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82 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
moons mass compared to earth's
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1/80th of the earth's mass
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moons diameter compared to earth's
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1/4th of the earth's diameter
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mercury's mass compared to the moon
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5xs greater than the moon
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mercury's mass as a percent compared to earth's
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5.5%
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mercury's density compared to earth
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equal
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mercury's magnetic field compared to earth's
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1% (suggests made of different material)
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mercury's core is mostly
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iron
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mercury's magnetic field is weaker b/c of (2things)
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iron core and slow rotation
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mercury's rotational period
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59 days
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ratio of mercury's rotational and orbital period is
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2/3
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planet with the biggest surface temperature variation btw night and day
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mercury
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mercury is like the _____ on the inside
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earth
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mercury is like the ______ on the outside
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moon
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mercury has a large _____ core
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iron
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3 surface features of mercury
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smooth plains (like maria), intercrater plains (70% of surface), and highlands like on moon
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mercury isn't or is thought to display plate tectonics
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is not
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mercury's oldest features
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the intercrater plains (4.2 billion years old)
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moon has been inactive for how long
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3 billion years
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moon thought to be how old
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4.6 billion years
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which is more geologically active: moon or mercury
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mercury
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this planet was considered the twin sister of the earth
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venus
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mercury's orbit is very
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elliptical
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venus' orbit is very
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circular
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venus' orbital period
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225 days
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planet w/retrograde rotation
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venus
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1 venus day =
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243 earth days
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how many moons does mercury have
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0
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how many moons does venus have
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0
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only 2 planets w/retrograde motion
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venus and uranus
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venus' radius compared to earth's
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almost equal
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venus' density compared to earth's
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slightly less
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venus's interior resembles what planet in what ways
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iron core like earth's
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venus's magnetic field is....
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very very weak
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venus's surface and clouds rotate at different intervals...surface=? clouds=?
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surface 8 days
clouds 4 days (means high winds in atmosphere) |
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venus' cloud layer (thickness and composition)
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50 km thick made of sulfuric acid droplets
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water in venus' atmosphere...
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little to no water vapor but could have been water at one time on planet
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venus' atmosphere composition
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96% carbon dioxide
4% nitrogen |
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venus' atmosphere pressure compared to earth's surface
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90x more
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which is hotter? venus or mercury
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venus (atmosphere has runaway greenhouse effect)
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venus' winds are strong where in the atmosphere
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high in the atmosphere
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greenhouse gases
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absorb IR radiation and cause temperatures to raise due to trapped solar energy
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sublimation
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carbon dioxide from rocks being released into the atmosphere
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only probe to land on venus
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russian venera
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missions to the moon
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apollo
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american probe sent to look at venus
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magellan
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venus' surface features
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like earth: mountains, valleys, rifts, lava flows, canyons
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tectonic activity on venus
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appears to be one plate; believed to be behind earth in tectonic activity
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highest mountain range on venus
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maxwell montes (bigger than mt. everest by 2km)
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volcanic activity on venus
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seems to be recent
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rifts on earth are from tectonic activity, but venus
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has one plate
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venus is relatively smooth from
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volcanic activity and corrosive elements of the atmosphere
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the red planet
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mars
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mars is also
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the roman god of war
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mars' rotational period
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24 hours and 37 minutes
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mars' revolution is
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687 days
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mars' diameter as compared to earth's
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1/2 earth's diameter
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mars' density
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less than that of earth, mercury, and venus
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mars seen from earth best when at
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opposition
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_/_ of mars is covered by a red hue from
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3/5 from dust and red rock from the surface
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mars has proof of "seasons" w/
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polar ice caps made of dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) and frozen ice
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probes sent to mars (2 overall missions w/multiple probes)
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mariner and viking
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mariner _ disproved mariner _,_, & _ missions w/these discoveries
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mariner 9 changed mariner 4,6,7 with huge volcanic cones, huge gorges, sediment at polar caps, and possibly water-formed valleys
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space probe that most profoundly changed our view of a planet
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mariner 9 (mars)
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types of volcanoes on mars
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shield (like hawaiian islands)
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biggest martian volcano
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olympus mons
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largest earth shield volcano
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mauna loa
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why bigger volcanoes on mars?
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lack of plate tectonics makes lava grow and grow on one spot instead of plates moving and forming strings of volcanoes
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largest martian canyon
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Valles Marineris
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channels on mars from...
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thought to be from running water and erosion
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mars' atmosphere
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thin, but high winds cause sand erosion of surface
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dust storms correlate to
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times of maximum solar heating on mars
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mars' atmosphere composition
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95% carbon dioxide w/remainder mostly nitrogen
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water phases on mars
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directly from solid to water vapor
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mars' density compared to earth's
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mars is 1/4 the density of earth
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mars core
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iron sulphide; solid core
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probes to mars
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viking
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4 experiments viking did to check life on mars
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gas metabolism, labeled release, pyrolytic release, & mass spectrometer (first 3 positive but thought not proving life b/c of 4th being negative)
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new missions to mars
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pathfinder and the mars global surveyor
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mars moons
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2-phobos and deimos (minor satellites)
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phobos revolves mars in how long
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7 hours
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mercury's atmosphere is made of this
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sodium
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what planet is a poor reflector (and what is the term for this)
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mercury, albedo
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