Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Textbook Question
Chapter 9, Problem 2E
Why does the Moon not have an atmosphere?
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Why do some rainstorms have more rain than others?
A NASA spacecraft measures the rate R at which atmospheric pressure on Mars decreases with altitude. The result at a certain altitude is:
R= 0.0915 kPa*km−1
Convert R to kJ*m−4
.
Mars atmosphere is only a few percent of the pressure of Earth's atmosphere. The Earth and Mars have similar surface temperatures at mid-day. Mars' atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide, and would have an average molecular weight of about 44 AMU (atomic mass units). The Earth's atmosphere is mostly nitrogen with some oxygen, carbon dioxide, and argon. Its average molecular weight is therefore much less, at 28.9 AMU. Also on Mars the mean adiabatic index γ is about 1.1 compared to 1.4 for air on Earth. Since the speed of sound in dry air at Earth's surface is about 331 m/s, what would you expect the speed of sound to be on Mars?
About 270 m/s because of Earth's atmosphere having less mass per molecule
About 240 m/s because of the lower γ and higher molecular weight of Mars atmosphere.
Very low because of Mars low atmospheric pressure
The same as on Earth since the temperature is about the same.
Chapter 9 Solutions
Astronomy
Ch. 9 - What is the composition of the Moon, and how does...Ch. 9 - Why does the Moon not have an atmosphere?Ch. 9 - What are the principal features of the Moon...Ch. 9 - Frozen water exists on the lunar surface primarily...Ch. 9 - Outline the main events in the Moon’s geological...Ch. 9 - What are the maria composed of? Is this material...Ch. 9 - The mountains on the Moon were formed by what...Ch. 9 - With no wind or water erosion of rocks, what is...Ch. 9 - What differences did Grove K. Gilbert note between...Ch. 9 - Explain how high-speed impacts form circular...
Ch. 9 - Explain the evidence for a period of heavy...Ch. 9 - How did our exploration of the Moon differ from...Ch. 9 - Summarize the four main hypotheses for the origin...Ch. 9 - What are the difficulties with the capture...Ch. 9 - What is the main consequence of Mercury’s orbit...Ch. 9 - Describe the basic internal structure of Mercury.Ch. 9 - How was the rotation rate of Mercury determined?Ch. 9 - What is the relationship between Mercury’s...Ch. 9 - The features of Mercury are named in honor of...Ch. 9 - What do our current ideas about the origins of the...Ch. 9 - One of the primary scientific objectives of the...Ch. 9 - Apollo astronaut David Scott dropped a hammer and...Ch. 9 - Galileo thought the lunar maria might be seas of...Ch. 9 - Why did it take so long for geologists to...Ch. 9 - How might a crater made by the impact of a comet...Ch. 9 - Why are the lunar mountains smoothly rounded...Ch. 9 - The lunar highlands have about ten times more...Ch. 9 - At the end of the section on the lunar surface,...Ch. 9 - Give several reasons Mercury would be a...Ch. 9 - If, in the remote future, we establish a base on...Ch. 9 - The Moon has too little iron, Mercury too much....Ch. 9 - In the future, astronomers discover a solid moon...Ch. 9 - The Moon was once closer to Earth than it is now....Ch. 9 - Astronomers believe that the deposit of lava in...Ch. 9 - The Moon requires about 1 month (0.08 year) to...
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