Uranus, Neptune, and the Mountains of the Moon
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Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Terrestrial Magnetism Washington, DC 20015-1305
43 Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Terrestrial Magnetism Washington, DC 20015-1305 This report covers astronomical research carried out during protostellar outflows have this much momentum out to rela- the period July 1, 1994 – June 30, 1995. Astronomical tively large distances. Planetary nebulae do not, but with studies at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism ~DTM! their characteristic high post-shock temperatures, collapse of the Carnegie Institution of Washington encompass again occurs. Hence all three outflows appear to be able to observational and theoretical fields of solar system and trigger the collapse of molecular clouds to form stars. planet formation and evolution, stars and star formation, Foster and Boss are continuing this work and examining galaxy kinematics and evolution, and various areas where the possibility of introducing 26Al into the early solar system these fields intersect. in a heterogeneous manner. Some meteoritical inclusions ~chondrules! show no evidence for live 26Al at the time of their formation. So either the chondrules formed after the 1. PERSONNEL aluminium had decayed away, or the solar nebula was not Staff Members: Sean C. Solomon ~Director!, Conel M. O’D. Alexander, Alan P. Boss, John A. Graham, Vera C. Rubin, uniformly populated with the isotope. Foster & Boss are ex- Franc¸ois Schweizer, George W. Wetherill ploring the injection of shock wave particles into the collaps- Postdoctoral Fellows: Harold M. Butner, John E. Chambers, ing solar system. Preliminary results are that ;40% of the Prudence N. Foster, Munir Humayun, Stacy S. McGaugh, incident shock particles are swallowed by the collapsing Bryan W. Miller, Elizabeth A. Myhill, David L. -
Lecture 9—Is the Earth Rare?
41st Saas-Fee Course From Planets to Life 3-9 April 2011 Lecture 9—Is the Earth Rare? List of Rare Earth arguments/ Nitrogen abundance/ Frequency of large impacts/ Chaotic obliquity fluctuations J. F. Kasting The Gaia hypothesis First presented in the 1970s by James Lovelock 1979 1988 • Life itself is what stabilizes planetary environments • Corollary: A planet might need to be inhabited in order to remain habitable The Medea and Rare Earth hypotheses Peter Ward 2009 2000 Medea hypothesis: Life is harmful to the Earth! Rare Earth hypothesis: Complex life (animals, including humans) is rare in the universe Additional support for the Rare Earth hypothesis • Lenton and Watson think that complex life (animal life) is rare because it requires a series of unlikely evolutionary events – the origin of life – the origin of the genetic code – the development of oxygenic photosynthesis) – the origin of eukaryotes – the origin of sexuality 2011 Rare Earth/Gaia arguments 1. Plate tectonics is rare --We have dealt with this already. Plate tectonics is not necessarily rare, but it requires liquid water. Thus, a planet needs to be within the habitable zone. 2. Other planets may lack magnetic fields and may therefore have harmful radiation environments and be subject to loss of atmosphere – We have talked about this one also. Venus has retained its atmosphere. The atmosphere itself provides protection against cosmic rays 3. The animal habitable zone (AHZ) is smaller than the habitable zone (HZ) o – AHZ definition: Ts = 0-50 C o – HZ definition: Ts = 0-100 C. But this is wrong! For a 1-bar atmosphere like Earth, o water loss begins when Ts reaches 60 C. -
TOC, Committee, Awards.Fm
Barringer Medal Citation for Graham Ryder Item Type Article; text Authors Spudis, Paul D. Citation Spudis, P. D. (2003). Barringer Medal Citation for Graham Ryder. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 38(Supplement), 5-6. DOI 10.1111/j.1945-5100.2003.tb00330.x Publisher The Meteoritical Society Journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science Rights Copyright © The Meteoritical Society Download date 02/10/2021 00:36:25 Item License http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ Version Final published version Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/655722 66th Meeting of the Meteoritical Society: Awards A5 Barringer Medal Citation for Graham Ryder Graham Ryder, an extraordinary lunar scientist whose One of Graham’s lasting contributions to the community accomplishments revolutionized our understanding of lunar of lunar scientists was the work he conducted in Houston for processes and history, passed away on January 5, 2002 as a over a decade, preparing new catalogs of the lunar samples result of complications from cancer of the esophagus. In his returned by the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions. The lunar few years studying the lunar samples, Graham made sample catalogs not only described the nature of over 20,000 fundamental discoveries and came up with new insights that individually numbered lunar samples, but collated all the changed the way we look at the Moon and its history. published data (with full bibliographic references) into a handy Graham was born on January 28, 1949 in Shropshire, compendium that both guided existing projects and spurred England. He received his B.Sc. from the University of Wales new research throughout the 1980s. -
