how does earth interact w/ sun & moon? Flashcards
What is the Solar System?
The Solar System is a collection of 8 planets, asteroids, comets and moons orbiting the Sun. These objects are held in orbit by the Sun’s gravity.
What is an orbit?
The path that planets and moons follow around something. Orbits take on an elliptical (oval) shape.
The sun is…
a star.
What two groups are planets divided into?
Terrestrial planets and gas giants.
What is a day?
The time it takes for a planet to rotate on its axis.
The more mass a planet has…
the stronger its gravitational pull.
The further a planet is from the sun…
the longer it takes to orbit the sun.
What is the Sun?
The Sun is the centre of our Solar System and is our nearest star. It makes up most of the mass of the Solar System, 99.8%.
What is the composition of the Sun?
It is a ball of gases held together by gravity. It has 75% hydrogen, most of the rest is helium and traces of oxygen, carbon and iron.
What is nuclear fusion?
The process of hydrogen atoms fusing to form helium atoms which releases huge amounts of energy (heat and light).
What forms of energy also fall under energy release from the sun (solar energy)?
Heat, light, ultraviolet radiation, infra-red radiation, gamma rays etc.
Why is solar energy important?
It gives light and warmth to Earth, maintaining life.
What is a satellite?
Anything that orbits another object. They can be natural or man-made.
