Lecture 17 – Terrestrial Planets, Part 3/4
Summary / Checklist of the Main Concepts to Understand and Remember

Earth's Moon  
red bullet How far is our Moon from the Earth, in Earth radii? How do we know that the distance to the Moon is not always the same?  
• What evidence do we have that the Moon's orbit is slightly tilted?  
• Why is the Moon's orbital period shorter than its cycle of phases?  
red bullet How big is the Moon, compared to Earth? Does it have an atmosphere? (Why not?)  
red bullet What is unusual about the Moon's rotation? How do we think that this came about?  
• To what extent have spacecraft explored the Moon? Have people been there? Do we currently have spacecraft orbiting the Moon?  
• What is the difference between the near and the far side of the Moon, and why did they evolve so differently?  
• What is the most commonly accepted scenario for the Moon's formation?  
     
Mars  
• What does Mars get its name from?  
red bullet How far is Mars from the Sun on average, in AU? How wide is it, compared to Earth?  
• Approximately how long is a year on Mars? Does Mars have seasons like Earth?  
red bullet How many moons does Mars have? Where do we think they came from?  
red bullet What does Mars look like, from Earth and from closeup?  
  (to be continued...)  

Topics from the lecture page and textbook not listed above [or between square brackets] were not covered in class;
Underlined words indicate that I will expect students to remember a number or a name related to that topic.

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