Question 1

What aspect of Mercury's interior structure is used to explain the presence of its magneticfield?

Accepted Answer

its unusua

Question 2

Based on Mercury's peak temperature of about 700 K, what would the average molecularspeed of carbon dioxide be? How does this compare to Mercury's escape velocity? If Mercury'satmosphere initially had substantial carbon dioxide, in line with what is believed about the earlyatmospheres of the other terrestrial planets, do you think Mercury would have retained thisatmosphere? Why/why not? Would your answer change if you considered only Mercury'scoldest regions that are around 125 K?

Accepted Answer

Carbon dioxide's average speed would be

Question 3

The lunar regolith is constantly eroded by ________.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

The slow ________ of Mercury was first determined using radar signals sent from Earth.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The slow ________ of Mercury was first...

Question 5

The youngest features visible with telescopes on the Moon are:

Accepted Answer

A) the volcanoes seen erupting in the highlands. 
B) the craters sitting atop the mare. 
C) the darkest regions of the mare. 
D) the bright polar caps of new ice. 
E) the scarps recently created by tectonic activity. 
A) the volcanoes seen erupting in the highlands. 
B) the craters sitting atop the mare. 
C) the darkest regions of the mare. 
D) the bright polar caps of new ice. 
E) the scarps recently created by tectonic activity.

Question 6

Which of these theories seems to best explain the Moon's origin?

Accepted Answer

A) Impact Theory 
B) Capture Theory 
C) Coformation Theory 
D) Fission Theory 
E) Fusion Theory 
A) Impact Theory 
B) Capture Theory 
C) Coformation Theory 
D) Fission Theory 
E) Fusion Theory

Question 7

An atmosphere can escape a planet if the escape velocity is six times the average molecularspeed at that temperature.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Mercury's evolution was different from the Moon's because:

Accepted Answer

A) Mercury developed a dense atmosphere while the Moon never did. 
B) Mercury was located farther from Earth, so experienced no tidal forces. 
C) Mercury was subject to more intense asteroid bombardment than the Moon. 
D) dense Mercury had an iron core that shrank, creating the tall scarps. 
E) Mercury developed a strong magnetic field to protect it from solar radiation. 
A) Mercury developed a dense atmosphere while the Moon never did. 
B) Mercury was located farther from Earth, so experienced no tidal forces. 
C) Mercury was subject to more intense asteroid bombardment than the Moon. 
D) dense Mercury had an iron core that shrank, creating the tall scarps. 
E) Mercury developed a strong magnetic field to protect it from solar radiation.

Question 9

Mercury experiences extreme high and low temperatures between night and day because:

Accepted Answer

A) it is so close to the Sun. 
B) its dense atmosphere creates a runaway greenhouse. 
C) its oceans are much hotter than ours. 
D) Mercury has no axial tilt, with its equator always exposed to direct sunlight. 
E) it has no true atmosphere to moderate temperatures over the globe. 
A) it is so close to the Sun. 
B) its dense atmosphere creates a runaway greenhouse. 
C) its oceans are much hotter than ours. 
D) Mercury has no axial tilt, with its equator always exposed to direct sunlight. 
E) it has no true atmosphere to moderate temperatures over the globe.

Question 10

Describe some of the features of Mercury's surface and briefly explain how these features arebelieved to have formed.

Accepted Answer

Scarps:Long, cliff-like structures that

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a factor in determining whether a body in the solar systemretains an atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) composition and weight of the gases 
B) escape velocity 
C) axial tilt 
D) rotation rate 
E) distance from the Sun 
A) composition and weight of the gases 
B) escape velocity 
C) axial tilt 
D) rotation rate 
E) distance from the Sun

Question 12

The cratering of the lunar highlands shows us:

