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What is interesting about Mercury's orbit?
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It was believed to be tidally locked with sun (NOT TRUE it presents its same face everyother time around).
It's rotation is longer than its orbit (a year is shorther than a day).
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Mercury's atmosphere
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Almost non existant (like earth's moon).
-its only minimal atmosphere comes from solar wind blown hydrogen particles.
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What is the result of Mercury having virtually no atmosphere.
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EXTREME TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS.
800-300 F (DAY/NIGHT)
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Mercury's Surface is
-similar to what other body?
-plate tectonics?
- what accounts for the differences in craters?
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the moon.
NO PLATE TECTONICS
flatter craters than the moon because it has higher gravity.
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What other unique feature do we observe on mercury's surface?
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Scarps- cliffs. These are due to surface cooling which has caused shrinking and splitting.
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What is the most distinct feature of Venus?
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Its rotation is retrograde. it is the only planet with the possible exception of Neptune.
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What do we know about venus' atmosphere in comparison to earth's?
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It is much more massive
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what is in venus' clouds?
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Instead of water like on Earth the clouds carry sulfuric acid.
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What chemical compositions account for Venus' atmosphere? What is the effect?
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Almost exclusively CO2 some nitrogen.
The result is extreme heat and NO FLUCTUATIONS IN TEMP.
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Venus' surface reveals two similar features to that of earth what are they?
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Land (though alot less)
Volcanoes (only other planet)
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What effect does having volcanoes cause on Venus?
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The surface of venus is very new because it is replaced by fresh volcanic rock.
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On venus what are caldera?
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Craters caused by volcanoes.
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On venus, what are coronae?
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Not full fledged volcanoes. but circular volcanic structures.
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If venus' surface is constantly being made, what rocks are found?
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Basaltic and granite (as on Earth)
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Mars
-rotation period
-tilt
-moons
-chemical composition of atmosphere
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25 hrs (like earth)
similar tilt to earth
2 small moons
mostly CO2 some nitrogen, argon, oxygen CO, water vapor
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Giovanni Schiaparelli
-observed dark and bright spots. He believed...
-observed changes in surface color. He believed...
-observed long narrow features. He thought...
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were caused by changes in seasons.
were evidence of plant life.
were canals built by civilizations to get water to the arrid desert.
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Percivall Lowell
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built AZ observatory
he believed the canals were used by civilizations (not schiaparelli)
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Mars' soil is rich in what elements?
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Iron and oxygen which give it its reddish-orangy color. OXIDATION,
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What three features are seen on Mars' surface and where?
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-frozen polar ice caps (CO2)
-North: rolling planes of volcanoes.
-South: heavily cratered.
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2 surface features on Mars
-Tharsis bulge
-Valles Marineris
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Tharsis bulge- mountain-like range at the equator (10 km high)
Valles Marineris- large Valleys... NOT DUE TO WATER.
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Volcanoes on Mars
-size
-reason for size
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Volcanoes on Mars are the largest in the solar system.
This is because there is alot less gravity on Mars.
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is there water on Mars?
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No. But long ago there was (4 billion years ago) when mars was warmer, and had a thicker atmosphere.
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What happened to the water on Mars?
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The water froze into permafrost (below surface) then with extreme volcanoes, it melted and finally froze again when volcanoes subsided.
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Mars has two moons.
-What are their names?
-What are their origins?
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Phobos and Deimos
Captured Asteroids.
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Life on mars?
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After some soil tests it appears as though threre isnt even microbial life currently. But no evidence against life when there was water.
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Martian mediorite was found... what was the big hype?
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thought that may contain evidence for life but cannot be sure.
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What is the internal structure of Mercury like?
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-Rocky, very dense, no liquid core
-solid mantle therefore no plate tectonics no volcanoes.
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What does the internal structure of Venus look like?
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-resembles that of young earth.
-no plate tectonics
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Mars'internal structure
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Alot of tectonic activity (volcanoes)
Weak magnetic field.
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