Chapter 2 Flashcards
Nubula
A slowly rotating and collapsing cloud of susy and light gases.
Accretion Process
Collect and stick together gradually,
Grains
Bolders
Planetesimals
Planet
Sun mass
The sun comprises 99.8 of the mass of the entire solar system.
Inner/Terrestrial Planets
Small, dense, rocky, and rich in metals.
Ex: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
Outer/Jovian Planets
Large, low density, gas, and ice giants.
Sun swept volatile gases to cooler out disk.
Ex: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
What makes a planet?
Orbits sun
Spherical
Clears material in its orbit
Why Pluto is not a planet.
Pluto still has lots of asteroids and other space rocks along its flight path, rather than having absorbed them over time, like the larger planets have done.
Source of energy of the Sun comes from?
H atoms fuses with other H atoms - He
Multiple fusion reactions releasing energy.
High temperatures of the sun comes from?
Electrically-charged gas and particles
Moving particles create a magnetic field.
Dark spots on Sun’s surface
Increased in solar radiation caused by magnetic storms due to interaction of the suns surface and magnetic field.
Solar Flairs
Magnetic field lines near sunspots often tangle.
Solar Flairs can…
Affect radio communications.
Explosions of hot energy and gases.
Solar Wind
Charged particles from the sun.
Solar Wind facts…
H nuclei and free electrons
From outer atmosphere of sun (corona)
Three days to reach earth
Examined this experiment using foil.
Earths Magnetosphere
2 magnetic metals move over one another to create a magnetic field.
How Earths Magnetosphere works.
Flow of the outer core around the inner core creates this field.
The Earths Magnetosphere protects….
Us from radiation poisoning.
Aurora Borealis
Interaction of our atmosphere with solar wind.
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Energy comes in different wavelengths and frequencies.
Sun and Earths wavelengths.
Sun radiates shortwave energy.
Earth radiates long wave energy.
Insolation
The total amount of solar radiation energy received on a given surface area during a given time.
Tropic insolation
Receive more concentrated insolation due to Earth’s curvature.
Seasonality
Refers to seasonal variations of suns position above horizon and changing day length during the year.
Day length
Affected by the suns max altitude, which depends on,
The time of year
Latitude
Equator vs. Arctic
Suns altitude
Angle above horizon.
Altitude
The angel from Earths surface to the line connecting to you and the sun.
Declination
Latitude that receives overhead insolation (subsolar point: sun directly above Earth).
5 reasons for seasons
Revolution
Rotation
Tilt of Earths axis
Axial parallelism
Sphericity
Revolution
Earth revolves around the sun for a year.
Voyage takes one year.
Rotation
Earth rotates on axis once every 24 hours.
Axial Parallelism
Earths tilt.
Axis maintains alignment during orbit around the sun.
North pole points toward the North Star (Polaris)
Sphericity
Earth is an oblate spheroid.
Energy Budget
Radiant energy that reaches Earth from the sun and flows from Earth back out to space.
Fusion
Two light nuclei merge to form a heavier nucleus.
The process releases energy.
The leftover mass becomes energy.
Nebular theory
The solar system developed from a nebula.
Sunspot
Magnetic field is 2,500 times stronger than Earth’s.
