Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
4th Edition
ISBN: 9780134089089
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Seth Shostak
Publisher: PEARSON
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Textbook Question
Chapter 9, Problem 31TYU
The chances for life on Titan’s surface are considered slim, mainly because (a) there’s little oxygen in the atmosphere; (b) the liquid methane and ethane rain would be lethal; (c) the surface temperature is far below the freezing point of water.
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Compare Titan to Rhea. Estimate the strength of surface gravity on Titan compared to the gravity on Titan. How does this affect the possibility of an atmosphere on each?
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Chapter 9 Solutions
Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
Ch. 9 - Briefly explain how the larger jovian moons tend...Ch. 9 - Briefly describe the cause of the tides on Earth,...Ch. 9 - What is synchronous rotation, and why is it so...Ch. 9 - What is tidal heating? Briefly explain how it can...Ch. 9 - Describe the evidence suggesting that Europa has a...Ch. 9 - What energy sources might be available to life on...Ch. 9 - Describe the evidence for subsurface oceans on...Ch. 9 - Why was Titan chosen for such intense study by the...Ch. 9 - Based on recent data, describe the general nature...Ch. 9 - What evidence suggests that Enceladus might be...
Ch. 9 - Could Triton be habitable? Briefly discuss the...Ch. 9 - What do we mean by chemical equilibrium and...Ch. 9 - Prob. 13RQCh. 9 - Based on our understanding of the chemistry of...Ch. 9 - Io is riddled with volcanoes because of its...Ch. 9 - Europa is likely to have fishlike organisms the...Ch. 9 - While Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto are all...Ch. 9 - The fact that our Moon keeps one side always...Ch. 9 - Titan is simply too cold to have any life.Ch. 9 - Triton might have life that uses liquid ammonia,...Ch. 9 - Io doesnt have a significant atmosphere because it...Ch. 9 - Orbital resonances like those among Io, Europa,...Ch. 9 - If there is life on Enceladus, it probably gets...Ch. 9 - If our solar system is typical, other star systems...Ch. 9 - The moons of Saturn may have large amounts of...Ch. 9 - Which statement about synchronous rotation is...Ch. 9 - Io is covered in volcanoes while Europa is covered...Ch. 9 - Which of the following is not an indication of...Ch. 9 - Photosynthesis is an unlikely source of energy for...Ch. 9 - Its assumed that, even if Europa has life, the...Ch. 9 - The chances for life on Titans surface are...Ch. 9 - Where might we find liquid water on Titan? (a) in...Ch. 9 - Why were scientists so surprised to find active...Ch. 9 - Chemical disequilibrium is likely to be present in...Ch. 9 - Cost-Effective Exploration. Given its budget, NASA...Ch. 9 - Lessons for Life. Considering everything weve...Ch. 9 - Exploring Europa I. Although Europa is a promising...Ch. 9 - Exploring Europa II. One suggestion for...Ch. 9 - Europan Fish. On Earth, fish breathe oxygen that...Ch. 9 - Life on Titan. Several possibilities have been...Ch. 9 - Migrating Life. As we discussed in Chapter 6,...Ch. 9 - Orbital Resonances I. Using the data in Appendix...Ch. 9 - Orbital Resonances II. Using the data in Appendix...Ch. 9 - Tidal Force on the Moon. In Cosmic Calculations...Ch. 9 - Tidal Force on Io. Using the procedure from Cosmic...Ch. 9 - Tidal Force on Europa and Ganymede. Using the...Ch. 9 - Limited Thinking. Throughout this book, we have...Ch. 9 - Europa Orbiter. Find out the current status of...
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- How can Titan keep an atmosphere when Titan is smaller than airless Ganymede?arrow_forwardGiven that no sunlight can penetrate Europa’s ice shell, what would be the type of energy that could make some form of europan life possible?arrow_forwardWhat evidence can you give that Venus once had significant amounts of water? Where did that water come from? Where did it go?arrow_forward
- Assuming all other variables were earth based besides atmospheric pressure, calculate the temperature at which water would boil at sea level on Titan versus Earth? And explain why using molecular concepts. Consider the pressure of Earth’s atmosphere at sea level to be 1 atm and the pressure of Titan’s atmosphere at sea level to be 1.45 atm. ps plz stop refusing my questions or im going to cancel this membershiparrow_forwarda) What are the characteristics of a terrestrial planet? b) What are the characteristics of aJovian planet?arrow_forwardDescribe the atmosphere of Titan. What did the Cassini/Huygens mission learn about Titan’s surface?arrow_forward
- There is strong evidence that Europa, a satellite of Jupiter, has a liquid ocean beneath its icy surface. Many scientists think we should land a vehicle there to search for life. Before launching it, we would want to test such a lander under the gravity conditions at the surface of Europa. One way to do this is to put the lander at the end of a rotating arm in an orbiting earth satellite.arrow_forwardWhich of the following properties of Mars would be altered by the process of terraforming? its size its atmospheric chemistry its distance from the Sun its geological activity its magnetic field Even if we were to terraform Mars to give it an Earthlike climate, that climate would not be as stable as Earth's, due to Mars's lack of a large moon volcanic activity an iron core atmospheric nitrogenarrow_forwarda) How did scientists use Titan to guide Cassini on a tour of Saturn's moon system? b) What evidence supports the idea that a relatively recent catastrophic event wasresponsible for Saturn’s rings?arrow_forward
- Io loses about a ton (1000 kg) of sulfur dioxide per second to Jupiter's magnetosphere. a) At this rate, what fraction of its mass would Io lose in 4.5 billion years? b) Suppose sulfure dioxide currently makes up 1% of Io's mass. When will Io run out of this gas at the current loss rate?arrow_forwardList at least three major differences between Pluto and the terrestrial planets.arrow_forwardWhat is the evidence for a liquid water ocean on Europa, and why is this interesting to scientists searching for extraterrestrial life?arrow_forward
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