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Science V.P. > Solar System > Flashcards

Solar System Flashcards

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0
Q

What does planet mean?

A

Wanderer

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1
Q

How can you tell a star from a planet?

A

Planets move around in the night sky while stars stay in the same spot.

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2
Q

Give two ways the sun effects the planets

A

By applying gravitational forces that keep the planet in orbit

Going through nuclear fusion and emitting that energy as light

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3
Q

Why was Pluto demoted?

A

It doesn’t have more mass than objects in nearby orbits.

It didn’t clear its space

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4
Q

What is an Astronomical Unit?

A

The measure of the distance from Earth to the sun= 1 AU

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5
Q

What are other planets’ AU compared to?

Why is Neptune 30 and Mercury’s less than 1?

A

They are compared to Earths distance

Neptune is 30x earth’s distance

Mercury is closer to the sun than earth is

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6
Q

What is the difference between an ellipse and a circle?

A

An ellipse is more oval like, or a stretched out circle

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7
Q

What is the accretion hypothesis?

A

It is a hypothesis on how the planets were formed

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8
Q

What does the accretion hypothesis state?

A

That the sun formed when gravity caused the solar nebula to collapse leading to particles that eventually formed into the planets

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9
Q

How did the inner planets form?

A

The inner planets formed from the accreted particles from the sun

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10
Q

How did the outer planets form?

A

They formed as gas, dust, and ice condensed and accreted

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11
Q

What condition must be met in order for a planet to have an atmosphere?

A

It has to have gravity strong enough to hold gases close to its surface

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12
Q

Why are the inner planets called “terrestrial planets”

A

You can walk on them

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13
Q

Why are the outer planets called gas giants

A

They are made of hydrogen and helium

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14
Q

What is a comet?

A

A object in space made out of ice rock and dust

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15
Q

What is a meteoroid?

A

A small rocky particle in space that burns up in earths atmosphere

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16
Q

What is a meteor?

A

A rocky particle that has a streak of light following it once it enters earths atmosphere

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17
Q

What is a meteorite?

A

A meteoroid that strikes a planet or moon

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18
Q

What is the true shape of a planetary orbit?

A

An ellipse

19
Q

What does it mean if a planets orbit is highly eccentric?

A

It is very elliptical

20
Q

What is eccentricity?

A

The measure of how elliptical a planets orbit is

21
Q

What is the general term for a group of stars?

A

Constellation

22
Q

What is parallax?

A

The apparent shift of an object when viewed from two locations

23
Q

What is parallax used for?

A

To measure distances to stars

24
Q

What is a light year?

How far is it?

A

The distance light travels in a year
12
9.5•10

25
Q

What is the Big Bang theory?
What is it?
When was it?

A

A theory on the formation of the universe
It was an explosion
9
12 to 15×10

26
Q

What is the Doppler effect?

A

The apparent shift in the wavelength of light when it object approaches or moves away

27
Q

What is the Doppler effect prove?

A

The universe is still expanding

28
Q

What is apparent magnitude?

A

The brightness seen from Earth

29
Q

What is absolute magnitude?

A

The actual amount of light given off from a star

30
Q

What are the three parts of the sun’s atmosphere?

A

The Corona
The chromosphere
The photosphere

31
Q

What is the corona and what does it do?

A

It is the outermost and hottest layer

It emits particles

32
Q

What does the chromosphere do?

A

It gives the sun color

33
Q

What does the photosphere do?

A

It gives off light

34
Q

Where does fusion take place?

A

In the sun’s core

35
Q

What is fusion?

A

The process in which two hydrogens make one helium

36
Q

What is a prominence?

A

Huge columns of arching gas

37
Q

What is a solar flare?

A

It is gas ejected off of the sun’s surface

38
Q

What are solar winds?

A

They are radiation or charged particles from the sun

39
Q

What is a sunspot?

A

Cool spots on the sun surface

40
Q

Where are some characteristics of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram?

A

Spectral class
Luminosity
Absolute magnitude
Temperature and Kelvin

41
Q

What is luminosity compared to?

A

The sun

The sun’s luminosity=1

42
Q

What are 90% of stars?

A

Main sequence stars

43
Q

Trace the evolution of a big star

A

Nebula to main sequence star to red supergiant to supernova to neutron star or a black hole

44
Q

Trace the evolution of a small star

A

Nebula to main sequence star to giant to white dwarf

45
Q

When does a nebula become a main sequence star?

A

After it condenses and fusion takes place

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