Astr 101 – Homework Assignment #2
Solar System – Overview and Terrestrial Planets

Answer the following questions, using full English sentences. Answers should be no more than 4 lines long, and they must all fit in one page. Include a header with your name, the course number and assignment number at the top of the page. Make sure the page has smooth edges.

(1) What is a transit of the Sun? State which of the solar planets can be seen at times transiting the Sun, and explain why the other ones cannot.

(2) State two facts about the way the solar planets move that were not included in Kepler's laws of planetary motion.

(3) Why does Mercury have no atmosphere? Explain in some detail.

(4) Why does Venus have a much thicker atmosphere than Earth?

(5) What is the highest mountain on Mars, and how high is it? How can Mars, which is smaller than Earth, have mountains taller than the Earth's?