TERRESTRIAL PLANETS ASTRO DUE NOV1

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Red Rocks Community College *

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101

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Astronomy

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Oct 30, 2023

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The Terrestrial Planets 126pts Due Saturday, Nov. 1 st @ 9:00am This is a hard deadline…no late assignments will be accepted Your last assignment examined how some of the different physical characteristics of the planets in our Solar System (SS) can be used to group similar object together and break our SS into logical pieces that can provide insights into how our SS developed and formed. Now we will take this idea further by investigating these sub-categories of objects in a more in-depth manner to get a better picture of the planets and moons we find distributed across the SS. We’ll start with the inner or Terrestrial Planets (TP’s). Make a list of each of the four inner planets and the physical characteristics of each listed below using your book (Appendix E), science-oriented websites (NSSDCA Planetary Fact Sheet), other materials and some of the data you resourced from your previous assignment. We’ll use this to answer some questions regarding the similarities and differences of these four planets. I supplied a few hints (in parentheses & italics below) as to where you might find information relative to some questions. 1) (21) a. Density (gm/cm 3 ) Mercury: 13.6 g/cm^3 Venus: 5.24 g/cm^3 Earth: 5.51 g/cm^3 Mars: 3.93 g/cm^3 b. Size (diameter in km) Mercury: 4,879.4 km Venus: 12,104 km Earth: 12,742 km Mars: 6,779 km c. Mass (in Earth masses) Mercury: 0.055 Earth Masses Venus: 0.815 Earth Masses Earth: 1 Earth Masses Mars: 0.107 Earth Masses d. Distance from the Sun (in A.U.) Mercury: 0.4 AU Venus: 0.72 AU Earth: 1 Mars: 1.5 e. Rotational period (length of day) Mercury: 59 Earth Days Venus: 243 Earth Days Earth: 1 Earth Day

Mars: 1 Earth Day f. Orbital period (length of year) Mercury: 88 Earth Days Venus: 225 Earth Days Earth: 365 Earth Day Mars: 687 Earth Day g. Eccentricity Mercury: 0.2 Venus: 0.007 Earth: 0.017 Mars: 0.093 h. Axial tilt Mercury: 0.01 Degrees Venus: 2.6392 Degrees Earth: 23.5 Degrees Mars: 25 Degrees i. Number of moons Mercury: 0 Moons Venus: 0 Earth: 1 Mars: 2 j. Atmosphere (compositional % of the most prevalent gasses) Mercury: 0 Venus: Carbon Dioxide (96.5%) and Nitrogen (<3.5%) Earth: Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), Argon (1%) and Carbon Dioxide (0.04%) Mars: Carbon Dioxide (95%), Nitrogen (3%) and Argon (1.6%) k. Density of atmosphere (using Earth’s as the normal 1 atm.) Mercury: 0 Venus: 90 Earth: 1 Mars: 0.714 l. Size range and distribution of craters Mercury: Venus: Earth: Mars: m. Evidence for planetary processes (i.e. fluvial erosion & deposition, volcanism, etc) Mercury: Yes. Volcanism, Impact Erosion and Tectonic activity Venus: Yes. Volcanic Activity and Tectonic Activity. Earth: Yes. Impact Cratering, Volcanism, Tectonics and Erosion. Mars: Yes. Volcanism and fluvial erosion. n. Magnetic field (presence or lack of) Mercury: Presence Venus: Lack of

Earth: Presence Mars: Lack of 2) (6) Provide at least three end-member traits for each of the four terrestrial planets . (mostly from my lecture notes) 3) (3) Which of the 4 terrestrial planets is the densest? If our Solar System was created through density differences from its inner to outer regions why is this answer surprising? 4) (6) Rank and list the 4 TP’s in order of diameter from smallest to largest. Now rank them according to mass from smallest to largest. Are the end-members of these two sets the same? Why or why not? 5) (4) The 4 TP’s are differentiated. Examine their internal structure and think about the rank of size from Question 4. How does this size relate to the loss of the “residual heat of formation” (also known as the Heat of Accretion) among the 4 TP’s? (Section 9.1 & 9.3 text) 6) (2) Which of the 4 TP’s has the greatest axial tilt? What does this tilt result in, with respect to our conventional way of looking at our Solar System? 7) (4) List four reasons why Venus and the Earth are considered “sister planets”? (Lectures) 8) (2) Which TP’s have moons? Does any one of the TP’s stand out when considering this trait and if so, name it? How does this exception impact the largest TP in Question 4 and why is it critical to us? (Lectures) 9) (4) Consider the Earth and Mars. Compare and list their orbital distances and periods. How do these two factors impact the seasons on Mars? (Lectures) 10) (5) What does the phrase “spin-orbit coupling” mean? Which of the TP’s exhibits this characteristic and briefly describe it? How does this affect the surface temperatures we find on that planet? (Lectures)

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11) (5) Which of the TP’s has the highest orbital eccentricity? This TP was also critical in confirming part of a well-known theory through observational data. What was the theory and its famous author and what characteristic was accurately predicted for this planet in that theory? (Lectures) 12) (8) List two planetary processes we find evidence for, on each of the 4 TP’s. Which process dominates the surface geomorphology for each of the 4 TP’s (choose one for each planet)? (Text and Lectures) 13) (4) Consider Venus and the Earth. How does the Earth release heat (and its resulting pressure) from the interior of the planet? Can Venus release heat and pressure in the same way? Why not? (Lectures) 14) (4) How does your answer to the previous question affect the global surface of Venus (think of the surface not the atmosphere)? 15) (3) What are the two main types of crust found on the Earth’s Moon? Which type is older/younger? (Lectures) 16) (2) What do the mare on the Moon represent (in other words, how do they form)? 17) (7) The generation of a planetary magnetic field is dependent upon three critical physical characteristics. (p.240 text) What are these three characteristics and explain how they affect the resulting magnetic field of each of the 4 terrestrial planets. 18) (4) How does the presence or absence of a strong magnetic field affect the presence or absence of a planets atmosphere? What other physical characteristics can impact the existence of an atmosphere? 19) (4) Which TP has the highest surface temperature. Does this surprise you? What causes this to be true? (Lectures) 20) (4) Provide two examples of how the atmosphere of Venus affects the global temperatures of that planet (other than the fact that it is high). (Chapt. 10 & Lectures)

21) (2) How has the thinning of Mars atmosphere affected its global climate? 22) (2) If we are concerned about the effects of greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere, which TP has the conditions that could provide us with valuable information regarding the effects of greenhouse gasses on our climate? (Lectures) Use the Images in this document and the full resolution images under the content page to help you answer the following questions. 23) (4) Examine the global mosaic of Mars. Note the colors delineate topographic differences. What two major differences can you see between the Northern & Southern hemispheres (not including the polar ice)? (Lectures & p. 254-255) 24) (8) How do the atmospheres of the four terrestrial planets differ in composition and density ( be specific )? 25) (4) How does your answer to the previous question affect the cratering record on each terrestrial planet (again, be specific)? 26) (4) Based on your answer in the previous question rank the four terrestrial planets in order of surficial age from oldest to youngest.