Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Astrophysics > Quiz #2 > Flashcards

Quiz #2 Flashcards

1
Q

Inner Planet Characteristics

A
  • uniform rotation
  • dense (rocky/metallic)
  • not all have moons
  • inside the asteroid belt
  • solid surface
  • core, mantle, crust interior
  • no rings
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Mercury

A
  • strong magnetic field
  • has one moon
  • no atmosphere
  • has phases similar to the moon
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Venus

A
  • known as Earth’s twin
  • gravity similar to Earth
  • size, mass similar to Earth
  • no moons
  • rocky crust
  • no known surface liquids
  • almost no magnetic field
  • very high pressure atmosphere
  • sulfuric acid precipitation
  • greatest average temperature
  • only planet to have a retrograde rotation
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Earth

A
  • moon (biggest ratio)
  • atmosphere
  • only planet with plate tectonics
  • has both geysers and volcanoes
  • tilt gives seasons (23.5°)
  • moon and sun cause tides
  • life (plant life creates O2 in the atmosphere)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Mars

A
  • very thing CO2 atmosphere
  • Olympus mons
  • polar ice caps
  • seasons (similar tilt)
  • red color is caused by iron oxide
  • valles marineris
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Gaseous Giants

A
  • massive and voluminous
  • mostly made of hydrogen
  • gas
  • strong magnetic field
  • low density
  • far from the sun (outside the asteroid belt)
  • all have many moons
  • ring system
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Jupiter

A
  • core procedures on Jupiter produce more heat than the sun
  • faint purple gas ring
  • banding
  • 4 Galilean moons
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

4 reasons why banding occurs

A
  • differential rotation
  • fast rotation
  • fast winds
  • chemical sorting due to convection currents
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Galilean moons

A
  • Europa
  • Io
  • Callisto
  • Ganymede
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Europa

A
  • icy
  • water oceans
  • possible host to life
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Io

A
  • rocky
  • most volcanically active object
  • global aurora
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Ganymede

A
  • icy

- largest moon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Callisto

A
  • icy

- most heavily cratered surface

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Characteristics of a planet

A
  • enough mass for its gravity to turn it into a spheroid
  • orbits the sun but doesn’t orbit another object
  • clears the orbital path of all significant neighboring objects
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Dwarf Planets

A

They fail to meet the third criteria, that they clear the orbital path of all significant nearby objects. (Pluto crosses Neptune’s orbital path)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Volcanism

A
  • number 1 thing that renews the surface of an object in space
  • geysers
  • volcanoes
17
Q

What object comprises 99% of our solar system

A

The sun

18
Q

Age of the solar system

A

4.65 billion years

19
Q

What was here before the sun

A

Nebulous

20
Q

How long until the end?

A

5 billion years

21
Q

Event that triggers star formation

A

Clumping event

22
Q

Signifying event for the birth of a star

A

Self sustained nuclear fusion

23
Q

What caused the early solar system to start spinning

A

Unbalanced gravity and heating

24
Q

Two edges of the solar system

A
  • heliosheath

- far end of the Oort Cloud

25
Q

Which boundary is furthest from the sun?

A

Far end of the Oort Cloud

26
Q

How do you know if an asteroid is in the solar system

A

It is moving in relation to background objects

27
Q

What is the difference between a moon planet and a binary planet

A
  • moon planets have their center of mass in the middle of the planet
  • binary planets have their center of mass outside of the planet
28
Q

5 major types of objects in the solar system

A
  • planets
  • moons
  • sun
  • asteroids
  • Kuiper Belt Objects
29
Q

Between which two planets is the asteroid belt

A

Jupiter and Mars

30
Q

Why did material from the asteroid belt not form into a planet

A

The gravitational pull of Jupiter is too large

31
Q

Rotational observations of a planet

A
  • period of rotation is speed
  • type of rotation (uniform or differential)
  • obliquity- the tilt of the axis of rotation
32
Q

Static observations that can be made about a planet

A
  • texture (smooth, cratered, etc.)
  • temperature (max, min, average)
  • albedo
  • number of moons
  • magnetic field strength
  • molecular composition
  • plate tectonics
  • radius (diameter, circumference, volume)
  • color (variations)
33
Q

Orbital observations about a planet

A
  • eccentricity
  • distance from the sun
  • how long it takes to complete an orbit

Astrophysics (2 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions