Characteristics and Origins of the Solar System
Second
Hour Examination
April
21, 2004
Note that not all questions have the same value. For the 3 and 5 point questions, write in
complete sentences. The answers to the
5 point questions should at most be half a page or so in length. I don’t want to read a thesis. Write
legibly, preferably in pen. Space
out your responses so I have some room for comments. Start the 3 and 5 point questions on a fresh page.
Walk with Ursus!
- How
long ago did multicellular animals, big enough to see without a
microscope, appear on Earth? (1pt)
- What
is the dominant element in the planets Jupiter and Saturn? (1pt)
- Where
are Uranus and Neptune located in the solar system? (1pt)
- What
would you expect to be the approximate density of a cometary nucleus?
(1pt)
- In the
discussion of the past history of Mars,
there are two radically different,
hypothetical descriptions of past climatic conditions, called
“scenarios”. What are the names of
these two scenarios? (1pt)
- Have
experiments ever been made to directly detect the presence of life
on Mars? Give brief details. (2pts)
- Draw a
half-decent diagram of the outer solar system, showing the Jovian planets and their approximate relation to
the Sun. (2pts)
- Why
are the temperatures of objects so low in the outer solar system? (2pts)
- How
would you categorize the features Aphrodite and Ishtar on the planet
Venus? I want a brief description
of them and a brief description of their possible significance. (3pts)
- How do
we know that Titan has an atmosphere?
Name two gases that are present in its atmosphere. (3pts)
- In
January, the Huygens spacecraft
will parachute to the surface of
Titan. In terms of weather
conditions, what might it find there?
(3pts)
- Describe
a result from the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity,
which has consequences for our understanding of the geological
history of Mars. Explain the
implications of this result for the history of life on Mars. (5pts)
- Describe
the surface conditions (atmospheric temperature and pressure) on Venus. What makes it this way?
(5pts)
- Write
a brief essay on one of the Galilean satellites. You should describe its basic properties as observed by a
spacecraft, speculations on
subsurface properties, and what
makes this moon of interest. (5pts)
- Describe
“Cassini’s Division”, and what physically produces it. (5pts)