Final Vocab Flashcards
Why was Eris’ discovery so crucial to dwarf plants as a whole?
Eris challenged whether Pluto was a dwarf planet
T/F There is potential for life on Eris
False
The core of Ceres is _________as it is composed of __________. Its mantle is made up of ___________.
The core of Ceres is rocky as it is composed of rocks and clays. Its mantle is made up of water-ice.
T/F Ceres has the shortest day in our solar system
False
Which of these is NOT one of the moons Galileo discovered? Io, Ersa, Ganymede, Callisto
Ersa
True or False: Jupiter is less dense than water because it is made of air.
False
Which of the following was Galileo’s telescope’s magnification that viewed Jupiter and its moons in 1610?
3x
True or False: Jupiter has zones and bands caused by strong wind.
True
What are the names of Mars’ moons?
Phobos and Deimos
Who first viewed Mars through a telescope?
Galileo
What is Mars’ core primarily made of?
Fe, Ni, S
Who first observed the Mercury through telescope?
2 people
Galileo and Harriot
What is the density of Mercury in comparison to the other planets?
2nd most dense
What’s the name of the most recent exploration to Mercury?
BepiColombo
T/F Mercury is entirely made up of iron.
False
T/F Mercury’s surface temperature can vary by as much as 1000 degrees
False
The “deep blue” color of Neptune is due to the presence of what?
Methane in the atmosphere
T/F Neptune is the coldest planet
False
Neptune has the strongest wind of any planet; what is the speed of this wind?
1,500 mph
Which Roman god is Neptune named after?
Sea god- Peisdon
What is the name of the spacecraft that flew by Neptune to take pictures?
Voyager 2
What organization classified Pluto as a dwarf planet?
IAU
What are the fundamental elements that make up the atmosphere of Pluto?
Nitrogen, Methane, CO2
True or False: Pluto was discovered by Percival Lowell.
False, by Tombaugh
Based on the IAU principles, why is Pluto considered a dwarf planet and not a full-sized planet?
It didn’t move debris and clear a path (rule #3)
How many times larger is Saturn than Earth?
9.5 times
How long do Saturn’s seasons last?
Every 7 Earth years
What is the name of Saturn’s largest moon?
Titan
Can we explore Saturn?
No
How many moons does Uranus have?
28 moons
If Earth was a nickel, Uranus would be a(n)…
a softball
Who discovered Uranus?
Herschel
What two ancient cultures are credited with accurately studying and plotting the course of Venus?
Mayan and Babylonian
What is retrograde rotation?
Spins backwards
What is the atmosphere of Venus primarily composed of?
CO2
Why is Venus the 2nd brightest object in the night sky?
High reflectivity due to thick atmosphere and proximity to Earth
Which two planets are considered ice giants?
Uranus and Neptune
Which five planets are observable without the aid of a telescope, and thus were well known to ancient astronomers?
Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Saturn
Which planet has the shortest orbital period around the Sun?
Mercury
Which planet in our solar system is the coldest?
Uranus
Which planet in our solar system is the hottest?
Venus
What is the order of the planets?
My- Mercury
Very- Venus
Empty- Earth
Monster- Mars
Just- Jupiter
Swallowed- Saturn
Up- Uranus
Nine- Neptune
Planets- Pluto
Understand the distribution of mass in our solar system.
Mainly in the sun
What are the dwarf planets and where are they found?
- Don’t meet IAU criteria: Ceres, Pluto, and Eris
- Ceres is located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter
Planets as terrestrial or jovial.
- Terrestrial planets are small, rocky, and have solid surfaces, while Jovian planets are much larger, gaseous, and lack solid surfaces
- Terrestrial: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Describe the habitable zone and the importance
- our water exists primarily as a liquid
- The atmosphere regulates global temperatures.
- Our rapid spin (24 h) prevents huge temperature swings
*The magnetosphere is generated by the Earth’s Core, protecting the planet from particles from the sun (solar wind).
Describe nebular theory
- a collection of matter is gathered and is rotating
- it gets faster as it rotates and condenses
- it flattens out, which makes the planets orbit in the same plane
- makes the sun, the center, contain the most mass
What is a solar eclipse?
- result from the moon blocking part or all of the sun, casting moon’s shadow on Earth
A large collection of particles (gases and dust) in the void of space.
Nebula
What is the hottest (15 million K) and densest portion of
the Sun, under which conditions H undergoes nuclear fusion to He.
Solar core
This zone transmits energy in the form of light
Radiation zone
A region of rising and sinking plasma as
the plasma is heated from below and cooled from above
Convection zone
It is the coolest region (5800 K) and produces a
great deal of light.
photosphere
____ (10,000 K) is largely transparent, with a pink
color due to the emission of hydrogen atoms sometimes visible.
chromosphere
___flows out from the surface. While very hot (1
million K), it is not very dense. Is the outer ring of the sun.
corona
Geocentric vs. heliocentric
Geocentric: Earth as center
heliocentric: Sun center
The point at which the Moon is farthest is termed…
apogee
The point at which the Moon is closest is termed…
perigee
What is a lunar eclipse?
when the Earth’s shadow covers the otherwise full Moon.
___orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. The
largest occupant of this region is the dwarf planet Ceres.
Asteroid belt
A small rock in interplanetary space
meteoroid
A meteoroid that makes it to Earth
meteor
Meteor fragments which reach the Earth’s surface
meteroite
___houses the remaining dwarf planets so far discovered
Kuiper belt
___ is composed of rock and ice in the Kuiper belt
comet
What is the significance of Halley’s Comet?
A comet that comes around every 76 years, and is mentioned in historical texts repeatedly
What contains the tossed out material that extends in all directions around the solar system
Oort cloud
What are the parts of a solar eclipse?
3 parts
Umbra: dark portion; narrow
Penumbra: lighter portion; broad
Annular eclipse: when the umbra doesn’t reach earth
How does a comet’s speed and appearance vary throughout it’s orbit?
- moves faster as it gets closer to the sun
- the tail always points away from the sun
What is a collection of stars (a man-made grouping)? It’s importance?
Constellation
- useful for tracking the positions of stars, which have served as markers season and global position for centuries
Three forms of motion of constellations:
Daily (Diurnal): due to rotation of the Earth
Yearly (revolutionary): due to the Earth’s orbit
Intrinsic (apparent motion relative to our position)
