P6.1 - The Solar System Flashcards
1
Q
What does the solar system contain? [4]
A
- one star
- eight planets
- minor planets
- moons
2
Q
What is the one star the solar system contains? [1]
A
the sun
3
Q
What are the eight named planets in order from the sun? [8]
A
- mercury
- venus
- earth
- mars
- jupiter
- saturn
- uranus
- neptune
4
Q
What do the minor planets do? Give examples of them. [3]
A
- they orbit the sun
- e.g. dwarf planets like Pluto
- e.g. asteroids in the asteroid belt
5
Q
What do moons do? [1]
A
- they orbit the planets
6
Q
What are asteroids and meteoroids? [2]
A
- lumps of rock
- which orbit the sun
7
Q
What are comets? [3]
A
- heavenly objects
- they have been resembled to enormous snowballs
- they orbit the sun in highly irregular paths
8
Q
What do comets consist of when farthest away from the sun? [3]
A
- frozen gas
- rocks
- dust
9
Q
What happens to comets as they move closer to the sun? [2]
A
- they warm up
- they release a trail of gases and dust behind them
10
Q
What did the solar system originate from? [2]
A
- a nebula
- a massive rotating cloud of gas and dust
11
Q
How were planets formed? [2]
A
- from the leftover materials in the nebula
- that were not drawn into the sun’s gravitational pull
12
Q
What is an accretion disk and how did it form? [2]
A
- it is a flat, rotating disk
- it formed because of the spinning motion of the nebula
13
Q
How were gas giants formed? [2]
A
- lighter materials being pushed further away from the intense heat near the sun
- these formed gas giants
14
Q
How are the paths of the planets around the sun? [1]
A
nearly circular