Chapter 9: the Origin and Evolution of the Moon and Planets
Chapter 9 THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE MOON AND PLANETS 9.1 In the Beginning The age of the universe, as it is perceived at present, is perhaps as old as 20 aeons so that the formation of the solar system at about 4.5 aeons is a comparatively youthful event in this stupendous extent of time [I]. Thevisible portion of the universe consists principally of about 10" galaxies, which show local marked irregularities in distribution (e.g., Virgo cluster). The expansion rate (Hubble Constant) has values currently estimated to lie between 50 and 75 km/sec/MPC [2]. The reciprocal of the constant gives ages ranging between 13 and 20 aeons but there is uncertainty due to the local perturbing effects of the Virgo cluster of galaxies on our measurement of the Hubble parameter [I]. The age of the solar system (4.56 aeons), the ages of old star clusters (>10" years) and the production rates of elements all suggest ages for the galaxy and the observable universe well in excess of 10" years (10 aeons). The origin of the presently observable universe is usually ascribed, in current cosmologies, to a "big bang," and the 3OK background radiation is often accepted as proof of the correctness of the hypothesis. Nevertheless, there are some discrepancies. The observed ratio of hydrogen to helium which should be about 0.25 in a "big-bang" scenario may be too high. The distribution of galaxies shows much clumping, which would indicate an initial chaotic state [3], and there are variations in the spectrum of the 3OK radiation which are not predicted by the theory. -
POSTER SESSION 5:30 P.M
Monday, July 27, 1998 POSTER SESSION 5:30 p.m. Edmund Burke Theatre Concourse MARTIAN AND SNC METEORITES Head J. W. III Smith D. Zuber M. MOLA Science Team Mars: Assessing Evidence for an Ancient Northern Ocean with MOLA Data Varela M. E. Clocchiatti R. Kurat G. Massare D. Glass-bearing Inclusions in Chassigny Olivine: Heating Experiments Suggest Nonigneous Origin Boctor N. Z. Fei Y. Bertka C. M. Alexander C. M. O’D. Hauri E. Shock Metamorphic Features in Lithologies A, B, and C of Martian Meteorite Elephant Moraine 79001 Flynn G. J. Keller L. P. Jacobsen C. Wirick S. Carbon in Allan Hills 84001 Carbonate and Rims Terho M. Magnetic Properties and Paleointensity Studies of Two SNC Meteorites Britt D. T. Geological Results of the Mars Pathfinder Mission Wright I. P. Grady M. M. Pillinger C. T. Further Carbon-Isotopic Measurements of Carbonates in Allan Hills 84001 Burckle L. H. Delaney J. S. Microfossils in Chondritic Meteorites from Antarctica? Stay Tuned CHONDRULES Srinivasan G. Bischoff A. Magnesium-Aluminum Study of Hibonites Within a Chondrulelike Object from Sharps (H3) Mikouchi T. Fujita K. Miyamoto M. Preferred-oriented Olivines in a Porphyritic Olivine Chondrule from the Semarkona (LL3.0) Chondrite Tachibana S. Tsuchiyama A. Measurements of Evaporation Rates of Sulfur from Iron-Iron Sulfide Melt Maruyama S. Yurimoto H. Sueno S. Spinel-bearing Chondrules in the Allende Meteorite Semenenko V. P. Perron C. Girich A. L. Carbon-rich Fine-grained Clasts in the Krymka (LL3) Chondrite Bukovanská M. Nemec I. Šolc M. Study of Some Achondrites and Chondrites by Fourier Transform Infrared Microspectroscopy and Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy Semenenko V. -
Dynamical Models of Terrestrial Planet Formation
Dynamical Models of Terrestrial Planet Formation Jonathan I. Lunine, LPL, The University of Arizona, Tucson AZ USA, 85721. [email protected] David P. O’Brien, Planetary Science Institute, Tucson AZ USA 85719 Sean N. Raymond, CASA, University of Colorado, Boulder CO USA 80302 Alessandro Morbidelli, Obs. de la Coteˆ d’Azur, Nice, F-06304 France Thomas Quinn, Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle USA 98195 Amara L. Graps, SWRI, Boulder CO USA 80302 Revision submitted to Advanced Science Letters May 23, 2009 Abstract We review the problem of the formation of terrestrial planets, with particular emphasis on the interaction of dynamical and geochemical models. The lifetime of gas around stars in the process of formation is limited to a few million years based on astronomical observations, while isotopic dating of meteorites and the Earth-Moon system suggest that perhaps 50-100 million years were required for the assembly of the Earth. Therefore, much of the growth of the terrestrial planets in our own system is presumed to have taken place under largely gas-free conditions, and the physics of terrestrial planet formation is dominated by gravitational interactions and collisions. The ear- liest phase of terrestrial-planet formation involve the growth of km-sized or larger planetesimals from dust grains, followed by the accumulations of these planetesimals into ∼100 lunar- to Mars- mass bodies that are initially gravitationally isolated from one-another in a swarm of smaller plan- etesimals, but eventually grow to the point of significantly perturbing one-another. The mutual perturbations between the embryos, combined with gravitational stirring by Jupiter, lead to orbital crossings and collisions that drive the growth to Earth-sized planets on a timescale of 107 − 108 years. -
