Term
|
Definition
| Satellites that are currently geologically active. |
|
|
Term
| In the Inner Solar System, what determines how long an object will remain geologically active? |
|
Definition
it's size:
The larger it is, the more fuel it has and the slower it looses heat. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Moon of Jupiter
Most Geologically active object in the solar system
powered by tidal heating |
|
|
Term
| What is the surface of Io made of and how do we know? |
|
Definition
Sulfer.
The light reflected off the surface (spectra) shows it is sulfur. |
|
|
Term
| Why are the Volcanoes on Io Black a the vent and then dark red, Orenge, and Yellow as you get further away? |
|
Definition
| As sulfur cools from very hot it goes Black, Dark Red, Orenge, then Yellow |
|
|
Term
| Why doesn't Io have any tall mountains if it is so geologically active? |
|
Definition
| When Sulfur gets really hot its viscosity drops until it is more runny then water. The liquid sulfur covers the surface of Io very quickly. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
The cause of heating on Io and Europa.
Tidal forces pull harder on the side of an object closest to a planet causing the object to get squished into an oval.
When these objects are in resonance with other moons there orbits get pulled into an ellipse.
this causes them to get squished and un squished in each orbit. There is so much friction and heat involved in this process that it heats the entire world. |
|
|
Term
| What do you need for tidal heating. |
|
Definition
A large Planet at the center
a satellite close to the planet.
a second satellite in resonance with the first. |
|
|
Term
| What will be geologically active the longest, Earth or Io? |
|
Definition
Io,
Tidal heating never stops.
Earth will run out of radioactive fuel. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Moon of Jupiter
In resonance with Io and Tidally heated
Surface made of ice with a water lake underneath, the rest is made of rock with a liquid rock center.
Young surface |
|
|
Term
| How do we know that Europa has an ocean under it's frozen surface? |
|
Definition
| It's surface is covered by rough terrain that appears to be broken into chunks. It looks like an ice flow on earth. |
|
|
Term
| Why is the surface of Europa fractured? |
|
Definition
| The satellite is constantly changing shape due to tidal heating. |
|
|
Term
| Why do scientists believe there could be life on Europa? |
|
Definition
On earth where ever there is water and heat, we have things living.
Europa has a liquid ocean in contact with a tidally heated rock core. |
|
|
Term
| Why is Io made of rock and Europa mostly rock if they are both outside our solar systems snow line? |
|
Definition
| Jupiter is so large it has it's own snow line. Io is inside jupiter's snow line so it can not be made of ice. Europa is right at the edge of the snow line. |
|
|
Term
| Why did Toby say that Jupiter is almost like it's own solar system? |
|
Definition
| Jupiter has it's own snow line and the density of the satellites that orbit Jupiter get smaller and smaller and you move away from the planet, just like the densities of objects around the sun. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Saturn's moon
Albedo= .99
Some old cratered surfaces, some young uncratered surfaces.
Tiny |
|
|
Term
| How did scientist first discover that Enceladus is geologically active? |
|
Definition
In Enceladus' orbit there is a small ring around Saturn.
The ring is outside the Roche limit so it is constantly being pulled away which means it. Must constantly be refilled as well. |
|
|
Term
| Is Enceladus tidally heated? |
|
Definition
No!
It is almost in resonance with another satellite but so is Mimas and Mimas is not geologically active. If either of them were to be geologically active from tidal heating it would be Mimas. Because Mimas is not Enceladus can not be. |
|
|
Term
| Is Enceladus heated by radioactive decay? |
|
Definition
No!
It is too small, it has run out of radioactive material to be heated by. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Neptune's only sizable moon.
Retrograde, inclined, eccentric orbit
0.000015 ATM |
|
|
Term
| Triton is not large enough to hold onto an atmosphere. How does it have one? |
|
Definition
| It is so small that it is constantly loosing it's atmosphere so it must be constantly making a new atmosphere to replace the stuff it looses |
|
|
Term
| How do we know triton is geologically active? |
|
Definition
| It maintains an atmosphere so it must be geologically active. |
|
|
Term
| Is Triton heated by tidal heating? |
|
Definition
No!
It is be tunes only large satellite so there is nothing for it to be in resonance with. |
|
|
Term
| What heats Triton enough to make it geologically active? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| How can the sun heat triton enough to make it geologically active? |
|
Definition
The surface of Triton is Nitrogen ice.
Nitrogen is VERY volatile (it evaporates very easily).
Seasons on triton take 170years so one side of the moon is facing the sun for long enough that the sun can cause the nitrogen ice to melt. |
|
|
