Planets Test Flashcards
Tilted on its side
Uranus
Has the moon Titan
Saturn
Two moons, Phobos and Deimos
Mars
Has moons and rings
(4)
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Messenger is studying it
mercury
Discovered through mathematics
neptune
Has no moons or rings
(2)
mercury and venus
Discovered by Herschel
Uranus
Great Red Spot
Jupiter
Hottest planet
venus
planets order
closest to sun -> furthest from sun
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Closest to the sun
mercury
Has largest mountain in solar system, Olympus Mons
mars
Looks red from presence of iron dust
Mars
Surface resembles our moon
mercury
Rotates the fastest
jupiter
Most massive planet
jupiter
Rotates the slowest and backwards
venus
Has the large moon Triton
neptune
Could be a “double planet” with its “moon”
pluto
Has canyons, mountains, river beds, dunes
Mars
Sulfur gives it an orange color
venus
Galileo Mission traveled here
jupiter
Thin CO2 atmosphere
mars
Least dense planet
saturn
Cassini-Huygens traveled here
saturn
Great Dark Spot
neptune
Has seasons like us just longer (caused by having similar tilt)
(3)
Mars, Saturn, Neptune
has zones and belts due to violent weather
Jupiter
Thick CO2 atmosphere
venus
day (rotation) is the longer than year (revolution)
venus
day length and tilt is similar to earth
mars
Little if any atmosphere
Mercury
made of mostly hydrogen and helium (2)
jupiter and saturn
4 Galilean moons
Io- has active volcanoes
Europa- smallest of the 4, has water
Ganymede-Is the largest moon in the solar system
Calisto-has water, larger than Mercury and Pluto.
Why do Uranus and Neptune appear blue?
methane
What are ring systems for planets composed of?
Space debris: mostly rocks, dust, and ice.
Why are we so interested in Jupiter’s moons Europa and Callisto and Saturn’s moons Titan and Enceladus?
have potential life (water)
Why is Pluto not a planet anymore? What is it classified as now?
too many other objects of similar size/gravity near it.
dwarf planet
Why do we believe there used to be liquid water on Mars? What is evidence of life/past life?
There are remnants of dried up lakes/oceans, dried up water basins/rivers. If liquid water did exist on Mars, it could have hosted microorganisms.
Why is Venus’s surface temperature so hot?
thick atmosphere is full of the greenhouse gas
clouds of sulfuric acid
only moon in the solar system with a substantial atmosphere with clouds, rain, rivers, lakes, and seas made of methane/other hydrocarbons
The moon Titan, which orbits Saturn.
