Chapter 8 Flashcards
What can the inner planets be described as
Solid and rocky
What can the outer planets be described as
Gaseous and liquid
How long ago did the solar system develop
4.5 billion years
What are the suns main elements
Hydrogen (71%) and helium (27%)
How large is the sun compared to the mass of the rest of the solar system combined
700 times
What can the planets orbits be described as
Almost circular lying on nearly the same plane
What planets travel counterclockwise
Six planets; mercury,earth,mars,Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune
What planet travels clockwise
Venus
What planet appears to rotate on its side
Uranus
What are the inner planets
Mercury, Venus, earth, and mars. They are known as terrestrial planets
What are the outer planets
Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus,Neptune. Also known as Jovian planets. They are gaseous, liquid, or icy
How comparable is the size of Jovian planets next to terrestrial planets
They are much larger, and do not have a well defined surface
What are dwarf planets
They are a group of planets such as Pluto that fail to fit in either family.
What are asteroids
They are rocky or metallic bodies that range from a few km to 1000km across
What are comets
They are icy bodies that are about 10km or less and have very long tails of gas and dust as they near the sun
Where are most asteroids found
Within the asteroid belt between mars and Jupiter