Lab #4: Comparative Planetology
PreLab Quiz
(Complete this quiz after reading the lab but before starting the lab!)
Answer the following questions fully, using complete sentences (more than one word).
When necessary,
...
Lab #4: Comparative Planetology
PreLab Quiz
(Complete this quiz after reading the lab but before starting the lab!)
Answer the following questions fully, using complete sentences (more than one word).
When necessary, you may draw sketches or diagrams to help clarify your answers – they
must be neat, clear to understand, and include labels.
1.) After looking at the pictures in this lab, which worlds are cratered?
2.) What worlds have ring systems?
3.) What worlds have volcanoes visible on their surface?Troy University Department of Chemistry and Physics
Exploring the Solar System
Lab #4: Comparative Planetology
NAME:
One of the most important areas of astronomy is the field of comparative
planetology. By studying planets and other large bodies in the solar system, we
learn about the history and possible future of our own. Some large bodies, such
as Mars, Mercury and the Moon, have preserved a record of the history of the
solar system, in their craters and in the evidence for lava flows and other
surface alterations. On the other hand, Venus gives a frightening glimpse into a
possible future of the Earth, should the "greenhouse effect" become significant
here.
Even the giant planets, different though they seem, offer insight into the
formation of the solar system, its stability, and its history, and therefore are
important to a complete understanding of the Earth's history. In particular, the
moons of the outer planets are in some cases comparable to inner solar system
objects.
Part 1: Craters Around the Solar System
The early Solar System had lots of debris. Ancient impact craters are therefore
common in the Solar System. In this section, you will look at photos of the
terrestrial planets taken by various spacecraft. Planetologists use images like
these to get information about a planet's environment. Look at the pictures
shown and consider the numbers of craters, their shape and size, and more
importantly the number of craters of each size. Use this information to answer
the question below.
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