Planetary Geosciences and the Universe Overview

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Questions and Answers

What does planetary geology study?

  • The properties and processes of solid-surface objects in the Solar System. (correct)
  • The movement of celestial bodies in space over time.
  • The interactions of gases in the atmosphere of each planet.
  • The formation of stars and galaxies in the universe.

Which fundamental particles were present one second after the Big Bang?

  • Hydrogens, Heliums, and Carbons.
  • Atoms, molecules, and ions.
  • Neutrons, electrons, and protons. (correct)
  • Photons, neutrinos, and dark matter.

Who first introduced the idea of the Big Bang in scientific form?

  • Fred Hoyle.
  • Edwin Hubble.
  • Georges Lemaître. (correct)
  • Albert Einstein.

What phenomenon occurred during the inflation period of the universe?

<p>The universe expanded faster than the speed of light. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of planetary geology?

<p>Craters, weather, and volcanic activity on solid surfaces. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What major event marks the beginning of the universe?

<p>The Big Bang. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is credited with the observations that contributed to the Big Bang theory?

<p>Edwin Hubble. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What temperature did the universe reach one second after the Big Bang?

<p>18 billion degrees Fahrenheit. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What elements were primarily produced during the era of nucleosynthesis after the Big Bang?

<p>Hydrogen, helium, and traces of lithium and beryllium (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What major event occurred approximately 380,000 years after the Big Bang?

<p>The epoch of recombination (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What effect did the recombination phase have on the universe?

<p>Light could travel freely across vast distances (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

During the Dark Ages, what was the primary composition of the universe?

<p>Hydrogen atoms, helium, and small traces of heavier elements (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was critical for the formation of the first stars in the universe?

<p>Dense clouds of gas entering a state of nuclear fusion (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did the first stars compare to the Sun in terms of mass and brightness?

<p>They were 30 to 300 times more massive and considerably brighter (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon is associated with the light created during the epoch of recombination?

<p>Cosmic microwave background (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was one consequence of hydrogen absorption on light wavelengths during the Dark Ages?

<p>The universe remained dark and opaque at shorter wavelengths (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Planetary Geology

The study of solid-surface objects in our Solar System, including their properties, processes, and history.

The Universe

The totality of everything that exists, including all physical matter, energy, planets, stars, galaxies, and intergalactic space.

The Big Bang

A scientific theory that proposes the universe originated from a incredibly hot, dense state and has been expanding ever since.

Cosmic Inflation

The theory that the universe experienced an extremely rapid expansion in the first fraction of a second after the Big Bang. During this time, space itself expanded faster than the speed of light.

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Primordial Soup

The initial state of the universe after the Big Bang, composed of a hot, dense mixture of fundamental particles including neutrons, electrons, and protons.

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Accretion

The process by which planets, stars, and other celestial objects are formed from gas and dust.

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Differentiation

The process by which planets and other celestial objects cool, solidify, and develop distinct layers.

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Cratering

The process by which celestial objects are bombarded by asteroids, comets, and other space debris.

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What is nucleosynthesis?

The process where protons and neutrons collide and form the nuclei of early elements like hydrogen, helium, lithium, and beryllium.

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What is deuterium?

An isotope of hydrogen with one proton and one neutron.

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What is recombination?

The phase when the universe cooled enough for atomic nuclei to capture electrons, resulting in the formation of atoms.

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What is the cosmic microwave background?

The oldest light we can observe in the universe, emitted when the first atoms were formed.

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What are the Dark Ages?

A period in the early universe where hydrogen atoms absorbed light, making the universe opaque at shorter wavelengths.

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What are the first stars?

The first massive stars, formed from dense clouds of gas in the early universe. They were 30 to 300 times more massive than our Sun and millions of times brighter.

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What is nuclear fusion?

The process where stars ignite, releasing vast amounts of energy due to the fusion of atomic nuclei within their cores.

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How do galaxies form?

The process of galaxies forming from the clustering of stars and gas.

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Study Notes

Planetary Geosciences

  • Planetary geology studies the properties and processes of solid objects in the Solar System
  • It's a relatively new field, drawing on techniques and understandings of Earth's geology to analyze other bodies in the Solar System
  • Some planetary bodies are very different from Earth.

The Universe

  • The Universe is everything that exists, including matter, energy, planets, stars, galaxies, and intergalactic space
  • It originated from the Big Bang, an unimaginably hot, dense point.

Who Came Up With the Idea of Big Bang?

  • Georges Lemaître, a Belgian cosmologist, formulated the concept of the Big Bang in 1931.
  • Fred Hoyle, an astronomer, coined the term "Big Bang" in the late 1940's.
  • Edwin Hubble's observations on the cosmic microwave background supported the Big Bang theory.

Evolution of the Universe (Initial Expansion)

  • At the very beginning (10-32 of a second), the Universe experienced rapid expansion called inflation, making space expand extremely rapidly.
  • Starting from a subatomic size, it expanded to the size of a golf ball virtually instantaneously.

Beginning of Everything

  • After inflation, gravity started to slow the expansion of the Universe.
  • One second after the Big Bang, an extremely hot primordial soup of light and particles (such as neutrons, electrons, and protons) comprised the cosmos.

Big Bang Nucleosynthesis

  • Big Bang nucleosynthesis refers to the formation of light elements (hydrogen, helium) in the first few minutes after the Big Bang.
  • Protons and neutrons combined to form deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen), which further combined to create helium.
  • Additional reactions created lithium.

Recombination

  • About 380,000 years after the Big Bang, the universe cooled sufficiently to combine free electrons with atomic nuclei (recombination).
  • This process made the Universe transparent to light, allowing the release of the cosmic microwave background (CMB).
  • The CMB is the oldest light that can be observed in the Universe.

Dark Ages

  • After the CMB, the universe was once again opaque to shorter wavelengths of light due to absorption by hydrogen atoms.
  • For the next 200 million years, it remained mostly dark without significant light sources.
  • The Universe's composition comprised mostly hydrogen and helium atoms at this point.

First Stars

  • Cooler, denser regions of gas in the early universe clumped together, leading to the formation of the first stars.
  • The first stars were significantly larger (30-300 times the size of our sun) & brighter than the stars seen today.
  • Their formation marked the beginning of the evolution of galaxies.

Reionization

  • Starlight from newly-formed stars ionized the surrounding hydrogen gas, enabling light to travel further distances.
  • By approximately 1 billion years after the Big Bang, the gas was almost fully ionized, leading to a transparent Universe.

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