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Earth And Space > Planetary Science > Flashcards

Planetary Science Flashcards

1
Q

Heliocentric

A

We orbit the sun

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2
Q

Geocentric

A

The sun orbits us

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3
Q

Aristotle

A

Geocentric

It doesn’t explain retrograde motion of Mars

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4
Q

Ptolemy

A
  • explains retrograde motion
  • epicycles
  • –2 motions (around earth, around a point in space) (like Pluto)
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5
Q

Copernicus

A

Heliocentric model

  • different planets orbit at different speeds and distances
  • explains retrograde motion
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6
Q

Galileo

A
  • probes heliocentric model with scientific data

- created compound telescope and looked up

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7
Q

Brahe

A
  • astronomy’s first observer
  • observations of stars + planet positions
  • did NOT believe heliocentric model
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8
Q

Kepler

A
  • brahe’s student
  • proved heliocentric model with math using Brahe’s data
  • had 3 laws
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9
Q

Newton

A

You know him

Gravity

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10
Q

Distance between planets farther out

A

Gets way bigger

Gravity is weaker

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11
Q

Kepler’s 1st law

A

Law of ellipses
-elliptical orbits
(See diagram)

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12
Q

Kepler’s second

A

Law of equal areas

  • sweeps out same area in same time
  • faster close to sun
  • earth is ALMOST circular
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13
Q

Kepler’s third

A 
Law of periods
-k•r^3 = p^2
k = constant
p = period 
r = radius (mean distance to sun)
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14
Q

Orbital eccentricity

A

How much an orbit differs from a circle

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15
Q

Apogee

A

Point an object orbiting something is at its farthest point

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16
Q

Perigee

A

Point where an object orbiting something is closest to it

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17
Q

How big is the moon

A

27% earth’s size (about 1/4)

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18
Q

How far away is the moon

A

384 000km

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19
Q

Why do we always see the same face of the moon

A

Rotation and Revolution is the same length

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20
Q

Why do we have phases of the moon

A

Earth blocks the sun

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21
Q

Regolith (moon)

A

Dusty blanket of meteorites that landed on moon

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22
Q

Highlands (moon)

A

Mountains (rings around craters)

1000s of feet tall

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23
Q

Lowlands (moon)

A

Craters + Maria/seas (lava filled basins, hardened

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24
Q

Tides

A
  • caused by moon’s gravity

- bay of Fundy has huge tides (55 feet)

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25
Q

Moon’s gravity does what?

A
  • tides

- keeps earth’s axis constant

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26
Q

Moon theory: co-creation

A

Grew up together

-but moon has lower Fe content

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27
Q

Moon theory: fission

A

Molten earth spun off

  • can’t do math closer than 5 revolutions a day
  • earth is too fast for current speeds
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28
Q

Moon theory: captured

A

Like Jovian moon’s

-earth’s gravity is too weak

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29
Q

Moon theory: giant impact

A

Mars sized rock crashed

-most accepted

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30
Q

Challenges with coming up with a theory on how the solar system was formed

A
  • categorizing planets
  • patterns of motion
  • asteroids + comets
  • exceptions
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31
Q

Best theory on how solar system was formed?

A

Solar nebular theory

-evidence is protoplanetary disks elsewhere (beta pictoris)

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32
Q

Protosun

A

Hot ball of gas becoming the sun

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33
Q

Protoplanet

A

Matter becoming a planet

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34
Q

Interstellar dust

A

Dust between stars

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35
Q

Fragmentation

A

Small objects -> smaller objects

Swept by protoplanets

36
Q

Gravitational coalescence

A

Stuff coming together because gravity

37
Q

Mercury

A
  • smallest
  • difficult to study because it’s so close to the sun (we see it 13x a year)
  • resembles earth’s moon
  • 1 year = 88 days
  • -173-427 C because no atmosphere
  • eccentric orbit
38
Q

Venus

A
  • similar to earth
  • hottest planet
  • no moon’s
39
Q

Mars

A
  • Rocky, dusty, cold
  • less gravity than earth
  • explored with spacecraft, satellites, Rovers
40
Q

