Planets Flashcards
Inner Planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Outer Planets
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Mercury’s period of revolution
88 days
Which planet has the hottest surface of any planet?
Venus
Why is Mars red?
because of the iron in the soil
Name the largest planet
Jupiter
What is the Great Red Spot?
the storm system on Jupiter that is 400 years old
What is the 2nd largest planet?
Saturn
What color does Uranus appear?
blue green
Which planet’s axis is tilted on its side?
Uranus
Which planet has the great dark spot?
Neptune
Which planet rotates in the opposite direction from the Earth?
Venus
What are the gas giants?
the outer planets are called gas giants because they have a deep, massive atmosphere
What are terrestrial planets?
the inner planets are terrestrial planets because they are dense and rocky
the amount of time an object takes to rotate
period of rotation
the amount of time an object takes to revolve around the sun once
period of revolution
the counter-clockwise spin of a planet or moon as seen from its north pole
prograde rotation
the clockwise spin of a planet or moon as seen from its north pole
retrograde rotation
the average distance between the Earth and the sun
astronomical unit (approx. 150 million km) symbol is AU
Kepler’s 3 Laws of Planetary Motion
1- the orbit of every planet is an ellipse with the sun at its focus
2- Planets move faster when they are closer to the sun than when farther away
3- Calculation: relationship between how long a planet’s rotation is and its distance from the sun
the spin of a body on its axis
rotation
the path that a body follows as it travels around another body in space
orbit
the motion of a body that travels around another body in space
revolution
cooler, dark spots on the photosphere of the sun that have a strong magnetic field
sunspots
sunspot cycle
11 years
regions of extremely high temps and brightness that develop on the sun’s surface
solar flares
linked to climate change
sun spots
can interrupt radio communications
solar flares
Which planet is most like Earth’s twin?
Venus
Scientists believe that the water on Mars now exists as:
two polar icecaps
List 3 differences between and 3 similarities of Venus and Earth
Differences: 1- direction of rotation, 2- Venus’ atmosphere is made of carbon dioxide and some destructive acids, 3 the greenhouse effect traps heat causing Venus’ surface temp to be very high.
Similarities: 1- similar in size, 2- both have volcanoes, 3- Venus’ gravity is 91% of Earth’s
What are some characteristics of Earth that make it suitable for life?
Earth is warm enough to keep most of its water from freezing and cool enough to keep it from evaporating.
Why is the surface temp of Venus higher than the surface temps of other planets in our solar system?
The high carbon dioxide content of the air on Venus causes a greenhouse effect, trapping heat and raising the surface temp.
What are Saturn’s rings made of?
icy particles
Which outer planets have rings?
all of them
Why does Jupiter give off more energy into space than it receives from the sun?
Jupiter’s interior is very hot
What is unusual about Pluto’s moon Charon?
Charon is more than half the size of Pluto, making it the largest satellite relative to its planet in the solar system.
The many colors of Jupiter’s atmosphere are probably caused by what in the atmosphere?
organic compounds
a large cloud of gas and dust in interstellar space. a region in space where stars are born or where stars explode at the end of their lives
nebula
the cloud of gas and dust that formed our solar system
solar nebula
the process by which two or more low-mass nuclei join together (fuse) to form another nucleus
nuclear fusion
