Chapter 6 The Solar System Flashcards
How many extrasolar planets have been found?
More than 800
What do we know distance from the sun?
Keplers law
What can we find the radius?
From angular size
How can we find masses?
Newtons laws
How can we calculate density?
Radius and mass
Which planets orbit is different from the others?
Mercury
What planets in our solar system are considered terrestrial planets?
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
What planets are considered Jovian planets?
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
What is an asteroid/meteoroid?
And ancient large rocky thing in space
What is a comet?
And icy thing in space with some rock
Which two planets orbit are not the same as the others?
Venus-opposite rotation
Uranus-roles
What is conservation of angular momentum?
Product of radius and rotation must be constant (when big slower rotation, when small faster rotation)
What are the steps of star formation?
- central concentration becomes protostar
- protostar radiates heat due to gravitational contraction
What are the 4 stages of forming a solar system?
- Accretion (matter accretes into large objects)
- protoplanet formation
- solar nebula is cleared of gas and dust
- planetesimal ejection (giant planets gravitational pull throws small planets out of the solar system)
What does radar tell us about Venus
- lots of volcanoes
- 800 million years old
- Lava rivers