The Iron Planet Sex and Skin Color
PERIODICALS Yet, this is the key to the lesson, Kass says. necessary condition for national self- "God's dispersion of the nations is the PO- awareness and the possibility of a politics litical analog to the creation of woman: in- that will. hearken to the voice of what is stituting otherness and opposition, it is the eternal, true, and good." SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ''Mercu~'~Heart of Iron" by Clark R. Chapman, in Asfrononzy The Iron Planet (Nov. 19881, 1027 N. 7th St., Milwaukee, Wisc. 53233. More than a decade after America's un- plays a vita1 role in the two leading theo- manned Mariner 10 flew near the planet ries of the origins of the solar system. Ac- Mercury during 1974-75, scientists have fi- cording to one theory, formulated by cos- nally digested all of the data from the mochemist John Lewis during the 1970~~ flight. And they are starting to ask some the solar system was created in a more or big questions, reports Chapman, of Tuc- less orderly fashion. Lewis believes that son's Planetary Science Institute. the planets formed out of gases that cooled Located about midway between the and condensed. At some point, billions of Earth and the Sun, Mercury is a "truly bi- years ago, the sun flared up briefly, blast- zarre" planet. Its rock cmst is unusually ing away many gases. According to Lewis's thin; a "metallic iron core" accounts for theory, there should not be any sulfur, or 70 percent of the planet's weight. anything like it, on Mercury. The most surprising discovery made by A more recent theory, propounded by Mariner 10 was that the tiny planet has a George Wetherill of the Carnegie Institu- magnetic field, like Earth's but much tion, is that the solar system emerged from weaker. -
Exploration of the Planets – 1971
Video Transcript for Archival Research Catalog (ARC) Identifier 649404 Exploration of the Planets – 1971 Narrator: For thousands of years, man observed the rising and setting Sun, the cycle of seasons, the fixed stars, and those he called wanderers, or planets. And from these observations evolved his notions of the universe. The naked eye extended its vision through instruments that saw the craters on the Moon, the changing colors of Mars, and the rings of Saturn. The fantasies, dreams, and visions of space travel became the reality of Apollo. Early in 1970, President Nixon announced the objectives of a balanced space program for the United States that would include the scientific investigation of all the planets in the solar system. Of the nine planets circling the Sun, only the Earth is known to us at firsthand. But observational techniques on Earth and in space have given us some idea of the appearance and movement of the planets. And enable us to depict their physical characteristics in some detail. Mercury, only slightly larger than the Moon, is so close to the Sun that it is difficult to observe by telescope. It is believed to be one large cinder, with no atmosphere and a day-night temperature range of nearly 1,000 degrees. Venus is perpetually cloud-covered. Spacecraft report a surface temperature of 900 degrees Fahrenheit and an atmospheric pressure 100 times greater than Earth’s. We can only guess what the surface is like, possibly a seething netherworld beneath a crushing, poisonous carbon dioxide atmosphere. Of Mars, the Red Planet, we have evidence of its cratered surface, photographed by the Mariner spacecraft. -
Greek Myths Student Sample
CONTENTS Why Study Greek Mythology? ......................................................................................................................................5 How to Use This Guide ...................................................................................................................................................6 Lesson 1: Olden Times, Gaea, The Titans, Cronus (pp. 9-15) ....................................................................................8 Lesson 2: Zeus and his Family (pp. 16-21) .................................................................................................................10 Lesson 3: Twelve Golden Thrones (pp. 22-23) ...........................................................................................................12 Lesson 4: Hera, Hephaestus (pp. 24-29) .....................................................................................................................14 Lesson 5: Aphrodite, Ares, Athena (pp. 30-37) ..........................................................................................................16 Review Lesson: Lessons 1-5 ........................................................................................................................................18 Lesson 6: Poseidon, Apollo (pp. 38-43) .......................................................................................................................26 Lesson 7: Artemis, Hermes (pp. 44-55) .......................................................................................................................28 -
Complex Life, by Jove!
