Chapter 22: Touring Our Solar System Flashcards
What is included in the Solar System?
- Sun
- Eight planets & their satellites (moons)
- Asteroids
- Comets
- Meteoroids
Two groups of the planet that occur in the solar system are?
- Terrestrial (Earth-like) planets
2. Jovian (Jupiter-like) planets (aka gas planets )
Terrestrial planets are what?
“Earth-like”
- Includes Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
- small, dense rocky
- low escape velocities
Jovian planets are what?
“Gas Giants”
- Includes Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, & Neptune.
- Large, low density, gaseous
- massive in size
- Thick atmosphere
Name the first Dwarf Planet in the solar system and provide its characteristics.
Pluto
Discovered in 1930.
- Not visible w/ naked eye
- Has four small moons
- Has massive temp. swings
What classifies a planet a planet?
- it is in orbit around the Sun
- It has to round itself out to assume
hydrostatic equilibrium - It has “cleared the neighborhood” around its orbit by having enough field of gravity to do so.
New Class of Planets
- They do orbit the Sun
- Not the only object to occupy their area
- Located in the Kuiper Belt
-Over 1,000 KBO’saare known today.
What is the Nebular Hypothesis?
- Planets formed about 5 bill yrs ago
- Solar System condensed from a gaseous nebula
When planets are formed, what materials were needed?
- Dense metallic elements. (sank to center forming cores)
- Lighter elements oxygen, hydrogen migrated to surfaces.
These processes are called Chemical Differentiation.
The General characteristics of the moon are?
- Unusually large
- Gravitational pull to Earth
- No atmosphere
- Tectonic plates are no longer active.
- Surface is bombarded by micrometeorites.
What does the Lunar History Hypothesis suggest?
That giant asteroids collided w/ Earth to produce the Moon.
- Older ares have high density
- Younger ares are still smooth
The moon evolved in what 3 phases?
1) Original Crust
- moon formed, outer shell melted, cooled, solidified, & became highlands, 4.5 mill yrs old.
2) Formation Maria Basins
- caused by asteroids & lava flooding moon surface. (younger than highlands .32 -3.8 mill yrs old)
3) Formation of Rayed Craters
- material ejected from craters is still visible
A Brief Tour:
Mercury
- innermost planet
- smallest planet
- no atmosphere
- smooth terrains
- 3 days = 2 years of Earth
A Brief Tour:
Venus
- Similar to Earth in size, density, & location
- 1 day = 244 Earth days
- Shrouded in thick clouds
- 97% Carbon Dioxide
A Brief Tour:
Venus
- 80% of surface covered by volcanic lava flow
- tectonic formation was once active during the recent geologic past
A Brief Tour:
Mars
- “Red Planet”
- Techtonically dead
- Atmosphere primary CO2
- Cold temps
- Extensive dust storms w/ winds up to 170 mph
- Polar caps of ice (H2O)
- Large canyons
What is the largest volcano in our solar system?
Olympus Mons on the surface of Mars
What is the principle of Uniformitarianism?
Lets us assume that stream valleys on Mars are likely formed the same way they do on Earth
When was the most recnet exploration on Mars?
Nov. 26, 2011. arrived August 9, 2012.
Mission Goal:
- Investigate climate & geology
- investigate the role of water
A Brief Tour:
Jupiter
- Largest planet
- 67 known moons
- 12 Earth yrs to go around the Sun.
- Rapid rotating
- Has the Great Red Spot
The 4 Galilean Moons and they’re charateristics
- Io- notable for active volcanism
- Europa’s- smooth, icy surface may contain liquid water
- Ganymede- largest moon in solar system
- Callisto- 3rd-largest moon in solar system.
A Brief Tour:
Saturn
- rings made up of ice particles
- 63 known moons
- similar to Jupiter w/ atmosphere, composition, internal structure
A Brief Tour:
Uranus
- Nearly twin w/ Neptune
- Rotates on its side
- Has ice rings
A Brief Tour:
Neptune
- One of windiest places in solar system
- Great Dark Spot
- 13 known moons
What is Neptune’s largest moon?
Triton
- geologically active
- volcanic-like activity
- lowest temp in solar system
What is an Asteroid?
- lies between Mars & Jupiter
- Small bodies
- Moon is hit w/ asteroids
- Space rock that never formed a planet
- Are magnetic
What is a Comet?
- Large “dirty snowballs”
- Made of frozen gas, rock & metallic materials
- Produce glowing head called Coma
What is a Meteoroid?
- When still in outer space
When Earth encounters a swam of meteorites associated w/ comet’s path, is called what?
A Meteor Shower
What is a Meteorite?
When found in the Earth surface
