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L19 The End
Astro 150 lecture on 6/2/11
28
Astronomy
Undergraduate 2
06/03/2011

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Cards

Term
What are the top 100 objects in the solar system.
Definition
1-99 The Sun
100 Jupiter

Based on mass and influence on the rest of the solar system
Term
What changes as we move from the sun to the outer solar system?
Definition
Temperature
Density of objects
Composition of objects
atmospheres
Volatility
Term
Volitile
Definition
Something that evaporates easily
Term
Accretion
Definition
Building from the bottom up
Small objects to larger objects
Term
How does composition change as we move away from the sun?
Definition
Close to the sun material is made of iron as we move away from the sun it is made of rock and then ice and gass once we cross the snow line.
Term
Why dies composition change as we move away from the snow line?
Definition
Iron can be a solid at higher temperatures so objects are made of iron closer to the sun.
You must be passed the snow line to make stuff out of ice so only the distant objects can be made of ice
Term
Why does density change with distance from the sun?
Definition
Iron is found closer to the sun and it has the highest density.
Ice is found farthest from the sun and it has the lowest density.
Term
How does atmosphere change with distance from the sun?
Definition
Close to the sun atmospheres are made of carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen and oxygen.
Outside the snow line atmospheres are made of methane, ammonia, nitrogen, hydrogen and helium.
Term
Where does the CO2, water and Nitrogen come from in earth's atmosphere?
How about the oxygen?
Definition
The CO2, water and nitrogen come from out gassing (when the rocks of the surface melt they release gasses)
Oxygen comes from biological processes
Term
Where did the methane, ammonia, and nitrogen come from in the outer solar system atmospheres?
How about the hydrogen and helium?
Definition
From outgassing of the ice crusts of the worlds.
H and He were in the solar system from the very beginning.
Term
Why do the inner planets and the outer planets have different gasses in their atmospheres?
Definition
The secondary atmospheres of the inner planners come from the melting of rock. The secondary atmosphewres of the outer solar system comes from outgassing of ice.

The composition of the atmosphere is determined by the composition of the surface of the world.
Term
Outgassing
Definition
Gasses released when the surface of a world melts.
Term
Why is Jupiter so big?
Definition
It forms right outside the snow line.there is a huge increase in the amount of material to build a planet out of when you go outside the snow line.
Term
Do planets get bigger then Jupiter? Why?
Definition
No
The pressure at the center causes the center to colaps rather then let the planet get bigger. Pants don't get bigger then Jupiter.
Term
What does Jupiter influence?
Definition
The structure of the asteroid belt (through resonance).
Killed the dinosaurs
Gave earth it's water
Made the Oort cloud
Pulls comets out of the Kuiper Belt
Term
What do we have samples of?
Definition
Meteorite from asteroids in the asteroid belt.
Rocks from the surface of the moon.
Term
Why are samples so important?
Definition
Tell us about the structure of the asteroid belt and the types of asteroids.
They tell us about the early universe
We learn about the ages of surfaces.
Term
How do we determine the ages of objects in the inner solar system?
Definition
Collect samples.
If we can't do that, count craters, and compare the crater density graph to that of the moon.
Term
How do we determine the ages of surfaces in the outer solar system?
Definition
Collect samples (we can't do this yet)
Find relative ages of features on the surface.
Term
Why can't we count craters on surfaces in the outer solar system to determine age?
Definition
The R-Plots of the surfaces do not match the R-Plot of the moon which means they have different POPULATIONS of craters.
That means you CANNOT compare the surfaces ages.
Term
What does he mean "geologic activity scales with size"?
Definition
N the inner solar system, the larger the planet is the longer it will be geologically active because they have more fuel (radioactive material) and they loose heat slower.
Term
What does he mean "Geologic activity scales with size, except when it doesn't"?
Definition
In the outer solar system, objects that are too small to still be geologically active in the inner solar system are still geologically active.
Term
How can small objects in the outer solar system still be geologically active when they must have run out of radioactive material by now?
Definition
First, they are made of ice and it is easier to melt ice.
They are heated by different processes:
Tidal heating (Io and Europa)
The sun (Tritan Nd tunes moon)
Term
Will Io, Europa, and Tritan ever stop being geologically active?
Definition
No
Tidal heating will continue as long as Io and Europa orbit Jupiter and are in resonance with another moon.
Tritan will be active as long as the sun heats it.
Term
Why do WE care about Jupiter?
Definition
Jupiter killed the dinosaurs so we could live.
Jupiter gave us water and amino acids so we could evolve.
Term
Why do we care about metiorior and asteroid impacts?
Definition
It was a Giant impact that formed the moon and without the moon the earth would wobble so much that our seasons would be too extreme for life to exist.
Term
Why do we care about magnetic fields?
Definition
Our magnetic field protects us from solar radiation from the sun. Without it we would be dead meat,
Term
What about this class relates to our lives?
Definition
Jupiter
Asteroid impacts
And magnetic fields.
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