Solar System and Energy Flashcards
Describe the origin of the solar system
- created 4567 million years ago (when our sun became a star and planets formed)
- the entire solar system condensed from gaseous nebula by gravitational attraction
- the central dust body became the sun, remaining dust/ gas formed a disk
- disk eventually condensed to form planets/ other bodies
the solar system can be considered a(n) ___ system
isolated
Eccentricity=
how much the distance between the earth and the sun varies in different parts of the orbit
orbits result from:
a balance b/w gravity pulling inward and the momentum of the object (which would make it travel in a straight line at constant speed if no force acted)
What a planet is made of depends on the ___ of the solar ____ while the planet was forming
temperature
nebula
comets=
small bodies in highly elliptical orbits; may represent samples of early solar system b/c composition is similar to outer planets
*the tail of a comet always points away from the sun
dwarf planets, asteroids, and meteoroids=
small bodies of varied composition (rock, metallic iron)
dwarf planets: larger than 500km
asteroids: 1m to 500km
meteoroids:<1m
Asteroids and Meteoroids are called ___ if they strike earth and burn up in our atmosphere
meteors
Meteoroids are called ___ is they make it to Earth’s ground
meteorite
some meteorites appear to be samples of early solar system =
chondrites
List the planets of our solar system, and which category they’re in
Terrestrial Planets (Inner):
- mercury
- venus
- earth
- mars
Jovian Planets (outer):
- jupiter
- saturn
- uranus
- neptune
natural satellites=
orbit around planets, typically very small compared to the parent planet
eg. Erath’s moon
Explain how tides are created
the moon’s gravity acts to deform the earth, but water is much more easily pulled. Ocean is pulled into an eliptide (bulge toward the moon, AND bulge away from the moon)
