Astronomy Flashcards
what are the different planets in our solar system
mercury
venus
earth
mars
jupiter
saturn
neptune
pluto
which planets are closer/further away from the sun
closer: (in order)
mercury
venus
earth
mars
further away: (furthest is last one)
jupiter
saturn
neptune
pluto
why is Pluto considered a dwarf planet
because of its size and orbit it is slowly drifting away from the sun
what are the primary planets
terrestrial:
mercury
venus
earth
mars
gas giants:
jupiter
hot jupiter
saturn
ice giants:
uranus
neptune
what are the dwarf planets
pluto
eris
haumea
ceres
makemake
quaoar
sedna
what are the hypothetical planets
chthonian planet:
planet X
Kepler - 52 b
Kepler - 57 b
Kelper - 52 c
what are the different types of planets in our solar system
terrestrial
gas giant
ice giant
dwarf
define terrestrial
refers to things that relate to or come from the earth. It can be used to describe planets that are rocky and similar to our own planet, such as mercury, venus, earth and mars
define gas giants
planets that are primarily made up of gases such as hydrogen and helium. they are much larger than terrestrial planets and do not have a solid surface like earth, jupiter and saturn.
define ice giants
primarily made up of gases such as hydrogen and helium but also contain large amounts of icy materials like water, methane, and ammonia. uranus and Neptune are examples of this.
define dwarf
used to describe something smaller than normal or expected in astronomy. used to describe celestial bodies that are smaller than planets but larger than asteroids. they are spherical in shape but have not cleared their orbit of other debris, this is why they are not considered full planets. eg pluto
how do ellipses work
each planet orbiting at different angles causes an ellipse
define the main aspects that allow for satellites to work
artificial satellites - satellites placed into orbits by humans
orbit - path a planet takes around a star, or a moon or satellite takes around a planet
satellite - a mass in orbit around another mass
what are human made satellites considered
artificial
is the moon a satellite
yes
why are planets spheres
due to gravity’s pull
define the two types of ecllipses
lunar eclipse - when the earth blocks sunlight from reaching the moon
solar eclipse - when the moon blocks sunlight from reaching the earth
define the 6 different ways time is defined
day -
year -
leap year -
revolution -
axis -
seasons -
why do different parts of the world experience different seasons at the same time?
because of the tilt of different planets
define the main rocks/bodies in our solar system
meteor - streak of light seen when a meteoroid heats up in the atmosphere
comet - ice body that releases gases as it orbits the sun
asteroid - rocky body smaller than a planet that orbits the sun
meteoroid - rocky or metallic fragment of an asteroid, comet or planet
meteorite - meteor fragment that reaches the ground
which universe is least observable
the observable universe
list the 8 different universes
earth
solar system
solar interstellar neighbourhood
milkyway galaxy
local galactic group
virgo supercluster
local superclusters
observable universe
what galaxy are we in
milkyway
how many stars can galaxies have
100 million
lists the bodies in our solar system by size
rocks -> moon -> dwarf planets -> Planets -> stars -> galaxies -> galaxy cluster and supercluster
define the moon
a celestial body that orbits planets
define dwarf planets
celestial body that orbits a star, spherical in shape due to its gravity, has not cleared its orbit of other debris
define planets
celestial body that orbits a star, spherical in shape due to its gravity, has cleared its orbit of other debris
define stars
much larger than planets, produce their own light and energy through nuclear fusion
define galaxies
collections of billions and trillions of stars held together by gravity
define galaxy clusters and superclusters
collections of galaxies held together by gravity
