21st Century Astronomy
6th Edition
ISBN: 9780393428063
Author: Kay
Publisher: NORTON
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Chapter 9.1, Problem 9.1CYU
To determine
Reasons why Mercury has so little gas in its atmosphere.
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Assume that a planet will have lost its initial atmosphere by the present time if the average molecular speed exceeds one-sixth of the escape speed.
What would Mercury's mass have to be in order for it to still have a nitrogen atmosphere? The molecular weight of nitrogen is 28.
Jupiter's moon Metis has a radius of only 20 km, and a mass of 9 x 1016 kg. Answer the following:
a) Calculate this moon's average density.
b) Based on your result above, would you say that Metis is made primarily of rock or ice? Justify your answer. (Hint: Density of ice is 920 kg/m3)
1.) Gases in the atmosphere keep the temperature in a range to support life on earth.
2.) There is an exact place where the atmosphere ends.
Chapter 9 Solutions
21st Century Astronomy
Ch. 9.1 - Prob. 9.1CYUCh. 9.2 - Prob. 9.2CYUCh. 9.3 - Prob. 9.3ACYUCh. 9.3 - Prob. 9.3BCYUCh. 9.4 - Prob. 9.4CYUCh. 9.5 - Prob. 9.5CYUCh. 9 - Prob. 1QPCh. 9 - Prob. 2QPCh. 9 - Prob. 3QPCh. 9 - Prob. 4QP
Ch. 9 - Prob. 5QPCh. 9 - Prob. 6QPCh. 9 - Prob. 7QPCh. 9 - Prob. 8QPCh. 9 - Prob. 9QPCh. 9 - Prob. 10QPCh. 9 - Prob. 11QPCh. 9 - Prob. 12QPCh. 9 - Prob. 13QPCh. 9 - Prob. 14QPCh. 9 - Prob. 15QPCh. 9 - Prob. 16QPCh. 9 - Prob. 17QPCh. 9 - Prob. 18QPCh. 9 - Prob. 19QPCh. 9 - Prob. 20QPCh. 9 - Prob. 21QPCh. 9 - Prob. 22QPCh. 9 - Prob. 23QPCh. 9 - Prob. 24QPCh. 9 - Prob. 25QPCh. 9 - Prob. 26QPCh. 9 - Prob. 27QPCh. 9 - Prob. 28QPCh. 9 - Prob. 29QPCh. 9 - Prob. 30QPCh. 9 - Prob. 31QPCh. 9 - Prob. 32QPCh. 9 - Prob. 33QPCh. 9 - Prob. 34QPCh. 9 - Prob. 35QPCh. 9 - Prob. 36QPCh. 9 - Prob. 37QPCh. 9 - Prob. 38QPCh. 9 - Prob. 39QPCh. 9 - Prob. 40QPCh. 9 - Prob. 41QPCh. 9 - Prob. 42QPCh. 9 - Prob. 43QPCh. 9 - Prob. 44QPCh. 9 - Prob. 45QP
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- Why are the atmospheres of Venus and Mars mostly carbon dioxide? Why is the atmosphere of Venus very dense but the atmosphere of Mars is very thin?arrow_forwardWhy do astronomers conclude that the crust on Mars must be thicker than Eths crust?arrow_forwardThe total mass of this planet's atmosphere may be higher than the Earth's but the gases present must be very lighter ones like hydrogen and helium. The escape velocity of the planet will be very high. Due to the high escape velocity, the light gases were not able to escape and hence forming a thick atmosphere Would the atmosphere for this planet be thicker or thinner than that of the Earth?arrow_forward
- Imagine that you visit a planet orbiting another star and discover that it is heavily cratered, but its small moon is nearly crater free. Why would that be a surprise? Speculate about what might have happened to those objects.arrow_forwardWhy does the Moon not have an atmosphere?arrow_forwardHow can Jupiter have a liquid interior and not have a definite liquid surface?arrow_forward
- The Moon has no sustained atmosphere. What advantages would you have if you built an observatory on the lunar surface? (Select all that apply.) a. On Earth, large mirrors in telescopes can sag under their own weight. Without an atmosphere to apply pressure, mirrors on the Moon would not sag. b. We could observe during the day. Without an atmosphere, sunlight is not scattered and the sky remains dark. c. We could observe continuously, because there would never be any clouds. d. The Moon is closer to many stars than the Earth, and lunar-based telescopes would produce images with more detail based on this closer proximity. e. There is no atmosphere to absorb or scatter radiation, so all wavelengths of light could be observed with lunar-based telescopes, from radio waves to gamma rays. f. Distortion of mirrors due to temperature shifts would no longer be an issue, without an atmosphere to retain the heat from sunlight. g. Without atmospheric turbulence, there would be no…arrow_forwardThe planet Venus is different from the earth in several respects. First, it is only 70% as far from the sun. Second, its thick clouds reflect 77% of all incident sunlight. Finally, its atmosphere is much more opaque to infrared light. Calculate the solar constant at the location of Venus, and estimate what the average surface temperature of Venus would be if it had no atmosphere and did not reflect any sunlight.arrow_forwardThe total mass of this planet's atmosphere may be higher than the Earth's but the gases present must be very light ones like hydrogen and helium. The escape velocity of the planet will be very high. Due to the high escape velocity, the light gases were not able to escape and hence forming a thick atmosphere Is the escaping velocity for this planet greater or lower than that of the earth?arrow_forward
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