The Cosmic Perspective
7th Edition
ISBN: 9780321839558
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Megan O. Donahue, Nicholas Schneider, Mark Voit
Publisher: Addison-Wesley
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Textbook Question
Chapter 9, Problem 6EAP
Why is the Moon so much more heavily cratered than Earth? Explain how crater counts tell us the age of a surface.
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Why are Mercury and the Moon so much more heavily cratered than the Earth?
Explain how crater counts tell us the age of a surface.
Which of the following is least reasonable regarding impact craters?
Group of answer choices
The size and shape of the crater and the amount of material excavated depends on factors such as the velocity and mass of the impacting body and the geology of the surface.
Craters are most often are circular but more elongate craters can be produced with impactors striking the surface at very low angles.
The Moon has more craters than the Earth because of its strong tidal force on the impactors.
Objects from space typically hit Earth at about 20 km/s ande produce craters that can be approximately 20 times larger in diameter than the impacting objects.
The faster the incoming impactor, the larger the crater.
Hellas Planitia includes the word "planitia" which is the latin word for "plain" in its name.
The name would seem to indicate thats Hellas Planitia is a low lying plain, yet it is clearly a crater, and a very large one at that.
The most probable reason for this discrepancy in its name is because:
a. It is a simple naming error that for some reason has so far escaped correction.
b. There is a disagreement among astronomers about the true nature of Hellas Planitia.
c. Its true nature was not apparent over 100 years ago when it was observed using ground based telescopes.
d. Astronomers really know its true nature and misconceptions among the public among the public are not of great concern to them.
Chapter 9 Solutions
The Cosmic Perspective
Ch. 9 - Prob. 1VSCCh. 9 - Use the following questions to check your...Ch. 9 - Use the following questions to check your...Ch. 9 - Use the following questions to check your...Ch. 9 - Describe the core-mantle-crust structures of the...Ch. 9 - Summarize the processes by which planetary...Ch. 9 - Why does Earth have a global magnetic field? Why...Ch. 9 - Define each of the four major geological...Ch. 9 - Prob. 5EAPCh. 9 - Why is the Moon so much more heavily cratered than...
Ch. 9 - Summarize the ways in which a terrestrial world’s...Ch. 9 - Briefly summarize the geological history of the...Ch. 9 - Briefly summarize the geological history of...Ch. 9 - Choose five features on the global map of Mars...Ch. 9 - Why isn’t liquid water stable on Mars today, and...Ch. 9 - Choose at least three major geological features of...Ch. 9 - What evidence tells us that Venus was “repaved”...Ch. 9 - Describe the conveyor-like action of plate...Ch. 9 - Briefly explain how each of the following...Ch. 9 - To what extent do we think the geologies of the...Ch. 9 - Surprising Discoveries? Suppose we were to make...Ch. 9 - Prob. 18EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 19EAPCh. 9 - Surprising Discoveries? Suppose we were to make...Ch. 9 - Prob. 21EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 22EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 23EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 24EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 25EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 26EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 27EAPCh. 9 - Surprising Discoveries? Suppose we were to make...Ch. 9 - Prob. 29EAPCh. 9 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 9 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 9 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 9 - Prob. 33EAPCh. 9 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 9 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 9 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 9 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 9 - Prob. 38EAPCh. 9 - Mars Attracts. William Herschel, Giovanni...Ch. 9 - Prob. 40EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 41EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 42EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 43EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 44EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 45EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 46EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 47EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 48EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 49EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 50EAPCh. 9 - Be sure the show all calculations clearly and...Ch. 9 - Prob. 52EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 53EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 54EAPCh. 9 - Be sure the show all calculations clearly and...Ch. 9 - Prob. 56EAPCh. 9 - Be sure the show all calculations clearly and...Ch. 9 - Worth the Effort? Politicians often argue over...Ch. 9 - Prob. 59EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 60EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 61EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 62EAPCh. 9 - Prob. 63EAP
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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 can you cite that the Moon had volcanism? Does the Moon have volcanism today? How do you know?arrow_forwardHow Do We Know? How can the flow of energy out of a planets interior affect its surface and atmosphere?arrow_forwardProvide evidence to support a hypothesis about whether or not the Moon has plate tectonics.arrow_forward
- What is the smallest-diameter crater you can identify in the photo of Mercury in Figure 2 of the Concept Art: Terrestrial and Jovian Planets? (Hint: See Appendix Table A-10, Properties of the Planets, to find the radius of Mercury in kilometers for scale.)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 Mercury had volcanism? Does Mercury have volcanism today? How do you know?arrow_forward
- What property of the Moon and Mercury has resulted in almost complete cessation of surface evolution on both those worlds, whereas Earths surface evolution continues?arrow_forwardWhy would you include the Moon in a comparison of the Terrestrial planets?arrow_forwardThe lunar highlands have about ten times more craters in a given area than do the maria. Does this mean that the highlands are 10 times older? Explain your reasoning.arrow_forward
- What is the escape velocity from the surface of an icy moon that has a diameter of 20 km? (Hint: Use the formula for escape velocity, Eq. 5-1b. The formula requires input quantities in kg and m.) (Notes: The density of ice is 1000 kg/m3. The volume of a sphere is 43r3.)arrow_forwardHow are the inferred properties of Earths original atmosphere related to the location and timescale of Earths formation from the solar nebula?arrow_forwardWhy is it not surprising that there is no evidence of plate tectonics on Mercurys surface?arrow_forward
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