Solar System Flashcards
list the planets in order according to their distances from the Sun.
mercury, venus, earth, mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune, pluto
which planet receives the most light from the Sun, and why?
mercury receives the most light because it is closest to the Sun.
how big should a model of Earth be, in centimeters?
31.89 cm
how are impact craters formed?
impact craters are formed when meteoroids, asteroids, or comets smash into the surface of a planet, moon, or an asteroid.
why are the craters on Earth’s surface less evident than those on other terrestrial planets’ surfaces?
many craters on Earth have been eroded by wind and water and destroyed by tectonics and volcanism.
landforms wear down as new land forms are created by tectonics and volcanism.
what is the difference between mass and weight?
as long as you do not add/take away any matter from an object, its mass stays the same.
the weight of an object changes from place to place.
mass = measure of amount of matter in the body
weight = measure of force of gravity on the body
why would a can of soda weigh different amounts on each planet?
each planet has different surface gravity, because each planet has a different diameter and mass.
to find surface gravity, you need mass and diameter.
how does the mass of a planet affect the speed of a moon that orbits it?
the larger the mass, the faster orbital speed the moon has.
ex. jupiter’s io
what happened to your orbiting marble when you lifted up the metal ring?
the marble went straight because the ring that acted as an unbalanced force was removed.
why are there usually two high tides and two low tides each day?
as Earth rotates on its axis, tides occur in pairs on opposite sides of the planet due to the Moon’s (and to a large extent, the Sun’s) gravitational influence. a pair of high tides occurs along the line that joins the Moon and Earth (with some tidal lag). a pair of low tides occurs at right angles to the line that joins the Moon and Earth.
what is an asteroid?
asteroids are metallic, rocky objects in space that orbit independently around the Sun.
what are comets?
comets are masses of frozen gas, cosmic dust, and ice crystals. its ices can sublimate in sunlight, forming an atmosphere (coma) or tail of dust and gas.
what are meteoroids?
meteoroids are pieces of rock and metal dislodged from comets, planets, asteroids, or moons.
what are meteors?
meteors are bright streaks of light created when a meteoroid burns up due to the friction when it enters a planet’s atmosphere
“shooting star”
what is the difference between a fossil cast and a mold?
a mold is formed when acids dissolve a bone, tooth, or shell and leave an impression or mold of the object in sediment.
a cast is formed when sand and other minerals fill a cavity-shaped mold over time, and then hardens up to form a replica of the original organism.
