Earth & Space Flashcards
What are the 3 layers of the Earth?
- Crust
- Mantle
- Core
What is the outermost layer of rock which supports all life called?
Crust
Describe the composition of the Earth’s crust?
It is composed of solid rock, primarily made up of oxygen, silicon, aluminum and iron.
What is magma and where is it found?
Magma is molten, or semi-molten material which forms igneous rock. It is found in the upper mantle.
What is the difference between magma and lava?
Magma: molten rock beneath the Earth’s surface.
Lava: magma that has erupted onto Earth’s surface.
How may layers does Earth’s core have?
Two (the inner core and the outer core).
What causes the creation of mountains and eruptions of volcanos on Earth?
Tectonic plate movements and interactions e.g. a collision.
What are the 4 spheres of the Earth?
- Atmosphere
- Biosphere
- Geosphere
- Hydrosphere
What creates the Earth’s magnetic field?
The movement of the liquid outer core.
How many major tectonic plates account for the continents of the world?
7
What is a tectonic plate?
A massive irregular shaped slap of solid rock.
Name the supercontinent that existed over 250 million years ago?
Pangaea
What is the Universe?
All of space, matter, energy, time and it’s contents. Including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy.
What is a galaxy?
A huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems, all held together by gravity.
What is the solar system?
Consists of the sun and everything bound to it by gravity; planets, moons, asteroids, comets and meteoroids.
When did our solar system form?
About 4.5 billions years ago.
What is larger, the universe or the solar system?
The Universe.
In which galaxy do we live?
The Milky Way Galaxy.
What are the 2 main gases that stars are composed.
- Hydrogen
- Helium
What is the closest star to Earth?
Our sun
What is the center of our solar system?
Our sun
What are moons?
- Similar to planets in shape.
- Orbit a planet rather than the sun.
What is the order of the planets, based on their distance from the sun?
- Mercury
- Venus
- Earth
- Mars
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
What is a planet?
A celestial body that orbits stars.
What is the acronym for remembering the planets in our solar system?
My Very Easy Method Just Sums Up Naming
Which planet is the hottest in our solar system due to the greenhouse effect?
Venus
Which planet in the only one in our solar system with tectonic plates.
Earth
What is the 4th planet away from the sun (known as our ‘red neighbour’)
Mars
How many moons does Jupiter have?
Roughly 79 moons
Which planet is closest to the sun?
Mercury
What are asteroids?
Made up of metal, rock or both. They are larger than meteoroids.
What are comets made of?
Small, icy bodies of frozen gases, rocks and cosmic dust.
How many moons does Earth have?
One
What is a meteor?
A meteoroid that enters Earth’s atmosphere and heats up due to friction.
What gives Saturn its distinctive appearance?
Its rings, primarily made of ice and rock particles.
Which planet has the Great Red Spot, a giant storm.
Jupiter
What are the interactions between the sun, earth, and moon?
- The Earth orbits the sun (once every 365 days).
- The Moon orbits the Earth (once every 28 days).
What causes seasons on Earth?
The Earth’s rotational axis being tilted (at 23.5 degrees), relative to the sun.
What causes the phases we see in the moon?
As the moon orbits Earth, we see different fractions of its illuminated half, creating the phases.
How long does it take for the Earth to rotate once on its axis?
24 hours
What causes day and night on Earth?
The rotation of Earth on it’s axis.
What force keeps the moon in orbit around the Earth?
The gravitational pull of the Earth.
What is a ‘new moon’?
When the moon is between the Earth and the sun, and the side facing Earth is in shadow.
During a new moon, the moon is not visible from Earth.
What is a full moon?
- When the Earth is between the moon and the sun, and the side facing Earth is fully lit.
- A full moon is fully illuminated as seen from Earth (occurs once per month).
What is the angle of Earth’s tilt?
Approximately 23.5 degrees.
What happens to Earth’s seasons if the tilt angle changes?
The intensity and distribution of the seasons would be affected.
Why don’t we always see a solar or lunar eclipse each month?
Because the orbits of the moon and Earth are tilted, relative to each other.
What is an eclipse season?
A period when the moon’s orbit aligns with the Earth and sun, making eclipses possible.
