are indeed "sister planets."

Why are Mars' seasons more extreme than those of the Earth?

The planet which shows us the widest range of surface temperatures between day and night is

The Phoenix lander on Mars failed to confirm the presence of water ice under the surface.

Contrast the compositions and heights of the clouds of Earth and Venus.

Although it has no liquid water, Mercury has a tidal bulge.

Mercury presents the same side to the Sun

Why is the atmospheric pressure at the surface of Venus so much higher than Earth's?

Compared to the orbits of Venus and Earth, the orbits of both Mercury and Mars have much eccentricity.

The main constituent of the Martian atmosphere is

Mercury has the widest variation in surface temperatures between night and day of any planet in the solar system.

We now know of polar caps on Mercury, the Moon, Earth, and Mars.

In what way is Mercury's core unusual?

The surface temperature of Venus is 730K, even hotter than Mercury.

Charting the Heavens: the Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: the Birth of Modern Science

Light and Matter: the Inner Workings of the Cosmos

Telescopes: the Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Interplanetary Matter and the Birth of the Planets

Earth and Its Moon: Our Cosmic Backyard

The Jovian Planets: Giants of the Solar System

Moons, Rings, and Plutoids: Small Worlds Among Giants

The Sun: Our Parent Star

Measuring the Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Star Formation in the Milky Way

Stellar Evolution: the Lives and Deaths of Stars

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Normal and Active Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Hubbles Law and Dark Matter: the Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: the Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

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Exam 7: The Terrestrial Planets: a Study in Contrasts

Which body has the densest atmosphere?

Why isn't there water on Venus?

Because of their low surface gravities, the Moon and Mercury lack .

Why do we know much more about the surface of Mars than that of Venus?

Mercury's rotation and revolution are an example of a 3:2 resonance.

The polar caps and dust storms of Mars can be seen with Earth- based telescopes.

While surface conditions differ greatly, name three ways that Venus and Earth are indeed "sister planets."

Why are Mars' seasons more extreme than those of the Earth?

The planet which shows us the widest range of surface temperatures between day and night is

The Phoenix lander on Mars failed to confirm the presence of water ice under the surface.

Contrast the compositions and heights of the clouds of Earth and Venus.

Although it has no liquid water, Mercury has a tidal bulge.

Mercury presents the same side to the Sun

Why is the atmospheric pressure at the surface of Venus so much higher than Earth's?

Compared to the orbits of Venus and Earth, the orbits of both Mercury and Mars have much eccentricity.

The main constituent of the Martian atmosphere is

Mercury has the widest variation in surface temperatures between night and day of any planet in the solar system.

We now know of polar caps on Mercury, the Moon, Earth, and Mars.

In what way is Mercury's core unusual?

The surface temperature of Venus is 730K, even hotter than Mercury.

Charting the Heavens: the Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: the Birth of Modern Science

Light and Matter: the Inner Workings of the Cosmos

Telescopes: the Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Interplanetary Matter and the Birth of the Planets

Earth and Its Moon: Our Cosmic Backyard

The Jovian Planets: Giants of the Solar System

Moons, Rings, and Plutoids: Small Worlds Among Giants

The Sun: Our Parent Star

Measuring the Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Star Formation in the Milky Way

Stellar Evolution: the Lives and Deaths of Stars

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Normal and Active Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Hubbles Law and Dark Matter: the Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: the Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

Filters