Download Exam# 2 Review (Draft)

Exam# 2 Review (Draft)
•Exam #2 is Wednesday March 15th at 11:45 AM in room Pugh 170
•Bring Gator 1 ID card
•Bring pencil #2 with eraser
•No use of calculator or any electronic device during the exam
• We provide the scantrons
• Equations will be projected on the screen
•You can use the exam pages as scrap paper if you need to do calculations .
• The exam has 30 questions, 5 possible answers, only one valid answer. Duration: 50 minutes
•If you arrive after the first person turn in the exam, you will not be able to take the exam.
•Keep the first page of the exam. It has the exam number. Scores will be posted using
the exam number
• Exam will include material from Ch 3 (slides 39- 63), Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7 and Ch 8 (slides 1 to 18)
Chapter 3– Telescopes
Topics
• effect of the terrestrial atmosphere in ground-based telescopes: Turbulence, seeing and
twinkling
• Technique to reduce the effect of atmospheric turbulence in ground based
telescopes:Adaptive optics
• Characteristics of the best places to locate ground-based telescopes
•Telescopes for other wavelengths: radio, IR, UV, X-ray and Gamma rays
• Attenuation and absorption of shorter wavelengths UV, X-rays, gamma- rays ) by the
terrestrial atmosphere
•Location of telescopes for UV, X-ray, gamma-rays
• Radio Telescopes: telescopes for radio wavelengths. Example: ALMA, Arecibo
• Interferometry. Connecting and combining the light from two or more telescopes.
• The advantage of interferometry: Increase in angular resolution
•The resolution is equivalent to a telescope with a diameter equal to the separation between
telescopes.
Chapter 3– Telescopes
Questions
• The effect of atmospheric turbulence in a short exposure of a star image.
• The effect of turbulence in a long exposure star image
• What can be done to reduce the effect of atmospheric turbulence in ground-based
telescopes
• If we compare an optical telescope and a radio telescope of the same diameter: Which one
has lower angular resolution?
•Why telescopes for the UV, X-rays and gamma-rays need to be in space?
•Do X-rays telescope use regular mirror
•Do gamma ray telescope use mirrors. What type of detector do they use?
•What is Interferometry?
• What is the advantage of combining the light (or signal) from two or more telescopes (or
radio telescopes)
Chapter 5 – The Earth and Moon
Topics
• The tides. The reason for the tides: The differential gravitational attraction of the Moon and the Sun
on the oceans
•Important: Equations of escape velocity and average molecular speed
•How do we use these two formulas to predict if a celestial body (planets, satellites) will retain
or lose an atmosphere?
•What are the parameters in each of the two equations?
•What are the two parameters involved in the escape velocity equation? The mass and radius of the body
•In the molecular speed equation, what are the two parameters? Temperature and molecular mass of gas
•The kinetic energy of a body and a molecule: proportional to mass and velocity squared
•Describe the greenhouse effect
•Gases that produce the greenhouse effect in the terrestrial atmosphere
•The ozone layer and the ozone hole.
•The internal structure of the Earth and Moon: Core, mantle, crust.
•Radioactive decay and the melting of the interior of the Earth and other terrestrial planets
• Heat generated by impact of small bodies with the Earth and other planets
• Differentiation
•The P and S seismic waves as tool to learn about the internal structure of the Earth
•Plate tectonics.
•The Earth magnetic field.
• Solar wind energetic particles trapped in the Earth magnetic field
• The terrestrial aurora
•Theory of formation of the Moon
Chapter 5 – The Earth and Moon
Questions
•What is the configuration of the positions of the Sun and Moon for the spring tides? For neap
tides?
•How many high tides are in 24 hours period? Why?
•Why the tidal effect of the Sun is smaller than the tidal effect of the Moon?
•How do we know about the Earth interior? How are the P and S wave used?
•Equations for the escape velocity and the molecular velocity
•What is minimum ratio of escape velocity to mean molecular velocity so gases are retained in the
atmosphere of a planet?
•Which gases may leave an atmosphere faster? Why?
•What cause the depletion of ozone in the atmosphere?
• What is the ozone hole and where it is located
•How can we explain the large density of the core of the Earth and the terrestrial planets?
•What is differentiation?
•What were the sources of heat that made the Earth to rise its internal temperature and melt?
•Name the two main greenhouse gasses present in the atmosphere of the Earth
•Name the two main gases in the atmosphere of the Earth
•Why the Moon has been able to preserve the impact crater?
• Why the Moon does not have an atmosphere?
•What are the lunar maria (mare) and what caused them?
•How do we explain the presence of Earth’s magnetic field
•What are the two conditions that may explain the formation of magnetic field in a planet?
•Does the Earth meet these two conditions?
•What causes the terrestrial aurora? Describe the process that produces an aurora
•How the Earth’s magnetic field and the ozone layer protect life on Earth?
•What are the theories of formation of the Moon? Which is the most accepted one?
Chapter 6 – The Terrestrial Planets
•Main parameters of the four terrestrial planets: Relative values (respect to Earth) of diameter,
mass, density, rotational period, distance from Sun
•Order of terrestrial planets in increasing distance from the Sun
• Method used to determine the rotational period of Mercury and Venus
• Mercury: Rotational period, tilt of rotational axis, atmosphere, satellites
•Characteristics of the surface of Mercury: scarps or cliff, impact craters, absence of plate
tectonics
•Venus, tilt of rotational axis: Axis almost perpendicular to orbital plane
• Rotational period of Venus
• Venus atmospheric composition, composition of clouds, atmospheric density compared to Earth
•Surface features in Venus: Volcanoes, lava flow, absence of plate tectonics
•What causes the high temperature in Venus atmosphere?