Complex Life, By Jove! By: Leslie Mullen The gas giants in our solar system. From left: Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter. Credit: NASA One of the tenets of astrology is that the positions of the planets affect us. For instance, the position of the planet Jupiter in your chart is supposed to indicate good luck for a certain aspect of your life. In an eerie echo of astrology, some scientists are now saying that the position of Jupiter in our solar system was very good luck for life on Earth. Jupiter is about 5 astronomical units (AU) away from the Sun − far enough away from Earth to not have interfered with the development of our planet, and yet close enough to gravitationally deflect asteroids and comets, limiting the number of dangerous impacts. Impacts by asteroids and comets can create cataclysmic events that destroy life − witness the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, widely believed to have been brought about by a "killer" asteroid impact. Without Jupiter, instead of being hit with a killer asteroid every hundred million years or so, we´d get one every 10,000 years. This reduction in impacts enabled the Earth to develop both simple and complex forms of life. But gas giant planets like Jupiter don´t always help in the development of complex life. Consider, for instance, that while Jupiter deflects many asteroids away from Earth, it also is responsible for most of the asteroids in the first place. When planetesimals were clumping together to form the terrestrial planets, the gravitational influence of Jupiter prevented a fifth planet from forming. -
The Cretaceous-Tertiary Event and Other Catastrophes in Earth History
The Cretaceous-Tertiary Event and Other Catastrophes in Earth History Edited by Graham Ryder Lunar and Planetary Institute 3600 Bay Area Boulevard Houston, Texas 77058-1113 David Fastovsky SUB GSttlngen 206 493 061 Department of Geology University of Rhode Island Kingston, Rhode Island 02881 and Stefan Gartner Department of Oceanography Texas A&M University College Station, Texas 77843 PAPER 307 1996 Contents Preface vii /. Mass Extinctions: Persistent Problems and New Directions 1 David Jablonski 2. Impact Crises and Mass Extinctions: A Working Hypothesis 11 Michael R. Rampino and Bruce M. Haggerty 3. The Unique Significance and Origin of the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary: Historical Context and Burdens of Proof 31 Graham Ryder 4. Observations on the Mass-Extinction Debates 39 William Glen 5. A Model of the Chicxulub Impact Basin Based on Evaluation of Geophysical Data, Well Logs, and Drill Core Samples 55 Virgil L. Sharpton, Luis E. Marin, John L. Carney, Scott Lee, Graham Ryder, Benjamin C. Schuraytz, Paul Sikora, and Paul D. Spudis 6. Ejecta Blanket Deposits of the Chicxulub Crater from Albion Island, Belize 75 Adriana C. Ocampo, Kevin O. Pope, and Alfred G. Fischer 7. Implications of Magneto-Mineralogic Characteristics of the Manson and Chicxulub Impact Rocks 89 Maureen B. Steiner 8. Mega-Impact Melt Petrology (Chicxulub, Sudbury, and the Moon): Effects of Scale and Other Factors on Potential for Fractional Crystallization and Development of Cumulates 105 Paul H. Warren, Philippe Claeys, and Esteban Cedillo-Pardo in iv Contents 9. Degassing of Sedimentary Rocks Due to Chicxulub Impact: Hydrocode and Physical Simulations 125 B. A. Ivanov, D. -
Deep Earth. (M)
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 250 199 SE 045 178 TITLE The Earth's Core: How Does It Work? Perspectives in Science. Number 1. v INSTITUTION Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC.h PUB DATE 84 ; ,NOTE 35p. AVAILABLE FROMCarnegie Institution of Washington, 1530 P Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 ($1.00). .PUB TIME Viewpoints, (120) EDRS PRICE MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available froniEDRS. DESCRIPTORS *College Science; *Geology; *Geophysics; Higher Education; High Schools;- Matter; Models; *Science Experiments; *Scientific Research; Secondary School Science; *Seismology IDENTIFIERS *Core (Earth Structure) ABSTRACT a Various research studies designed to enhance knowledge about the earth's core are discussed. Areas addressed includes (1) the discovery of the earth'score; (2) experimental approaches used .in studying the earth's core (including shock-wave everiments and experiments, at high static pressures), the search for the core's light elements, the possible presence of potassium in the core, and use of the diamond cell for investigating thecore;. (3) seismic explorations of the core; (4) inhomogeneities at the core-mantle boundary; (5) terrestrial magnetism and the outer core; and (6) theories of inner -earth structurk from the'perspective of solar system history. Studies of the earth's mantle which may provide additional information about the earth's core are also discussed. They include laboratory experiments with mantle materials and modeling of mantle structure at the Carnegie Institution's Department L_____of____Terreittrial Magnetism. It is poin04 out that althoughmany questions about the earth's core are still unanswered, the promise of new research tools is vast. Favored bfadvances in computer modeling and in techniques for experiments at Nary high presiure, today's scientists seem well-positioned to address these, questions but the deep earth.