Planet Ponderings Flashcards
which planet takes the least amount of time to orbit the Sun
Mercury
which planet takes the most amount of time to orbit the Sun?
Neptune
factors that determine a planet’s year
distance from the Sun
which planet takes the longest time to spin on its axis?
Venus
which planet takes the shortest time to spin on its axis?
Jupiter
what factor determines a planet’s duration of day?
speed of rotation
what does the word planet mean?
wanderer
what is the present criteria required for an object to be classified as a planet?
orbits a star
spherical shape
cleared away any objects of similar size in its orbit path
what are two planets without an atmosphere and why
Mercury - close to the Sun
Pluto - doesn’t have the gravity
what effect does the arrangement of large gas giants as outer planets have on the terrestrial planets as inner planets?
their gravities pull in asteroids
is their a pattern related to the surface temperature of each planet?
distance from Sun
whether or not it has an atmosphere
how is Pluto similar to the terrestrial planets?
it has a solid surface
how is Pluto similar to the gas giants?
low density
tend to go towards elliptical orbits, with longer years
why does Mercury have such an extreme temperature range?
it has no atmosphere to trap heat
who first proposed that Venus would be a very hot planet with a constant temperature?
Carl Sagan
what was the basis for Carl Sagan’s prediction?
the dense atmosphere holds onto heat
why does Uranus rotate in the opposite direction compared to all the other planets?
it was hit by something
what is the common explanation as to why the asteroid belt never formed into a planet?
wasn’t enough mass in the belt, and it is too close to Jupiter
what is the Kuiper Belt?
a region in the solar system outside Neptune, believed to contain many comets, asteroids, and other small bodies made largely of ice
what is the Oort cloud?
a shell that goes around the solar system made of comets
how far out does the Oort cloud extend?
2000 to 5000 AU from the sun (outer edge might be 10000-100000 AU)
what is an AU and why is it used?
an AU is an astronomical unit which is used to compress astronomical numbers to a more manageable size
one AU is a 150 million kilometers
why do the gas giants have more moons than the terrestrial planets?
they attract more things into their orbit
what is presently the popular idea to explain the arrangement of inner to outer planets?
only the terrestrial planets could withstand the heat of the Sun (not 100% sure)
