Chapter 7: Our Planetary System Flashcards
What is comparitive planetology?
The process of studying the differences and similarities between planets.
What are the two major types of planets?
The terrestrial planets and the jovian planets.
What are the terrestrial planets?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
What are some features of the terrestrial planets?
Small, dense, and rocky
Few moons if any
Have a solid surface
What are the jovian planets?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
What are some features of the jovian planets?
Large with lower density
Made of mostly hydrogen, helium, and hydrogen compounds
No solid surface
Rings and many moons
What are asteroids?
Rocky bodies that orbit the sun, but are much smaller than planets.
What are comets?
Small objects largely made of ices that orbit the sun.
What is the asteroid belt?
A ring of asteroids that resides between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
What is the kuiper belt?
A ring of comets and icy objects that resides beyond the orbit of neptune.
What is the oort cloud?
A large spherical “clouds” of comets that surrounds the solar system. The comets within the Oort Cloud orbit the sun in random directions.
What are the four categories of robotic missions?
Flyby, Orbiter, Lander/Probe, and sample return missions.
What is a flyby?
When a spacecraft flys near a planet and then continues on its way.
What is an orbiter?
When a spacecraft orbits a planet.
What is a lander/probe?
When a spacecraft is sent directly to another planet, either to land on its surface or to interact with its atmosphere.
