Final Exam New Notecards

Front 1

•What are the four fundamental requirements for the development of life?

Back 1

Energy
Raw Materials
Liquid Water
Time

Front 2

•What are the best places to look in our solar system for current or past signs of life (besides Earth)?

Back 2

Mars and the Jovian Moons Europa and Titan

Front 3

•Where might any life on Mars be located?

Back 3

Under the surface

Front 4

•What is interesting about martian meteorites?

Back 4

They contain what could be creepy crawly creatures.

Front 5

Which Jovian moons are most promising? Why?

Back 5

Europa because it has a potential for significant liquid water.

Titan because it has an atmosphere

Both are outside the Habitable Zone. And both are affected by tidal forces.

Front 6

•What energy source most applies to Jovian moons?

Back 6

Tidal Forces

Front 7

•What does magnetism say about Europa?

Back 7

It says that there are moving electrical charges... or energy.

This energy must be significant thermal energy...such as lava flows or water.

Front 8

• What is the fundamental problem with looking for life around other stars?

Back 8

The Star emits so much energy and light that it distorts any spectroscopic reading we might get from the planet which will be much less than the star.

Front 9

What is a reasonable estimate for the distance to the nearest planet harbouring life?

Back 9

About 20 light years.

Front 10

• What is the best substitute for visiting a world, in terms of exploring life?

Back 10

Spectroscopy

Front 11

• What is the Rare Earth Hypothesis?

Back 11

t is more focused on the development of complex and intelligent life. The fact that we didnt get wiped out by random events is amazing

Front 12

• What is the Principle of Mediocrity?

Back 12

We live around a reasonable typical star in an otherwise nondescript part of the galaxy. Intelligent life developed here, so there's no reason to think it would be very common. It's mediocre in the context that does it take really special environments to maintain life.

Front 13

• What is the Fermi Paradox?

Back 13

Why don't we see signs of other intelligent civilizations. The fact that is hasn't been shown to occur indicates the lack of intelligent life in the galaxy. It's not so much a paradox as an argument against large numbers of intelligent civilizations.

Front 14

• What is the purpose of the Drake Equation?

Back 14

It talks about our Galaxy and i guess it could talk about other galaxies...basically it says that:

1.) you start with an estimate with the rate that stars form in our galaxy. (R*)

2.) Multiply it by numerical factors. they are things like the fraction of stars could provide habitability. what fraction of stars have habitable planets. what fraction of those do develop life. what fraction of those develop intelligent life

. what fraction of those develop technology to communicate.

3.) Determine (L) which is the value of the lifetime of a particular civilization. (from a generation to the lifetime of the star) This gives you the number (N) which is the estimate of how many technologically advanced civilizations in our galaxy

Front 15

Which of the factors of the Drake Equasion is easiest to estimate?

Back 15

Star Formation Rate

Front 16

What are the two least known factors.

Back 16

Fraction of stars with life
Fraction of those stars with intelligent life

Front 17

Concerning the Drake Equation What is a known measurement of (L)?

Back 17

100 Years

Front 18

• Is intelligent life necessarily the endpoint of evolution on any world?

Back 18

No

Front 19

• What signs are there that there is life on Earth as seen from space?

Back 19

1.) analyze the use of spectroscopy to find amazing chemical stuff that is indicitave that the earth could hold biological activity.

2.) The earth emits tons of Radio signals that had to come from an intelligent civilization

Front 20

• What is key for the development of intelligence?

Back 20

Time.

It took 4 Billion years to develop intelligent life on our planet.

Front 21

• What is a simple measure of relative intelligence?

Back 21

Brain size in proportion to body mass.

Front 22

How may brain size have changed with time?

Back 22

it gets bigger as it gets more advanced.

Front 23

• What is SETI?

Back 23

Search for extra-terrestrial intelligence.

Front 24

• What is the advantage of radio signals?

Back 24

A low background. part of the spectrum where it's easy for us to detect from the ground. Signals transmit well from our atmosphere.

Front 25

• What is the nature of the radio frequency of 1420 MHz?

Back 25

they can cause or be caused by hydrogen quantem mechanics. Common frequency in The radio spectrum that smart civilizations should be adept at making use of.

Front 26

Why do people consider 1420 MHz an attractive frequency to look at when trying to search for extraterrestrial signals from intelligent life.

