Exam 23: Planets and Their Moons

A comet's tail is caused by ____.

Describe Mercury in terms of its size, rotation, and temperature.

Venus and Earth probably had similar atmospheres early in their histories.

Galileo thought that the Moon's maria were ____________________.

Scientists deduce that Jovian weather is driven by ____.

The ____________________ planets are composed primarily of non-volatile metals and silicate rocks.

Name the four Galilean moons that are the most widely studied.

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are known as the ____________________ planets and have retained large amounts of hydrogen, helium, and other light elements.

The Moon's ____________________ are dry, barren, flat expanses of volcanic rock.

If it weren't for active plate tectonics and weather, Earth's surface would be heavily cratered like the Moon or Mercury.

____________________ was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.

The Jovian planets are much larger than the terrestrial planets. Why?

Saturn would float on water if there were a basin large enough to hold it.

Dwarf planets are unable to dominate and gravitationally clear their orbital regions of all or most other objects.

The surface of Jupiter consists mainly of ____.

Io's volcanic activity is powered by frictional heating caused by the gravitational pull of Jupiter and several of its other moons.

Describe the largest volcano on Mars and in our Solar System.

Describe Saturn's atmosphere and core.

The tectonic activity on Venus has been described as ____ tectonics.

The tens of thousands of small orbiting bodies between Mars and Jupiter are called ____.