Jupiter

A
  • shortest day (9:55) (fastest spinning)
  • great red spot been going on for 350 years
  • magnetic field 14x stronger than earth’s
  • tilt of 3 - no seasons
  • 80x more massive = it’s a star
41
Q

Saturn

A
  • least dense
  • 62 moon’s
  • rings disappear
  • could be life on moon’s
  • 1 year = 30 earth years
  • can be seen with naked eye
  • fastest planet
  • Jupiter-style storms
42
Q

Uranus

A
  • 27 moons, 13 rings
  • made of ice (ice giant)
  • rotates at nearly 90 degrees (spins on side)
  • atmosphere mostly H + He
  • min temp of 49K (-224.2 C)
43
Q

Ceres

A
  • largest object in asteroid belt
  • only dwarf planet in inner solar system so far
  • 25% water (has more water than earth)
  • thin atmosphere
  • may harbour life (micro organisms/bacteria)
  • size of Texas
  • 1 year = 4.6 earth years
44
Q

Eris

A
  • 1 year = 557 earth years
  • one known moon (Dysnomia)
  • sometimes closer than Pluto to the sun
  • surface is icy
45
Q

Makemake

A
  • 3rd largest Kuiper Belt Object
  • doesn’t have an atmosphere (usually)
  • methane, ethane, nitrogen ice
  • one discovered moon
  • named after God of fertility/created of humanity of Rapa Nui myths (Easter Island)
  • 1 day = 7.7 hours, 1 year = 310 earth years
46
Q

Sedna

A
  • beyond Kuiper belt
  • supposedly in Oort Cloud
  • no moon’s
  • cold, small, far away
  • half the size of the moon
  • miner planet (can’t confirm that it’s a sphere)
  • very elliptical orbit
47
Q

Meteoroids

A
  • stuff flying around (parts of asteroids and comets broken off)
  • size of pebble
  • appear everywhere
48
Q

Meteorite

A

Meteoroid that hits the ground

49
Q

Asteroid

A
  • star-like
  • irregular shaped dust + gas
  • some have gravity, some don’t (all smaller than a planet)
  • Trojan asteroids (beside (in front/behind) planet)
50
Q

Comets

A
  • dust
  • gas
  • ice
  • short period (<200 years)
  • long period (>200 years)
51
Q

Kuiper belt

A

30-55AU asteroid belt

52
Q

Oort Cloud

A

Cloud of ice and dust beyond Kuiper belt (comets)

53
Q

Sun layers (bottom to top)

A 
Core
Radiative zone
Convective zone
Photosphere
Chromosphere
Corona
54
Q

Suns core

A

Nuclear fusion

55
Q

Sun radiative zone

A

Energy transfer by radiation (photons)

56
Q

Sun convective zone

A

Energy transfer by convection (plasma)

57
Q

Sun photosphere

A

Where hot gases rise and give off heat

58
Q

Sun chromosphere

A

Outer atmosphere

59
Q

Sun corona

A

Aura of plasma around sun

60
Q

Solar prominence

A 
Bright, large feature from photosphere
Coronal loops
-some last for hours/days
-100 000km long (some 500 000km)
Magnetic field
Causes solar flares + CMEs
61
Q

Solar flare

A

Sudden, intense energy release

  • a few mins, some over an hour
  • can be 35x earth’s diameter (most 7x ish)
  • cause CME’s, knock out comms + radio
  • from twisted magnetic field
  • sun quakes when big enough
62
Q

CME

A

Release of plasma + magnetic field

  • can reach earth in 14-17h
  • very big (mass of Mt Everest)
  • earth’s magnetic field protects us
  • power outages, radiation, comms down
63
Q

Sunspots

A

Reduced temp areas from twisted magnetic field (no convection) (1000 degrees)

  • last 11 years
  • most from 1500km-50 000km in diameter
  • become prominences/flares/CMEs
  • can twist like Great Red Spot
  • 1st proof that sun rotates
64
Q