Back 26

Synonym in terms of wavelength (21 CM line). It's this idea that it's a physical characteristic of a hydrogen atom, essentially. The energy level of the electron will change slightly if the spins of the protons are aligned. It's a common frequency in the radial spectrum.

Front 27

How might you adjust the frequency to make it

particularly interesting?

Back 27

you can multiply or divide it by an irrational number in order to display a basic knowledge of advanced math.

Front 28

• What is CETI? What is the example?

Back 28

Communicating with Extra Terrestrial Intelligence. Arecebo message

Front 29

• What are the two largest challenges of spaceflight to distant worlds?

Back 29

Speed and Energy

Front 30

In a single day, the Sun moves by about ____ degrees in the celestial sphere.

Back 30

1

Front 31

The celestial sphere is -

Back 31

A large imaginary sphere centered on the Earth, on which all objects in the night sky appear to be located.

Front 32

What are the extreme values of declination (values at south and north poles)?

Back 32

-90, 90

Front 33

If the ecliptic and celestial equator were the same, there would be no –

Back 33

Seasons

Front 34

If the ecliptic and celestial equator were the same, there would be no –

Back 34

The Earth's geographic poles

Front 35

The celestial sphere coordinate that runs from 0-24 hours or 0-360 degrees is the -

Back 35

Right ascension

Front 36

The path the Sun appears to follow in the celestial sphere over a year is called the -

Back 36

Ecliptic

Front 37

The angle at which the Earth’s spin is tilted from the direction of it’s orbit is -

Back 37

23.5

Front 38

Conservation of angular momentum explains -

Back 38

the stability of Earth's spin direction

Front 39

How long is the period of Earth’s precession?

Back 39

26,000

Front 40

The Sun is at its most northerly point in the celestial sphere at the-

Back 40

summer solstice

Front 41

How many days a year does the Sun have a declination of 0 degrees?

Back 41

2

Front 42

An astronomical unit (AU) is -

Back 42

a unit of length, the average distance between the Sun and the Earth.

Front 43

Which of the following best describes evidence for a force on an object?

Back 43

Directon of travel is changing or the speed is changing.

Front 44

The idea that planets move in ellipses with the Sun at one focus is -

Back 44

Keplers

Front 45

The graphic to the left represents an elliptical planetary orbit with
the central star at one focus (point E). At which of the marked points in
the orbit is the planet’s speed the smallest?

Back 45

A

Front 46

Suppose a planet has a constant speed at every point of its orbit. What is its eccentricity?

Back 46

0.0

Front 47

For the following list of five orbital periods for planets orbiting the same star, which one is closest to the
star?

Back 47

1 Month

Front 48

According to Newton, if there are no unbalanced forces on an object, it will -

Back 48

move in a straight line at a constant speed

Front 49

There is a crazy solar system where all five planets have the same mass. For the semi-major axes listed,
which planet experiences the smallest force from the central star?

Back 49

25 AU

Front 50

The direction of the gravitational force of the Sun on the Earth is -

Back 50

Directly towards the Sun

Front 51

A change in velocity is known as -

Back 51

acceleration

Front 52

The gravitational force of the Sun on the Earth is the same as -

Back 52

the force of the Earth on the Sun

Front 53

In a vacuum, how does the energy of light depend on frequency?

Back 53

increases as frequency increases

Front 54

How fast does light travel in a vacuum?

Back 54

3x105 km/s

Front 55

The most valuable use of spectroscopy is that it gives us direct evidence for the ___ of an object

Back 55

chemical composition

Front 56

A spectrum is a plot of intensity as a function of -

Back 56

a light property like wavelength

Front 57

A particle of light is called a -

Back 57

Photon

Front 58

For the following light wavelengths, the one you can definitely see with your eye is -

Back 58

500 nm

Front 59

The light band just a little less energetic than optical light is called -

Back 59

infrared

Front 60

Energy jumps of electrons in atoms are sources of –

Back 60

spectral lines

Front 61

For the following light wavelengths, the one with the largest frequency is -

Back 61

20nm

Front 62

Which of the following objects has an orbit tilted furthest away from the ecliptic?

Back 62

Pluto

Front 63

Which of the following do all planets have in common?

Back 63

The all orbit in about the same direction

Front 64

Which of the following rotate the fastest?

Back 64

Saturn

Front 65

The slowest rotator of all the planets is -

Back 65

Venus

Front 66

Terrestrial planets are characterized by -

Back 66

a lack of rings

Front 67

The most cratered planet is

Back 67

Mercury

Front 68

How would you describe the Sun's rotation direction?

