Question 1

Explain how crater counts allow us to estimate the ages of surfaces throughout the solarsystem.

Accepted Answer

Craters are the rule... everybody was a

Question 2

Almost all we know about Mercury has come from:

Accepted Answer

A) telescopic observations from Earth near greatest elongations. 
B) radar imaging of its rugged surface. 
C) the Mariner 10 and Messenger missions. 
D) observations of impacts on Mercury's surface. 
E) the Hubble Space Telescope's high resolution images. 
A) telescopic observations from Earth near greatest elongations. 
B) radar imaging of its rugged surface. 
C) the Mariner 10 and Messenger missions. 
D) observations of impacts on Mercury's surface. 
E) the Hubble Space Telescope's high resolution images.

Question 3

Mercury's smooth plains are most similar to the Moon's:

Accepted Answer

A) maria. 
B) highlands. 
C) craters. 
D) mountain ranges. 
A) maria. 
B) highlands. 
C) craters. 
D) mountain ranges.

Question 4

The average rate of erosion on the Moon is far less than on Earth because:

Accepted Answer

A) the crust of the Moon is much denser than the Earth's crust. 
B) the Moon is much younger than the Earth. 
C) the Moon lacks wind, water and an atmosphere. 
D) the Moon's magnetic field protects it from the solar wind better than ours does. 
E) the Moon's mare long ago dried up, so there is no more wave erosion there. 
A) the crust of the Moon is much denser than the Earth's crust. 
B) the Moon is much younger than the Earth. 
C) the Moon lacks wind, water and an atmosphere. 
D) the Moon's magnetic field protects it from the solar wind better than ours does. 
E) the Moon's mare long ago dried up, so there is no more wave erosion there.

Question 5

Mercury and the Earth have about the same average density, but Mercury's core is muchlarger, compared to the size of the body.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Which of these would support the capture theory of the Moon's origin?

Accepted Answer

A) the Caloris Basin on Mercury 
B) the retrograde orbit and large orbital inclination of Neptune's moon Triton 
C) the rings of all the jovians lying around their equators 
D) the Pluto-Charon system 
E) the four large moons of Jupiter orbit its equator 
A) the Caloris Basin on Mercury 
B) the retrograde orbit and large orbital inclination of Neptune's moon Triton 
C) the rings of all the jovians lying around their equators 
D) the Pluto-Charon system 
E) the four large moons of Jupiter orbit its equator

Question 7

The cores of both Mercury and the Moon consist of solid inner cores surrounded by fluidouter cores.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Few of the Moon's craters are actually due to volcanism, as was widely thought prior toApollo.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Caloris is well named, for at every perihelion, it faces the Sun directly.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

A major surprise from space exploration is that ________ exists at the poles of both Mercuryand our Moon.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A major surprise from space exploration is...

Question 11

From Earth, due to their motions and the fact that the Sun lights only a portion of eachsurface, both Mercury and the Moon:

Accepted Answer

A) always look full from Earth. 
B) appear to go through phases. 
C) pass through Earth's shadow. 
D) appear to be half-lit by the Sun. 
E) always have the same side facing Earth. 
A) always look full from Earth. 
B) appear to go through phases. 
C) pass through Earth's shadow. 
D) appear to be half-lit by the Sun. 
E) always have the same side facing Earth.

Question 12

The hollows on Mercury are:

Accepted Answer

A) isolated depressions found in all parts of impact craters. 
B) clusters of depressions found near the center of impact craters. 
C) large depressions found in the Caloris Basin. 
D) large depressions found in the smooth plains. 
E) clusters of depressions that are not associated with impact craters in the smooth plains. 
A) isolated depressions found in all parts of impact craters. 
B) clusters of depressions found near the center of impact craters. 
C) large depressions found in the Caloris Basin. 
D) large depressions found in the smooth plains. 
E) clusters of depressions that are not associated with impact craters in the smooth plains.

Question 13

What are the major factors that rule out the co-formation theory for the Moon-Earth system?

Accepted Answer

A) Each body has different atmospheric content and a different density. 
B) Each body has different surface features and different atmospheric content. 
C) Each body has different chemical composition and different surface features. 
D) Each body has a different density and a different chemical composition. 
E) Each body has a different chemical composition and different atmospheric content. 
A) Each body has different atmospheric content and a different density. 
B) Each body has different surface features and different atmospheric content. 
C) Each body has different chemical composition and different surface features. 
D) Each body has a different density and a different chemical composition. 
E) Each body has a different chemical composition and different atmospheric content.

Question 14

Mercury is very hard to observe from Earth because:

Accepted Answer

A) it always appears as only half lit from Earth. 
B) it never gets more than 28 degrees from the Sun's glare. 
C) its elliptical orbit causes it to change speed unpredictably. 
D) its barren surface reflects too little sunlight; it is almost invisible always. 
E) its very rugged surface does not allow radar to bounce back to Earth. 
A) it always appears as only half lit from Earth. 
B) it never gets more than 28 degrees from the Sun's glare. 
C) its elliptical orbit causes it to change speed unpredictably. 
D) its barren surface reflects too little sunlight; it is almost invisible always. 
E) its very rugged surface does not allow radar to bounce back to Earth.

Question 15

Which side of the Moon has the thicker crust? Why?

Accepted Answer

The far side, because our tide

Question 16

The high eccentricity of Mercury's orbit probably has nothing to do with Mercury's 3:2 synchof rotation and revolution.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Why has Mercury traditionally been such a hard planet to observe and study?

Accepted Answer

There are two reasons. First, Mercury is

Question 18

To measure how Mercury spins, astronomers sent ________ to Mercury and used theDoppler shift to determine how fast it was rotating.

Accepted Answer

A) probes 
B) laser beams 
C) radar beams 
D) a satellite 
E) a single frequency radio signal 
A) probes 
B) laser beams 
C) radar beams 
D) a satellite 
E) a single frequency radio signal

Question 19

Compare and contrast the interiors of the Moon and Mercury, including how these featuresformed.

Accepted Answer

Both have solid inner cores and outer fl

Question 20

Relate the formation of Mercury's scarps to its differentiation.

Accepted Answer

As Mercury was molten, the dense iron an

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

Explain how crater counts allow us to estimate the ages of surfaces throughout the solarsystem.

Almost all we know about Mercury has come from:

Mercury's smooth plains are most similar to the Moon's:

The average rate of erosion on the Moon is far less than on Earth because:

Mercury and the Earth have about the same average density, but Mercury's core is muchlarger, compared to the size of the body.

Which of these would support the capture theory of the Moon's origin?

The cores of both Mercury and the Moon consist of solid inner cores surrounded by fluidouter cores.

Few of the Moon's craters are actually due to volcanism, as was widely thought prior toApollo.

Caloris is well named, for at every perihelion, it faces the Sun directly.

A major surprise from space exploration is that ________ exists at the poles of both Mercuryand our Moon.

From Earth, due to their motions and the fact that the Sun lights only a portion of eachsurface, both Mercury and the Moon:

The hollows on Mercury are:

What are the major factors that rule out the co-formation theory for the Moon-Earth system?

Mercury is very hard to observe from Earth because:

Which side of the Moon has the thicker crust? Why?

The high eccentricity of Mercury's orbit probably has nothing to do with Mercury's 3:2 synchof rotation and revolution.

Why has Mercury traditionally been such a hard planet to observe and study?

To measure how Mercury spins, astronomers sent ________ to Mercury and used theDoppler shift to determine how fast it was rotating.

Compare and contrast the interiors of the Moon and Mercury, including how these featuresformed.

Relate the formation of Mercury's scarps to its differentiation.

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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