Astronomy 121 Third Homework Assignment

Due Wednesday 8/10/11

No hand written homework!! You will lose significant points if you turn in hand written homework.

Comets, Meteorites, Mass Destruction, Gas Giants and Exoplanets

1. Why does Saturn emit more thermal energy (heat) than it receives from the sun?

2. List out two characteristics for each of the four Galileo moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto).

3. What are hydrocarbons and why are we so excited about hydrocarbons on the moon Titan?

4. List out two characteristics for each of the four Saturn moons Enceladus, Iapetus, Mimas, Hyperion.

5. Why does Jupiter emit radio waves? In other words, explain the mechanism causing the radio emission.

6. What role does temperature play in the color of Neptune as compared with Uranus? Be as detailed as possible.

7. Based on what you know from the solar system formation, how did the Oort cloud come to be so populated with objects?

8. How does the discovery of many mass extinctions in Earth's history alter the idea of "survival of the fittest"?

9. Do the doppler wobble simulation located here: doppler widget. and within lecture 39. You will attempt to detect 3 planets around 3 random stars. Follow these step by step instructions of how exactly to set up the simulation.