Space Flashcards
Order of Planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Name of first 4 planets, last 4 planets, and what seperatys them
Rocky Planets, Gas Giants, Asteroid Belt
What are Artificial Satellites?
Man-Made satellites that orbit the earth
Main Uses of Artificial Satellites
- Astronomy
- Communications
- Weather Monitoring
What are comets made up of?
Ice and dust
How do comets travel around the sun?
In an eccentric orbit (sometimes very close, sometimes far away)
Main Sequence Phase
The sun is stable during this phase. This is because the Inward Force of Gravity balances the outward force (thermal expansion)
Life Cycle of Stars (similar to the sun)
Protostar > Main Sequence Star > Red Giant > White Dwarf > Black Dwarf
Life Cycle of Stars (massive sun)
Protostar > Main Sequence Star > Supergiant > Supernova > Neutron Star/ Black Hole
Big Bang Theory (4 Main Points)
• There was a Rapid Expansion from a Singularity (~14 billion years ago)
• The universe then cooled until it formed protons + neutrons
• Further expansion + cooling allowed Nuclei to form
• Eventually, (after expansion/cooling) the temp had dropped sufficiently for electrons to combine with neutrons + protons to form atoms of Hydrogen which form Nebula
What are 2 pieces of evidence that support the BBT
Red Shift and CMBR (Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation)
Red Shift Theory
• Light from distant galaxies has shifted towards the red end of the spectrum
• As red has the highest wavelength, smth must be causing it to Increase. • Galaxies are moving away, which means that the light has to travel through an ever increasing distance causing the wl to increase.
• Thus, evidence that the universe is expanding
What is CMBR
• Leftover radiation from the Big Bang.
• The microwave radiation that is spread evenly throughout our universe which is what we would expect to see if there was expansion from a single point.
• The BBT is the only theory that can explain CMBR
Why are Black holes so dangerous?
The gravitational field of a BH is so strong that nothing can escape from it, including EM radiation such as light
What is the Absorption Spectrum?
(Proof that the sun contains Hydrogen)
There are black lines in the spectrum when we observe the sun, this is where Hydrogen atoms have absorbed light.
Star Formation: Accretion
• Stars are formed from huge clouds of Hydrogen gas called stellar nebula. They come together due to gravity.
• As the clouds become more and more dense, the particles begin to spin (Hydrogen have lots of energy and are moving very fast, when they collide with eachother, they form a new heavier nuclei (helium)) and the temperature rises enormously. (~15 million°)
• At this temp, nuclear fusion begins and a protostar is born
How are planets formed? Nebular Model
The remaining clouds of gas and dust that don’t go into producing the star are called planetary nebula. They clump together due to gravity in a process called accreation. Over a long period of time they become planets. The presence of a massive star may cause them to become trapped in it’s orbit.
