Explorations: An Introduction to Astronomy (Arny), 7th Edition

Chapter 9: The Terrestrial Planets

Questions for Review

1
How do Mercury, Venus, and Mars each compare with the Earth in mass and radius?
2
How do the interior structures of Mercury, Venus, and Mars compare with Earth's?
3
What is the surface of Mercury like?
4
Does Mercury have an atmosphere? Why or why not?
5
What is peculiar about Mercury's rotation? What causes this oddity?
6
What is the dominant gas in Venus's atmosphere? How do astronomers know this?
7
What are the clouds of Venus made of?
8
Why is Venus so hot?
9
Can we see the surface of Venus? Why or why not? How do astronomers know what the surface of Venus is like?
10
What sort of features are seen on Venus's surface? Is the surface young or old? Some of the youngest surfaces on Earth are from plate ridges-is the same true on Venus?
11
Describe some of the surface features seen on Mars.
12
What are the Martian polar caps composed of?
13
What is the Martian atmosphere like?
14
What is the evidence that Mars once had running water on its surface?
15
What is the likely origin of Mars's two moons? What evidence supports this?
16
What is the evidence that leads some scientists to believe life may have existed on Mars?
17
What explanations have been offered for why the atmospheres of the terrestrial planets are so different?
18
How do astronomers explain why the Earth's atmosphere ended up with so little CO2, compared with that of Mars and Venus?
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