Unit 2 Chpt 9: Venus

Venus is never seen at midnight because

it is closer to the Sun than is Earth.

Venus's permanent retrograde rotation about its axis results in the planet

having its north pole below the plane of the ecliptic.

Compared with Earth, Venus is

about the same size.

Which of the following best describes Venus's rotation?

slow and retrograde

In the 1950s, radio observations first hinted, and probes later established, that Venus emitted a blackbody spectrum characteristic of a temperature near what value?

730 K

Venus's surface is permanently obscured by clouds. As a result, the surface has been studied primarily by

orbiting satellites using radar.

Compared with Earth, Venus has a level of plate tectonic activity that is

virtually nonexistent.

Which of the following characteristics describes the conditions that prevail on the surface of Venus?

hot, dry, and dusty

What did the surface of Venus look like in the photographs taken by the Soviet Venera spacecraft?

flat rocks, small rocks, some eroded, and some finer material

All but one of the following have been observed on Venus and provide evidence of volcanic activity there. Which one has NOT been observed?

actively erupting volcanoes

Which of the following features is unique to Venus?

coronae

What keeps the surface of Venus looking so young?

ongoing volcanism

How do we know what the surface of Venus looks like?

by bouncing radio waves off its surface

Venus's atmosphere

is composed mostly of carbon dioxide.

Compared with Earth's atmosphere, most of Venus's atmosphere is

spread out much farther from the surface.

Venus's atmospheric temperature is

hotter than temperatures on Mercury.

Carbon dioxide on Venus

is all in the atmosphere.

Which of the following statements about the atmosphere of Venus and its contents is NOT true?

The clouds of Venus are made of highly reflective frozen carbon dioxide.

How fast do the upper-level winds over Venus move?

300−400 km/h

What impact has the greenhouse effect had on the surface environment of Venus?

It has raised the surface temperature by hundreds of degrees.

What intrinsic property of Venus makes it very reflective of light?

its clouds

Venus lacks a planetary magnetic field because

it rotates very slowly.

The lack of any significant magnetic field on Venus probably is due in part to which of the following characteristics?

its slow overall rotation

At closest approach Venus is about how far from Earth?

0.3 AU

Earth and Venus are often called sister planets; in which ways are they most alike?

size, density, and surface gravity

The actual slow rotation of Venus was first found by radar observations from Earth.

True

Every time the Earth and Venus are closest, the same side of Venus is facing us.

True

The highest peak on Venus is called:

Maxwell.

The terra of Venus are rare, but large continent size uplifted regions over a low surface.

True

Carbon dioxide is the predominant atmospheric gas on Venus.

True

Venus's temperature is fairly uniform over the entire planet, both day and night.

True

The clouds of Venus are much higher in its atmosphere than are those in our troposphere.

True

Like our own, the magnetic field of Venus has been seen to reverse polarity.

False