Chapter 4 Flashcards
Meteor
A brief streak of light from a falling space object
Ellipse
The shape of a planet’s orbit
Rings
A wide flat zone of small particles that orbit a planet
Astronomical unit
The average distance from Earth to the Sun
Meteorite
A space object that reaches the Earth’s surface
Comet
A small icy body that orbits the Sun
Terrestrial planets
Planets that have a rocky crust that have dense mantles and cores.
Gas giant
Planets made mostly of hydrogen, helium, and other gases
Tectonics
Process of change in a crust due to the movement of hot material
Volcanism
Process where molten rock moves from the interior to the surface
Asteroid
Small solid rocky bodies that orbit close to the Sun
List the planets in order starting closest to the Sun
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Which planets are gas giants?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Which planets are terrestrial?
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars
How did the solar system form?
a cloud of gas and dust formed the Sun and the planets
What is impact cratering? How are craters formed?
A large object hits and leaves a dent.
How do the distance between the inner planets compare to the distances between the outer planets?
The inner planets are a lot closer together than the outer planets.
Which planets show evidence of tectonics?
The inner/terrestrial planets: mercury, Venus, earth, Mars
Which planets have volcanoes?
The inner/terrestrial ones:mercury, Venus, earth, Mars (Mars has biggest)
What are the white bands of Jupiter made of?
Icy clouds that look white because they reflect sunlight.
What are the rings around the gas giants made of?
Mostly ice
Which planets have rings?
The gas giants:Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Are the asteroids, planets, and comets orbiting in the same plane or different?
Same:in the shape of an ellipse
Do the gas giants have any of the four processes?
No, too dense
How is a moon different from a planet?
A moon orbits the planet
What are the four process? Describe each one
Tectonics: the crust moves and distorts to the movement of hot material
Impact cratering: a small object hits the planet and leaves a dent
Volcanism: molten rock ends up reaching the surface
Weathering and erosion: wind, water, and heating and cooling material is pulled downhill
Why is a comet sometimes bright?
It’s coma and tail reflect sunlight
Describe the atmosphere of Mars
Fast winds Mostly carbon dioxide No liquid water Polar ice caps Not dense enough to a keep surface warm
What object is between Mars and Jupiter?
Asteroid belt
Why is a meteor visible?
It’s a brief streak of light
What are Jupiter and Saturn mostly made of? Uranus and Neptune?
Jupiter and Saturn are gases
Uranus and Neptune are methane and ammonia
What type of atmosphere do gas giants have?
Deep
What are planets rings mostly made of?
Ice
what is the solar system made up of?
The sun, the planets and various smaller bodies
What is the relationship between the solar system and the Milky Way?
The Milky Way is part of the solar system
What does the universe include?
Open space and all the matter and energy in it
Who named the constellations?
The Greek named them after animals and imaginary beings
How is a grouping of stats in a constellation different from grouping of planets in a solar system?
Stars aren’t close together
Why can’t you see all constellations at once?
Earth blocks half of space from our view
In Greek what does planet mean and why was it named that?
Planet means wanderer. They noticed that planets move along the constellations
Why do planets look bright?
They reflect the sun
What are the 2 regions of the solar system?
Inner and outer
What causes objects in the solar system to orbit the Sun?
Gravitational pull of the Sun
Why do planets and large moons have a spherical shape?
Ridged edges are pulled toward the middle
Would a lumpy or round object have more mass?
Round, more clumps are pulled tighter and closer together
Atmosphere of terrestrial planets
Mainly formed from gases that came from volcanoes
Atmosphere of Venus
mostly carbon dioxide, very dense, slows down loss of energy which makes it very hot, moves around well so it’s always hot everywhere, sulfuric acid forms clouds that cover the planet
Atmosphere of Mercury
no atmosphere to move hot and cold areas
Atmosphere of Earth
Mostly nitrogen with some oxygen, gravity holds in gases
Atmosphere
Gases surrounding a planet that are held in by gravity
Absorbs ultraviolet radiation, warms the surface by holding in hear, reduces extreme temperatures
Atmosphere of Saturn
Storms and stripes of clouds are harder to see because they are deeper in the atmosphere
Rings are made of chunks of water ice
Uranus and Neptune atmosphere
Made of heavier gases
Color comes from methane gas above a layer of white clouds
Less hydrogen and helium
Atmosphere of Jupiter
Fast rotation produces fast winds and stormy weather More bands of wind then Earth Stripes of cold white clouds Below are brown or red clouds Below that are bluish clouds Storm lasts a long time Great Red Spot: largest storm
Describe Pluto’s gravitational pull
Weak
Why do scientists have no clear image of Pluto?
No spacecraft has yet passed close to it
What is Charon?
Pluto’s moon
Why are Pluto and Charon called a double planet?
They orbit eachother
What’s different about the orbit of Pluto?
It’s at an angle and not as round so it gets closer to the sun than Neptune
What shapes do the smallest moons have?
Irregular
Why do asteroids have irregular shapes?
Their gravity is too weak to pull them into spheres
What are the surfaces of asteroids covered with?
Craters, broken rocks, and dust
What are comets made of?
Ice rock and metal
What do comets have oval orbits around?
Pluto and the inner solar system, orbit to the Sun but not close
Which way does a comets tail point?
Away from the Sun
What is the outside of a meteorite smooth from?
From melting
Where do most meteorites come from?
The asteroid belt
Why are the gas giants dense inside?
Gravity pulls it together
Which planet is the largest?
Jupiter
Which planet has the most beautiful rings?
Saturn
How many earth years does it take for Jupiter to travel around the Sun?
12 years
Reflecting telescope
Has a mirror that collects light