•Mars atmospheric composition, density compared to Earth
•Surface features on Mars, volcanoes, evidence of running water in the past. Evidence of running
water at the present
•Outflow and runoff channels
•Evidence of frozen water under the surface
•Gullies. Salty water (or carbon dioxide sublimating?) running down the slopes of Martian craters
•Recent discoveries of the Curiosity rover
•Possibility of life or fossil life
•Search for microscopic life on the surface of Mars. The Viking experiment
•Analysis of a Martian meteorite: Search for fossil life
Chapter 6 – The Terrestrial Planets
Questions
Regarding size (diameter) how is the Earth compared with Venus, Mars and Mercury?
•What is the problem for determining the rotational period of Mercury and Venus? How is the rotational
period determined?
•How dense is Venus atmosphere compared to Earth? Atmospheric pressure compared to Earth?
•What is the main gas in the atmosphere of Venus?
• Clouds in Venus atmosphere: What is the composition of the clouds?
•What are the main difference between terrestrial planets and Jovian planets?
• Size, mass, density, distance from the Sun, number of moons or satellite
•Which of the terrestrial planets does not have an atmosphere?
•What are the similarities between Mars and Earth regarding rotational period, inclination of rotational
axis?
•How is the density of the atmosphere of Mars compared to Earth? Atmospheric pressure?
•What is the main gas in the atmosphere of Mars?
•Main differences between the north and south hemisphere in Mars
•Mars is called the Red planet. What gives the red color to the surface of Mars?
•Origin of Valles Marineris
• Which planet has the largest volcanoes in the solar system? Name one.
•What is the evidence of flow of liquid water on Mars in the past? Runoff and outflow channels
•Any recent discovery of water ice a few centimeter under the surface of Mars? Phoenix lander
• Recent discovery of salty water (or chunks of carbon dioxide) running down the slopes of craters:
Gullies
•Recent discoveries of Curiosity mission: Equivalent of a dry river bed containing smooth surface and
rounded rocks and pebbles. Layers of flat rocks
Chapter 6 – The Terrestrial Planets
Questions
• Did the Viking experiment found clear evidence of microscopic life? What are the arguments in
favor or arguments to reject the “evidence”?
•Did the analysis or the Martian meteorite gave clear evidence of microscopic fossil life?
• What are the arguments to support and the arguments to reject the possible presence of fossil life
• What is a “splosh” crater? What causes the unusual shapes of the slopes in splosh craters?
• Venus axial tilt. What is unusual regarding the axial tilt/
•Venus rotational period. What is unusual regarding the rotational period?
Chapter 7 – The Jovian Planets
Topics
• Jovian planets: Relative (approximate) values respect to the Earth (Or the other terrestrial
planets) of the mass, diameter, density, rotational period, distance to the Sun
• The main composition of the Jovian planets: light elements (H and He)
•Presence of rings
•Presence of many satellites (or moons) in Jovian planets
•The four more interesting satellites of the Jovian planets: Io, Europa, Titan and Triton
•Two main gasses present in the atmosphere of the Jovian planets
•Features of the atmosphere of the Jovian planets
•Zones and belts on Jupiter upper atmosphere. The Great Red Spot
• Presence of metallic hydrogen in the interior of Jupiter and Saturn.
• The two parameter that may determine the presence of magnetic field in a planet
•The magnetic field of the Jovian planets.
•The origin of the low radio frequency emitted by Jupiter and all the Jovian planets
•The color of the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune
Chapter 7 – The Jovian Planets
Questions
• Which of the Jovian planets have rings?
•Which is the less dense of the Jovian planets? What is its density?
•What is the Great Red spot? Where is it located in the disk of the planet?
•How is the mass of Jupiter compared to the mass of the other planets
•Which of the Jovian planets have the strongest magnetic field?
•What can be find in the interior of Jupiter and Saturn that may explain why they have a strong
magnetic field?
•How that affect the presence of magnetic field in Jupiter and Saturn?
•Which of the Jovian planet emit the strongest low radio frequency radio emission, easily
detectable from low frequency ground-based radio telescopes?
•How can we explain the lower density of Helium in the atmosphere of Saturn compared to
Jupiter?
•How is that related to the generation of internal heat in Saturn?
•What can explain the internal heat produced in Jupiter?
•Based on the expected atmospheric temperature of Jupiter (due to absorption of solar energy) and
the actual measurement of atmospheric temperature, is it possible to calculate the ratio of energy
being generated respect to the energy being absorbed? How mush is the ratio?
•What is the tilt angle of Uranus rotational axis? Does Uranus have seasons?
•What explains the blue color in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune?
• Have we ever witnesses the collision of the comet with a Jovian planet?
Chapter 8– Satellites, rings, plutoids
Topics and concepts
• The shape of the orbit of Io, Europa and Ganymede
• Orbital resonance between the orbits of these Galilean satellites
• The effect of the differential gravitational force in the elliptical orbit: Tidal energy dissipation.
• The mechanism that generate heat that powers the volcanoes in Io
•Europa (and possible Ganymede): ocean of liquid water under the frozen surface
•The internal structure of Europa
Questions
• Jupiter’s Galilean satellites should be completely frozen considering their distance from the
Sun. How can be explained their unusual characteristic?
• How do we explain the presence of active volcanoes in Io?
• The mechanism that generate the energy that produce Io’s volcanic activity
•How do we explain the presence of an ocean of liquid water under the frozen surface of Europa?
•What gave the hint that Europa has a conductive liquid interior?
• What causes the elliptical orbit of Io, Europa and Ganymede?
•Which satellite in the solar system as the most volcanic activity