Question 1

The orbit of Mercury is more elliptical than that of any other terrestrial planet.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Which statement about the rotations of the Moon and Mercury is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A)  Our Moon is in a 1:1 synch with the Earth, keeping the same side toward us. 
B)  Mercury is in the 3:2 synch with the Sun, with the same side Sunward at perihelion. 
C)  Like our Moon, Mercury does not rotate at all, keeping the same side facing the Sun. 
D)  On Mercury, three days exactly equal two years. 
E)  On the Moon, each "day" lasts about 15 Earth days of constant sunlight. 
A)  Our Moon is in a 1:1 synch with the Earth, keeping the same side toward us. 
B)  Mercury is in the 3:2 synch with the Sun, with the same side Sunward at perihelion. 
C)  Like our Moon, Mercury does not rotate at all, keeping the same side facing the Sun. 
D)  On Mercury, three days exactly equal two years. 
E)  On the Moon, each "day" lasts about 15 Earth days of constant sunlight.

Question 3

Compare and contrast the interiors of the Moon and Mercury,including how these features formed.

Accepted Answer

Both have solid inner cores and outer fl

Question 4

The lunar regolith is constantly eroded by ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The lunar regolith is constantly eroded by...

Question 5

List the two major regions of the near side of the Moon,as seen with the naked eye.

Accepted Answer

The darker

Question 6

Which side of the Moon has the thicker crust? Why?

Accepted Answer

The far side,because our tides

Question 7

Why does the Moon lack a true atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

Its atmosphere escaped into sp

Question 8

The lunar mare are found:

Accepted Answer

A)  anywhere large meteor impacts created deep basins. 
B)  almost entirely on the far side, which was more likely to be hit. 
C)  almost entirely on Earth side, where the crust was thinner. 
D)  mainly in the south polar region, where the largest impact occurred. 
E)  not at all, since no liquid water really exists on the Moon. 
A)  anywhere large meteor impacts created deep basins. 
B)  almost entirely on the far side, which was more likely to be hit. 
C)  almost entirely on Earth side, where the crust was thinner. 
D)  mainly in the south polar region, where the largest impact occurred. 
E)  not at all, since no liquid water really exists on the Moon.

Question 9

Mercury's surface,upon casual visual observation,most resembles what other surface in our solar system?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Mercury's surface,upon casual visual observation,most resembles what...

Question 10

Would an observer on Mercury see the Sun rise in the east or the west?

Accepted Answer

Most of the time,the Sun would

Question 11

Our Moon is in a 1:1 synch,with a lunar rotation equaling an Earth year.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

What is the primary source of erosion on the Moon today?

Accepted Answer

Meteorite and micrometeorite b

Question 13

How are the polar regions of Mercury and the Moon similar?

Accepted Answer

A)  Both are covered by huge mare-type basins from impacts. 
B)  Both seem to have ice pockets in the deepest, darkest crater floors. 
C)  Both have bright dry ice polar caps, like Mars. 
D)  Both have lakes of liquid water under their regolith. 
E)  Both have been hit by large comets that melted there. 
A)  Both are covered by huge mare-type basins from impacts. 
B)  Both seem to have ice pockets in the deepest, darkest crater floors. 
C)  Both have bright dry ice polar caps, like Mars. 
D)  Both have lakes of liquid water under their regolith. 
E)  Both have been hit by large comets that melted there.

Question 14

The most recent features on the Moon's surface are the bright rayed craters like Copernicus,sitting atop the older mare flows.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Why has Mercury traditionally been such a hard planet to observe and study?

Accepted Answer

There are two reasons.First,Mercury is a

Question 16

Almost all we know about Mercury has come from:

Accepted Answer

A)  telescopic observations for Earth near greatest elongations. 
B)  radar imaging of its rugged surface. 
C)  the three flybys of Mariner 10. 
D)  the messenger orbiter. 
E)  the Hubble Space Telescope's high resolution images. 
A)  telescopic observations for Earth near greatest elongations. 
B)  radar imaging of its rugged surface. 
C)  the three flybys of Mariner 10. 
D)  the messenger orbiter. 
E)  the Hubble Space Telescope's high resolution images.

Question 17

Mercury's smooth plains are most similar to the Moon's:

Accepted Answer

A)  maria. 
B)  highlands. 
C)  craters. 
D)  mountain ranges. 
A)  maria. 
B)  highlands. 
C)  craters. 
D)  mountain ranges.

Question 18

Mercury has "weird terrain" directly opposite its huge Caloris Impact Basin.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

The Moon has a period of rotation that is ________ to its period of revolution.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Moon has a period of rotation...

Question 20

Relate the formation of Mercury's scarps to its differentiation.

Accepted Answer

As Mercury was molten,the dense iron and

Exam 8: The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

The orbit of Mercury is more elliptical than that of any other terrestrial planet.

Which statement about the rotations of the Moon and Mercury is FALSE?

Compare and contrast the interiors of the Moon and Mercury,including how these features formed.

The lunar regolith is constantly eroded by ________.

List the two major regions of the near side of the Moon,as seen with the naked eye.

Which side of the Moon has the thicker crust? Why?

Why does the Moon lack a true atmosphere?

The lunar mare are found:

Mercury's surface,upon casual visual observation,most resembles what other surface in our solar system?

Would an observer on Mercury see the Sun rise in the east or the west?

Our Moon is in a 1:1 synch,with a lunar rotation equaling an Earth year.

What is the primary source of erosion on the Moon today?

How are the polar regions of Mercury and the Moon similar?

The most recent features on the Moon's surface are the bright rayed craters like Copernicus,sitting atop the older mare flows.

Why has Mercury traditionally been such a hard planet to observe and study?

Almost all we know about Mercury has come from:

Mercury's smooth plains are most similar to the Moon's:

Mercury has "weird terrain" directly opposite its huge Caloris Impact Basin.

The Moon has a period of rotation that is ________ to its period of revolution.

Relate the formation of Mercury's scarps to its differentiation.

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Radiation: Information from the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: The Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Earth: Our Home in Space

Venus: Earth's Sister Planet

Mars: A Near Miss for Life?

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants,Dwarfs,and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust among the Stars

Star Formation: A Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae,Supernovae,and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: A Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone?

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