Kahn Academy Earth and Space Science Flashcards
What two variables is Gravity Influenced by?
Mass and the distance between objects
What are Mar’s two moons?
Phobos (fear) and Deimos (dread)
Mars’ atmosphere
Thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide
What is the Oort Cloud?
Space at the very edge of the solar system that is filled with comets made of ice and dust.
How often does Halley’s Comet come near Earth?
Every 75 years
What is Jupiter’s atmosphere made of?
Hydrogen and Helium
How many moons does Jupiter have?
50
How was the Solar System formed?
By a huge cloud of gas and dust 4.6 billion years ago.
Common features of terrestrial planets
Thin atmospheres, solid surfaces, few or no moons, no rings.
Common features of Gas Giant planets
Thick atmospheres, no solid surfaces, many moons and rings
Natural Satellite
Naturally occurring body that orbits a planet.
How long does the moon take to orbit Earth?
27 days
How long does it take for the moon to orbit on it’s axis?
27 days (the same amount of time it takes for it to orbit Earth, hence, the same side of the moon is always facing us)
Waxing Moon
Phases when the moon is growing bigger.
Waning Moon
Phases when the moon is growing smaller
The 8 Moon Phases
New, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent
New Moon
When the lit side of the moon is facing completely away from Earth.
Lunar Eclipse
When the moon is covered by Earth’s shadow.
Why do lunar eclipses only occur during full moons?
It’s the only time in Earth’s orbit where the Earth is between the sun and moon.
Why isn’t there a lunar eclipse every full moon?
Because the moon’s orbit around Earth is tilted relative to Earth’s orbit around the sun.
This means the moon passes just above or below Earth’s shadow.
How old is Earth’s water?
4.6 billion years old
What percent of water on Earth is Ocean?
95%
Transpiration
Evaporation of water from plants- water is absorbed through plant roots and through transpiration, turns into water vapor and leaves directly through the leaves through tiny pores called stomata and return to the atmosphere.
What force drive evaporation and transpiration?
The sun’s energy
What force drives precipitation?
Gravity
Air masses formed on land tend to have less humidity than those formed over…
The ocean
Air Mass
Large body of air w/ uniform temp and humidity.
Air mass movement…
From areas of high pressure, to areas of low pressure.
Cold Front
Formed when cold air mass moves into a warm air mass. It usually brings cool temperatures, heavy rain, and/or thunderstorms
Warm Front
Warm air mass moves into cold air mass. It usually brings warm temperatures and moderate rain.
Current
The steady flow of a fluid (such as air or water) within a larger body of that fluid.
Prevailing winds
Air currents that blow mainly in one direction and caused by the uneven heating of Earth’s surface.
What causes ocean surface currents?
Prevailing winds blowing across the ocean.
Coriolis Effect
The curve of surface currents and prevailing winds due to Earth’s rotation.