MATERIAL YOU ARE EXPECTED TO KNOW FOR THE FINAL TEST IN ASTRONOMY 161. CHAPTERS REFER TO CHAPTERS IN ONLINE JOURNEY THROUGH ASTRONOMY (2-SEMESTER VERSION) General comment: In chapters 9-16 there is a lot of information about properties of planets and moons (masses, sizes, orbits, periods, etc.). I do not expect you to memorize the mass of Saturn, the names of the 15 moons of Jupiter, and so on. I do expect you to have a general appreciation of the approximate sizes and masses of the planets relative to each other, to know the largest moons of each planet (e.g., the Galilian moons for Jupiter) and so on. For example, you should know, for all the planets in the solar system, (1) the nature of the atmosphere and its most important gases. (2) the relative strengths of the magnetic fields and magnetospheres (e.g., Jupiter has a very large one of each, Mars has essentially zero magnetic field). (3) The relative masses, diameters, and approximate distance from the Sun. (4) General properties of the interior. (5) The most general properties (like expected composition) of any ring system. (6) The names and most general features of any large moons. I will place a word-list on the final test that will contain the correct answers to all fill-in questions. However, the list will be long (~100 words) so it is only likely to be useful if you have studied well for the test.
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CHAPTER 9 Approximate properties of the Moon like diameter and distance from Earth. I don't expect you to memorize exact numbers, but you should know approximately numbers such as this for the Earth-Moon system. Differences between near and far sides of the Moon What are librations? What are similarities & differences between interior of Moon & Earth? What are the critical issues in whether a body can retain an atmosphere? What are the characteristics of rocks from the lunar highlands and seas? Is there water on the Moon? How do tides originate? What are some consequences of tides? What is tidal locking? What are its consequences? What are spring and neap tides and how do they originate? Know a general chronology for the lunar surface, including approximate times. What are the roles played by meteors and volcanism in the history of the Moon? What are the theories for formation of the Moon? What do the data say about these competing theories? CHAPTER 10 What are the general surface and interior features of Mercury and Venus. Compare with corresponding features for Earth. What is unusual about Mercury's interior? What kinds of atmospheres and magnetic fields do Mercury and Venus have? What is the nature of the atmosphere and the clouds on Venus? What is the runaway greenhouse effect? Its causes? Its consequences? What is a plausible history for Mercury and for Venus? How do these histories compare with that of the Earth and Moon? What is the best current speculation about how tectonic motion on Venus differs from that of Earth and why? CHAPTER 11 Why do we believe the nature of volcanism on Earth and Mars is so different (Hint: differing tectonic activity is probably key) What is the composition and pressure of the atmosphere on Mars? How do Martian temperature variations differ from that of Earth? Why? Does Mars have seasons? Why? Is there evidence for water (past or present) on Mars? What is the significance of water and carbon dioxide in the history of the terrestrial planets? What are the names of Mars' moons and what are their characteristics. What is unusual about the orbit of Phobos? How is it possible that one of these moons rises in the east but sets in the west, but the other rises in the west and sets in the east, even though both revolve in the same direction around Mars (hint: see the animation). What were the experiments that searched for life on Viking I and II? How did they work? What did they find? CHAPTER 12 How do the gas giants differ from the terrestrial planets? What is the interior of Jupiter like? What is the source of Jupiter's strong magnetic field? What is the Great Red Spot and its likely cause? What are belts and zones? Why are they different colors? How does Jupiter compare with the Earth in size and rotation? What are the basic properties of Jupiter's magnetosphere? What is the Io Plasma Torus. What is the source of particles for the aurorae observed on Jupiter? What are the Galilian Moons? How do they differ among themselves in properties? What are the primary things governing the properties of the Galilian moons? What are the surface and interior of Io like? Why? What is the source of particles in Jupiter's ring? Does Jupiter have an internal heat source? CHAPTER 13 How are Saturn and Jupiter alike? How are they different? Does Saturn have the equivalent of Jupiter's Giant Red Spot? Why does Saturn have fewer bright colors in its atmosphere and clouds than Jupiter? Does Saturn have and internal heat source? What are the rings. What do we know about their properties. What do we know about the origin of the rings? What are shepherd moons and what is their significance? What is the Cassini Division? How are the magnetic fields and magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn alike? How are they different? What is the Roche limit? What is its significance with respect to moons and rings for planets? What are the basic properties of Titan? CHAPTER 14 What are the basic similarities among the 4 gas giant planets? What are their basic differences? How are the orbital andi/or magnetic axes of Uranus and Neptune unusual? Why is it difficult to explain the origin of the magnetic fields for Uranus and Neptune with the same theories that explain the magnetic fields of Saturn and Jupiter? What are the properties of the ring systems of Uranus and Neptune? What are probably the 3 greatest mysteries concerning the properties of Uranus relative to Jupiter and Saturn? What is the likely reason for the difference in coloring of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter and dark spots on Neptune? What are the most important open questions about the nature of Neptune? What are the basic properties of Triton? What are the basic properties of the Pluto-Charon system? Does Pluto have an atmosphere? How do we know? Be able to describe the geometry of the Pluto-Charon system. CHAPTER 15 Describe the head of a typical comet. Describe the tail of a typical comet. What is the Oort Cloud? What is the Kuiper Belt? What are the two kinds of tails often seen for comets and what is their significance? What feature(s) of comets indicate that there is a solar wind? What was the Tunguska event and what is its most likely explanation? CHAPTER 16 Distinguish among asteroids, meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites What is the asteroid belt? What are Kirkwood Gaps? How were asteroids probably formed? What is the difference between asteroids and comets? Are they always distinguishable from each other? What are Apollo asteroids, aten asteroids, and trojan asteroids? Why is Antarctica a good place to look for meteorites? What are the 3 main classes of meteorites? What are the subclassifications of the stony meteorites? Where do meteorites originate? Why do many believe that as asteroid (or comet) led to the extinction of the last dinosaurs (what is the evidence)? What is the KT event? Why is it called that. How often do we estimate that impacts comparable to the KT event happen on Earth? What is a meteor shower and what causes it? Why does a shower have a radiant? Why are meteor showers related to comets? What are fireballs and bolides? What are the typical velocities of meteors entering Earth's atmosphere?
