Comparative Planetology. Roles: Scribe (takes notes on the group’s activities), Proposer (proposes explanations to the group), Skeptic (points out weaknesses in proposed explanations), Moderator (leads group discussion and makes sure everyone contributes). Activity: This chapter advocates learning about how planets work by comparing the planets in general, as opposed to studying the individual planets in great depth. Compare this approach with any previous study you might have made of the planets—for example, in grade school or an earth sciences class—by making a list of advantages and any disadvantages of the comparative approach. Then describe in a few sentences how a comparative approach might be used in a completely different field, such as another branch of science or social science.
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- What is comparative planetology and why is it useful to astronomers?arrow_forwardExoplanets in eccentric orbits experience large temperature swings during their orbits. Suppose you had to plan for a mission to such a planet. Based on Kepler’s second law, does the planet spend more time closer or farther from the star? Explain.arrow_forwardHow does the solar nebula theory explain the orbits of the major planets? Dwarf planets? Does it explain the rotations of the planets? Why or why not?arrow_forward
- If you visited another planetary system, would you be surprised to find planets older than Earth? Why or why not?arrow_forwardThe Perseverance rover landed on Mars in early 2021. During travel to Mars, thespacecraft carrying the rover cruised at a speed of nearly 25,000 miles per hour. Atthis speed, how long would it have taken for the spacecraft to travel 0.5 au? Giveyour answer in daysarrow_forwardHow can a planet’s atmosphere affect the width of the habitable zone in its planetary system?arrow_forward
- where do you think we should establish a colony first? In Mars or in Moon?arrow_forwardIn Table 2, there is a list of 15 planets, some of which are real objects discovered by the Kepler space telescope, and some are hypothetical planets. For each one, you are provided the temperature of the star that each planet orbits in degrees Kelvin (K), the distance that each planet orbits from their star in astronomical units (AUs) and the size or radius of each planet in Earth radii (RE). Since we are concerned with finding Earth-like planets, we will assume that the composition of these planets are similar to Earth's, so we will not directly look at their masses, rather their sizes (radii) along with the other characteristics. Determine which of these 15 planets meets our criteria of a planet that could possibly support Earth-like life. Use the Habitable Planet Classification Flow Chart (below) to complete Table 2. Whenever the individual value you are looking at falls within the range of values specified on the flow chart, mark the cell to the right of the value with a Y for…arrow_forwardEarlier in this chapter, we modeled the solar system with Earth at a distance of about one city block from the Sun. If you were to make a model of the distances in the solar system to match your height, with the Sun at the top of your head and Pluto at your feet, which planet would be near your waist? How far down would the zone of the terrestrial planets reach?arrow_forward
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