Accepted Answer

A) they are younger than the maria. 
B) they are older than the smoother maria. 
C) they have been unchanged for the last 4.6 billion years. 
D) they are like the Earth's continents, removed from the tectonic cycle of the mare. 
E) they were made of more rigid lavas than the basalts that made the maria. 
A) they are younger than the maria. 
B) they are older than the smoother maria. 
C) they have been unchanged for the last 4.6 billion years. 
D) they are like the Earth's continents, removed from the tectonic cycle of the mare. 
E) they were made of more rigid lavas than the basalts that made the maria.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

The darker

Question 14

The chief erosive agent now on the Moon is:

Accepted Answer

A) lunar ice melting and refreezing in the polar regions. 
B) lava flows welling up in the mare. 
C) volcanic vents in the rugged highlands. 
D) the rain of micrometeorites chewing up the regolith. 
E) rain from cometary debris melting as it enters the Moon's atmosphere. 
A) lunar ice melting and refreezing in the polar regions. 
B) lava flows welling up in the mare. 
C) volcanic vents in the rugged highlands. 
D) the rain of micrometeorites chewing up the regolith. 
E) rain from cometary debris melting as it enters the Moon's atmosphere.

Question 15

The scarps on Mercury are extremely similar to the cratered lunar highlands in appearance.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Why is it so difficult to observe the planet Mercury from Earth?

Accepted Answer

Mercury is so close to the Sun

Question 17

The spacecraft which first revealed the possibility of lunar ice are:

Accepted Answer

A) Lunar Ranger and Surveyor. 
B) Apollos XI and XVII. 
C) Lunar Orbiter and Rover. 
D) Clementine and Lunar Prospector. 
E) Vikings 1 and 2. 
A) Lunar Ranger and Surveyor. 
B) Apollos XI and XVII. 
C) Lunar Orbiter and Rover. 
D) Clementine and Lunar Prospector. 
E) Vikings 1 and 2.

Question 18

The rate of cratering:

Accepted Answer

A) has remained constant over the last 4.6 billion years. 
B) has recently increased with more collisions in the asteroid belt. 
C) fluctuates over time, with massive bodies occasionally coming in from the Oort Cloud. 
D) shows that large asteroid impacts are more common now than in the past. 
E) shows that most interplanetary debris was swept up soon after the formation of the solarsystem. 
A) has remained constant over the last 4.6 billion years. 
B) has recently increased with more collisions in the asteroid belt. 
C) fluctuates over time, with massive bodies occasionally coming in from the Oort Cloud. 
D) shows that large asteroid impacts are more common now than in the past. 
E) shows that most interplanetary debris was swept up soon after the formation of the solarsystem.

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

What two properties of Mercury imply that it is differentiated?

Accepted Answer

A) its size and magnetic field 
B) its large average density and its surface features 
C) its surface features and its size 
D) its large average density and its magnetic field 
E) its magnetic field and its surface features 
A) its size and magnetic field 
B) its large average density and its surface features 
C) its surface features and its size 
D) its large average density and its magnetic field 
E) its magnetic field and its surface features

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

What aspect of Mercury's interior structure is used to explain the presence of its magneticfield?

The lunar regolith is constantly eroded by ________.

The slow ________ of Mercury was first determined using radar signals sent from Earth.

The youngest features visible with telescopes on the Moon are:

Which of these theories seems to best explain the Moon's origin?

An atmosphere can escape a planet if the escape velocity is six times the average molecularspeed at that temperature.

Mercury's evolution was different from the Moon's because:

Mercury experiences extreme high and low temperatures between night and day because:

Describe some of the features of Mercury's surface and briefly explain how these features arebelieved to have formed.

Which of the following is NOT a factor in determining whether a body in the solar systemretains an atmosphere?

The cratering of the lunar highlands shows us:

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

The chief erosive agent now on the Moon is:

The scarps on Mercury are extremely similar to the cratered lunar highlands in appearance.

Why is it so difficult to observe the planet Mercury from Earth?

The spacecraft which first revealed the possibility of lunar ice are:

The rate of cratering:

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

What two properties of Mercury imply that it is differentiated?

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: Earths 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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