Astr - 101 Notes Of A Ravenclaw
First-Year notes of a Ravenclaw student. Edition one. Part One of Seven. ASTR - 101. Astronomy. Professor Afolayon as the Instructor. Lessons One through Nine. DOES NOT INCLUDE HOMEWORK INFORMATION. Volume One in the "First Year" Class Series.
THIS IS NOT TO BE SUBSTITUTED FOR LESSONS.
Last Updated
05/31/21
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Lesson Four - Mars
Chapter 4
MIDTERM
- Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun as well as the last planet in the Inner Solar System.
- Dry, rocky ad cold, Mars is home to the largest volcano in our solar system.
- The planet's name is derived from the Roman God of war due to its red coloring that is reminiscent of blood.
- Due to the celestial body's close proximity to our Earth, many have questioned if there is any sort of life on Mars.
- Recently, scientists discovered a meteorite determined to be from Mars near the Earth's South Pole.
- Within the meteorite, tiny shapes in the rock were discovered and were thought to be possible fossils of what was most likely a plant.
- Scientists were unable to say whether the patterns were indeed of fossil origins or simply natural variations in the rock.
- The German Aerospace Center discovered that Earth lichens have the ability to survive in Mars-conditions.
- This was proven through simulation programs that used data gathered by rovers to simulate a Mars specified climate including specifics such as temperatures, atmospheric pressure, minerals and light.
- A new instrument known as REMS has been designed to provide a new understanding to the signature of the Martian world.
- The new understanding includes circulation, micro-scale weather systems, the local hydrological cycle, destructive potential of UV radiation and subsurface habitability based on ground-atmospheric interaction.
- This instrument landed on Mars in August of 2012 as part of the Curiosity program.
- There is a possibility of pieces of Earth on Mars, such as if a meteor would have crashed into our plane, pieces of Earth would have been sent adrift into space and land on neighboring Mars.
- The pieces of Earth would carry various cells and bacterias with it and these micro organisms would have been exposed to life on Mars.
- Due to the existence of orbiters, landers and rovers, it is now possible to study astronomy from Martian skies.
- Mars is home to two moons known as Phobos and Deimos.
- Phobos is about the same distances from Mars as the Earth is from its moon while Deimos appears similar to the Venus-Earth distanced relationship.
- On October 19, 2013, Comet Sliding Spring is expected to pass so to Mars that it may envelop the planet.
- Like Earth, Mars has undergone differentiation.
- This has resulted in a dense, metallic core region overlaid with less dense materials that make up the planet.
- Current models of the planet show a core consisting of mainly iron and nickle and 16-17% sulfur.
- The iron sulfide core is thought to be partially fluid and have twice the concentration of the lighter elements that exists within Earth's core.
- The partially fluid core is surrounded by a silicate mantle thought to form many of the tectonic and volcanic features of the planet.
- The volcano of Mars appears to be dormant at this point in time.
- Mars's crust, aside form silicon and oxygen, is abundant in the elements iron, magnesium, aluminum, calcium and potassium.
- Earth's crust is about one third as thick as that of Mars.
- In 2016, the planned InSight lander will use a seismometer to better constrain the models of the planet's interior.
