2.1 Our Solar System

Question 1

Name the 4 rocky, “terrestrial” planets

Answer 1

Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.

Question 2

Name the 4 gas giants.

Answer 2

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

Question 3

What are asteroids?

Answer 3

Small, solid bodies, with the majority orbiting in the Asteroid or Main Belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Question 4

What are comets?

Answer 4

Nuclei of ice, dust and rock that develops a gaseous coma and tails when relatively close to the sun.

Question 5

What is a centaur?

Answer 5

They are similar to both asteroids and comets. They generally orbit the Sun.

Question 6

Define a planet.

Answer 6

• A body that orbits the Sun.
• A body that is large enough to be spherical.
• A body that has cleared its orbit of other objects.

Question 7

Name some characteristics of mercury.

Answer 7

• Heavily cratered.
• Contains highlands.
• Lava-filled basins.
• Many parts of its surface appear identical to the moon’s surface.

Question 8

Name some characteristics of Venus.

Answer 8

• Backwards spinning.
• Has clouds of sulphuric acid.
• Similar size to Earth.
• Dense atmosphere.

Question 9

Name some characteristics of Mars.

Answer 9

• It’s rocks are iron-rich.
• It has seasonal ice-caps.
• Contains highest volcano in the solar system.
• It has violent dust storms across its surface.

Question 10

Name some characteristics of Jupiter.

Answer 10

• It rotates on its axis in only 10 hours.
• It’s red spot is an anticyclone weather system larger than Earth.
• It has an equatorial bulge.
• ^ causes dynamic wind systems that split the atmosphere into a series of red-brown belts and yellow-white zones.

Question 11

Name some characteristics of Saturn.

Answer 11

• It’s a similar gas giant to Jupiter.
• It has rings made of ice, dust and rocks.
• 1 Saturn year is 29 Earth years.
• It’s very windy on Saturn.

Question 12

Name some characteristics of Uranus.

Answer 12

• It spins almost on its side.
• It’s almost featureless.
• The blue-green colour is a result of the amount of methane in its mostly hydrogen and helium atmosphere.
• 80% or more of its mass is made up of a fluid mix of water, methane and ammonia iced.

Question 13

Name some characteristics of Neptune.

Answer 13

• There is a great dark spot.
• Has cirrus-like clouds of frozen methane at high altitudes.
• It’s atmosphere also contains gigantic storms.
• It also has a faint system of rings.

Question 14

Name the Galilean moon’s of Jupiter.

Answer 14

Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto

Question 15

Which planets have rings?

Answer 15

The four gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune).

Question 16

How thin are ring systems?

Answer 16

Less than 1.4 km thick!

Question 17

What are the inferior (inner) planets?

Answer 17

Mercury and Venus.

Question 18

What are the superior (outer) planets?

Answer 18

Mars to Neptune.

Question 19

What’s a meteor?

Answer 19

A small body of matter from outer space that enters the earths atmosphere-becoming incandescent as a result of friction and appearing as a streak of light.

Question 20

What’s a meteorite?

Answer 20

Solid pieces of debris from an object such as an asteroids or comets. It’s also a meteoroid that survives its passage through the atmosphere and lands on the Earths surface.

Question 21

What’s a PHO?

Answer 21

It stands for potentially hazardous object. It’s a bear Earth asteroid or comet with an orbit such that it has the potential to make close approaches to the Earth and potential to cause damage.

Question 22

What would happen if a PHO struck Earth?

Answer 22

There would be a mass destruction because it would disrupt the earths tectonic plates eruptions, block out the sun for a few weeks or cause a super tsunami.

Question 23

What can we do to avoid a PHO?

Answer 23

If it’s far away we would only have to nudge it a little bit for it to miss Earth or we could shot at it with a nuclear rocket.