1	Astr 1050 Wed., Apr. 28, 2004 Today: End Ch 17., Terrestrial Planets Recall: Nice webpage your classmate provided http://www.nationalgeographic.com/solarsystem/splash.html
2	Venus
3	Expect Venus to be similar to Earth (but it isn’t!) Venus only slightly closer to sun, so expect about same initial composition Venus only slightly smaller than Earth, so expect about same heat flow Venus atmosphere is dramatically different Very thick CO₂ atmosphere Virtually no water in atmosphere or on surface Venus shows relatively recent volcanic activity, but no plate tectonics Both probably related to its slightly closer position to the sun which caused loss of its critical water Thick atmosphere and clouds block direct view so information from: Orbiting radar missions (Magellan in early 90’s) Russian landers (as in previous photo)
4	Why does Venus have much more CO₂ in atmosphere than Earth? Amount of CO₂ in atmosphere on Venus roughly equal to amount of CO₂ in limestone on Earth With no oceans, don’t have a way to get CO₂ out of atmosphere and back into rocks Runaway effect, because high T causes faster loss of water to space. If H₂O gets into upper atmosphere it is broken down into O, H by UV sunlight H is so light it escapes to space On Earth cooler T traps H₂O in lower atmosphere (it condenses if it gets to high) Location closer to the sun pushed Venus “over the edge” compared to Earth
5	Surface Relief of Venus from Radar Venus does show evidence of “recent” volcanism It does not show linear ridges, trenches, or rigid plates In a few spots there are weak hints of this – but clearly different
6	Volcanoes Sapas Mons Lava flows from central vents Flank eruptions Summit caldera Size: 250 miles diameter 1 mile high
7	Lava Channels Large! 100’s of miles long 1.2 miles wide High Venus temperatures may allow very long flows Composition could also be different
8	Pancake Domes Pancake domes formed from very viscous lava
9	“Ticks” Domes which have partially collapsed?
10	Corona and a possible model Corona possibly due to upward moving plume of hot mantle which bow up surface, then spreads out and cools (as in a “lava lamp”)
11
12	Lots of Martian Science Fiction Best, most recent and scientifically accurate is probably Kim Stanley Robinson’s series: Red Mars, Blue Mars, Green Mars Terraforming/colonization of Mars
13	Mars and the Pattern of Geologic Activity and Atmospheric Loss Expect intermediate geologic activity based on size R_Mars = 0.53 R_EarthR_Moon = 0.27 R_Earth Earth still active but lunar mare volcanism ended ~3 billion years ago Expect intermediate atmospheric loss Smaller size will make atmospheric escape easier Cooler temperature (farther from sun) will make astmospheric escape harder In some ways Mars is most “Earth-like” planet Has polar caps Has weather patterns Had (in past) running water May have had conditions necessary for development of life
14	Why some atmospheres are lost Compare velocity of gas atoms (V_gas) to planet’s escape velocity V_esc If any significant # of atoms have escape speed atmosphere will eventually be lost In a gas the atoms have a range of velocities, with a few atoms having up to about 10 ´ the average velocity, so we need 10 ´ V_{avg gas} < V_esc to keep atmosphere for 4.5 billion years. In above equations R = planet radius, M = planet mass, T = planet temperature, m = mass of atom or molecule, k and G are physical constants Big planets have larger V_esc (i.e. larger M/RµR³/R) so hold atmospheres better Earth would retain an atmosphere better than Mercury or the Moon Cold planets have lower V_gas so hold atmospheres better Saturn’s moon Titan will hold an atmosphere better than our moon Heavier gasses have lower V_gas so are retained better than light ones CO₂ or O₂ retained better than He, H_2, or H Even with “heavy” gasses like we H₂O we need to worry about loss of H if solar UV breaks H₂O apart. That is what happens on Venus.
15	Which planets can retain which gasses?
16	Mars atmosphere today Pressure is only ~1% of Earth’s Composition: 95% CO₂ 3% N₂ 2% Ar Water: Pressure too low for liquid water to exist Water goes directly from solid phase to gas phase CO₂ (dry ice) acts like this even at terrestrial atmospheric pressure Water seen in atmosphere Water seen in polar caps Evidence of running water in past Carbon dioxide (CO₂) Gets cold enough for even this to freeze at polar caps Unusual meteorology, as atmosphere moves from one pole to other each “year”
17	Mars dust storm
18	Sand Dunes on Mars Spacecraft in Mars orbit Mars Global Explorer Mars Odyssey Even though atmosphere is thin, high winds can create dust storms
19	Water ice clouds
20	Ancient River Channels? (note channels older than some craters – by superposition)
21	Recent liquid water? (water seeping out of underground “aquifer” ?)
22	Layered Deposits
23	Where is the water today? Much may have escaped to space Some is locked up in N Polar Cap Much could be stored in subsurface ice (permafrost) Mars Missions making progress this semester: http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/mer_main.html Location of water critical to knowing where to search for possible past life
24	“Comparative Planetology” Think about how Venus, Earth, and Mars started out so similarly Think about what properties led to the very different environments today Think about how these issues may apply to the future of Earth, and even our prospects for terraforming (and there is a debate about whether we should terraform at all!).