Back 68

It rotates in roughly the same direction as planets orbit.

Front 69

Compared to Earth and Venus, Mars has -

Back 69

much less of an atmosphere

Front 70

To determine whether or not a planet can sustain an atmosphere, one would first look at comparing
the planets gravitational force and the -

Back 70

temperature

Front 71

Which of the following is a common characteristic of the outer or Jovian planets?

Back 71

small densities

Front 72

The only planet with a density less than normal water is -

Back 72

Saturn

Front 73

The greenhouse effect raises the temperature of Venus by about –

Back 73

375 Degrees Celsius

Front 74

The only planet aside from Earth with historical evidence for liquid water is –

Back 74

Mars

Front 75

Which of the following planets has no belts and zones

Back 75

Venus

Front 76

The atmosphere of Venus is about _____ times the pressure of Earth’s.

Back 76

90

Front 77

The process where hot, light material rises up, cools, and then sinks back down in some
medium is called –

Back 77

Convection

Front 78

Jupiter contains about ____ of the non-solar mass in our solar system.

Back 78

2/3

Front 79

For which of the following are the planets ordered by increasing distance from the Sun?

Back 79

Mercury Earth Mars Saturn Neptune

Front 80

Which of the following planets has an obliquity greater than 90 degrees?

Back 80

Venus

Front 81

Magnetic fields are cause by

Back 81

Moving electrical charges

Front 82

Which of the following planets has the most perplexing magnetic field?

Back 82

Neptune

Front 83

How many natural satellites exist for all of the terrestrial planets combined?

Back 83

3

Front 84

What is the true orbital period of the Moon?

Back 84

27.3 days

Front 85

The dark regions on the surface of the Moon are called -

Back 85

maria

Front 86

The meters deep powder covering the Moon’s surface is called the -

Back 86

regolith

Front 87

the picture at left shows the moon phase some point in time. This phase is called:

Back 87

Waning crescent

Front 88

which of the following is closest to the time a Waning Crescent Moon will rise?

Back 88

3 AM

Front 89

the full requirement for an eclipse is that

Back 89

the moon is at a node and the line of nodes points towards the sun

Front 90

the radius and mass of the moon as a percentage of the earth's values are about ____ and ____.

Back 90

25% , 1%

Front 91

Why is Pluto no longer a planet

Back 91

Any of the answers will work.

Front 92

Which of the following is a consequence of tidal forces in the Earth-Moon system?

Back 92

moon orbital period increasing

Front 93

the most widely accepted theory at this time for the origin of the moon is that it was born from

Back 93

a huge impact, blasting matter out of the Earth and condensing into the Moon

Front 94

the largest moon in the solar system is

Back 94

Ganymede

Front 95

How Common is Synchronous rotation for moons?

Back 95

quite common

Front 96

every time jupiter's moon Ganymede makes an orbit, Io makes

Back 96

4

Front 97

Io and Europa are heated by

Back 97

Tidal Forces

Front 98

the solar system moon with the thickest atmosphere is

Back 98

Titan

Front 99

Which of the following phenomena are not associated with at least one Jovian moon

Back 99

none of the above. the Jovian moons are really diverse

Front 100

which is true of the physical structure of Saturn's rings

Back 100

None of the Above

Front 101

Which Jovian planets does not have a ring system

Back 101

None of the Above,

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all have rings

Front 102

How does the thickness of the rings of Saturn compare to their
radial extent?

Back 102

much bigger in radius than in thickness

Front 103

Where do Rings form?

Back 103

inside the Roche limit

Front 104

What is the defining characteristic of a small solar system body?

Back 104

Orbits only the sun

Front 105

Distinguishing comets and asteroids is based largely on _______, while distinguishing meteoroids
and asteroids is based upon _______.

Back 105

Composition, size

Front 106

What prominent, measurable effect does Neptune have on TNO’s?

Back 106

creates orbital resonances

Front 107

which of the following is furthest from the sun
-Scattered disk
-Neptune
-Oort Cloud
-Kuiper Belt
-Pluto

Back 107

Oort Cloud

Front 108

If you combined all of the material in the asteroid belt into a huge ball it would be closest in size to

Back 108

Our Moon

Front 109

The radial extent (inner edge to outer edge) of the asteroid belt is about -

Back 109

1.5 AU

Front 110

A small object entering the Earth’s atmosphere and surviving to ground level is a -

Back 110

Meteorite

Front 111

Which of the following are true of comet tails?