Solar wind

A

Continuous flow of charged particles from sun

  • will last all of Suns lifetime
  • causes light, part of CMEs
  • big (goes in all directions)
65
Q

Coronal streamers

A

Wisp-like stream of particles through corona

66
Q

Solar max/min

A

Every 11 years - period of high/low solar activity

67
Q

Alfvén waves

A

Hydromagnetic shield waves in plasma along magnetic field lines (ions oscillate in response to restoring force)

68
Q

Halo effect

A

Hall ring around sun/moon at 22 angle

Ice crystals in cirrostratus clouds

69
Q

Heliosphere

A

Region of space where sun has influence

70
Q

Ozone layer

A

Blocks most of Suns UV light on earth

71
Q

Gamma ray burst

A

Photons (I mean really)

72
Q

Hinode

A
  • sun
  • study of magnetic field
  • HD photos of sum
  • magnetohydrodynamics
  • explained why Suns angular momentum differs
  • Japanese
73
Q

MESSENGER

A
  • Mercury
  • NASA
  • to explore Mercury (it’s dense, it has useful metals)
  • it has buried water, varied temps
  • may be shrinking
  • tectonically active
74
Q

Venera 4

A
  • Venus
  • USSR
  • collected atmospheric data (90-95% CO2, 3000x weaker magnetic field, 7% N)
  • 1st probe to send data from elsewhere
75
Q

Apollo

A
  • 107 degrees in day, -153 at night
  • Mt Huygens is tallest (1/2 mt Everest)
  • 12 Apollo missions (11 landed)
  • Saturn V rocket was used to launch it
  • moon
76
Q

Opportunity, Spirit, Curiosity

A
  • Mars
  • to determine whether there’s life on Mars
  • rovers
  • characterize climate + geology
  • prepare for human exploration
  • thees water
  • spirit is trapped in sand
  • curiosity is still going
  • Mars lost atmosphere over time
77
Q

Dawn

A
  • Ceres + vesta
  • first probe to either
  • vesta has 2 large craters + hydrated materials
  • Ceres has H2O beneath surface, mineral deposits, maybe life
  • going to asteroid 2 (Pallas), stay on Ceres
78
Q

Juno

A
  • farthest solar powered spacecraft
  • reveals origin + evolution of Jupiter
  • how planets formed
  • atmosphere
  • magnetic field map
  • pics, solar panels, magnetometers
  • great red spot, huge cyclones at poles
  • Jupiter
79
Q

Voyager 2

A

-Uranus and Neptune
-One of 1st probes to go beyond solar system
-to explore outer planets + beyond
Uranus: ocean, 10 moon’s, 2 rings, average temp, magnetic field
Neptune: 5 moon’s, 4 rings, dark spot, triton is coldest thing in solar system

80
Q

New horizons

A
  • Pluto
  • answer questions about its moon’s and Kuiper belt
  • US completion of solar system exploration
  • evolutions of dwarf planets
  • ice dwarfs
  • 4 moon’s (ish)
81
Q

Hubble Space Telescope

A
  • cassegrain telescope
  • to capture images from beyond earth’s atmosphere
  • Jupiter (monitors red spot)
  • saltwater on Ganymede
82
Q

Rosetta

A

Comet 67P

  • orbited and landed on comet for first time
  • watching comet change during closest approach to the sun
  • debate of origin of H2P on earth
83
Q

Deep Impact spacecraft

A
  • comet tempel 1
  • flyby + impactor
  • tempel 1 is fine dust held together with gravity
  • increase of carbon containing stuff
  • hasnt changed since early solar system
  • helps understand comets
84
Q

Exoplanets

A

Extra-solar planets

Trappist-1

85
Q

Near earth objects

A

NASA tracks them

86
Q

Sun’s max angle in sky

A

Latitude + 23.5 degrees

87
Q

Who first introduced the concept of a heliocentric system

A

Copernicus

Earth And Space (10 decks)

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