Back 111

Dust tail is uncharged particles removed by radiation pressure.

Front 112

If you looked at a comet in the Kuiper belt, you would mainly see the –

Back 112

Nucleus

Front 113

The main reason for the existence of the asteroid belt is the -

Back 113

gravitational influence of Jupiter

Front 114

Which of the following has a significantly different composition?

Back 114

None of the Above

Front 115

Comet tails are oriented -

Back 115

directly away from the Sun

Front 116

Comets have ____ types of tails

Back 116

2

Front 117

according to the nebular hypothesis planets arose due to-

Back 117

mergers and accretion in a disk surrounding the protostar

Front 118

the restriction of the planets to the plane of the ecliptic is largely a consequence of

Back 118

angular momentum

Front 119

which of the following is not an important physical effect that helped shape our solar system?

Back 119

location of the galaxy

Front 120

compared to the galaxy around us, our solar system has-

Back 120

the same chemical abundances

Front 121

the nebula that formed our solar system was probably

Back 121

much larger than our planetary disk

Front 122

the fact that almost all nebular material ended up in the sun is due to the nature of

Back 122

gravitational forces

Front 123

Extra-terrestrial scientists studying our solar system from afar probably call our planet

Back 123

basically anything...

Front 124

to date scientists have discovered about ____ extra solar planets

Back 124

400

Front 125

what is the fundamental problem to be overcome in finding planets

Back 125

the nearby companion star is so much brighter

Front 126

the method for finding extrasolar planets that utilize changes in the total light from a system is called the______method

Back 126

eclipsing or transit

Front 127

for the following planetary masses (in Jupiter units) which one is going to be easiest to detect with the Doppler method assuming the would all be at the same distance?

Back 127

the largest one

Front 128

in terms of mass , the most known extrasolar planets are roughly-

Back 128

Jupiter sized

Front 129

What might best explain the fact that scientists have mostly discovered extrasolar planets orbits?

Back 129

the timescales of those orbits are consistent with how long the systems have been studied

Front 130

proplyds are

Back 130

young protostar/ disk systems

Front 131

which of the following is NOT a general property of life

Back 131

None of the above.

Front 132

the four most prevalent chemical elements in a living organism make up what percentage the mass of such an organism

Back 132

96%

Front 133

which of the following is NOT one of the four most common elements found in Humans
-H
-O
-He
-N
-C

Back 133

Helium

Front 134

In which of the following astrophysics environments is the chemical composition most like that of humans

Back 134

the universe

Front 135

A segment of DNA that is capable of encoding the instructions for some particular cellular function is a

Back 135

Gene

Front 136

All life on earth is

Back 136

Cellular

Front 137

Life may have emerged on Earth about ____ years after its formation.

Back 137

500 million

Front 138

any physical evidence for biological activity in the distant past is called a

Back 138

biomarker

Front 139

an extreme environment can be created by dramatically changing the

Back 139

All of the above

Front 140

collisions of large bodies with the Earth over the past 500 million years may be associated with

Back 140

mass extinctions

Front 141

the lower and upper limits of the temperature at which life on earth can exist are roughly

Back 141

-20 to 120 C

Front 142

The Miller-Urey experiment is an attempt to -

Back 142

test the ability of the early Earth to create interesting organic molecules

Front 143

With respect to planets, a habitable zone -

Back 143

is a good guide to the places most likely to harbor life

Front 144

As a central star increases in temperature

Back 144

the outer radius of a habitable zone gets larger

Front 145

The amount of energy as a function of distance (r) from the central star changes like

Back 145

1/ r2

Front 146

Which of the following are in the habitable zone of our solar system?

Back 146

Earth only

Front 147

A planet around a brown dwarf could have suitable energy for life because of

Back 147

tidal forces

Front 148

which of the following stellar types is coldest

Back 148

M0

Front 149

the hottest stars are not good candidates for harboring life because

Back 149

they have such short lives

Front 150

about what fraction of stars are in binary systems

Back 150

66%

Front 151

which of the following stellar classification types are most common

Back 151

M

Front 152

Which of the following stellar classification types have no defined habitable zone

Back 152

None of the Above

Front 153

In a binary system, a planet might be habitable if it is

Back 153

very close to only one of the stars

Front 154

which of the following is most likely to make the earth uninhabitable

Back 154

any of them.