Space Flashcards
What object is at the centre of the solar system?
The Sun
What is the order of the planets starting closest to the Sun?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,Uranus, Neptune.
What is the equation to calculate the weight of something?
Weight (N)= mass(kg) x gravitational strength.
What is mass?
Mass is the amount of matter in an object. It’s how much ‘stuff’ an object is made out of. Measured in grams, kilograms.
What is weight?
Weight is the force of gravity acing in an object’s mass, measured in Newtons (N).
Does weight change?
Weight changes depending on where you are because it ends on gravity, e.g. weight is different on Earth and Mars.
Does mass change?
Mass doesn’t change wherever you are because the amount of matter in an object doesn’t change no matter wherever you are.
What is gravitaional strength?
Tells us how strong gravity is at that location. Measured in N/g or N/kg
What is the equation for gravitational strength?
Gravitational strength (N/kg) = Weight (N) / Mass (kg)
What is the equation for mass?
Mass (kg) = weight (N) / gravitational strength (N/kg).
What is the gravitational strength on Earth?
9.8N/kg
What is the gravitational strength on the Moon?
1.6N/kg
What is the gravitational strength on Mercury?
3.7N/kg
What is the gravitational strength on Jupiter?
24.8N/kg
What is the position of Mercury from the Sun?
1st plant away form the Sun
What is the size of Mercury, compared to the other planets?
Smallest of all plants in the solar system.
What is the temperature of Mercury?
Extremely hot at day and extremely cold at night.
What is the atmosphere like at Mercury?
Very thin, mostly made up of oxygen, sodium and hydrogen.
What is an interesting fact about Mercury?
Mercury has no moons.
What is the position of Venus from the Sun?
2nd planet away from the Sun.
What is the size of Venus compare to the other plants?
Similar in size to the Earth.
What is the surface of Mercury like?
Rocky and covered with craters,
What is the surface of Venus like?
Rocky with mountains, volcanoes and thick clouds.
What is the temperature of Venus like?
Hottest planet due to thick atmosphere trapping heat.
What is the atmosphere of Venus like?
Thick and toxic, mainly carbon dioxide with clouds of sulfuric acid.
What is a fun fact of Venus?
Rotates in the opposite direction to most planets.
What is Earth’s position from the Sun?
The 3rd planet from the Sun.
What is the size if the Earth compared to the other planets?
Fifth largest planet.
What is the temperature of the Earth?
Mild and suitable for life.
What is the surface of the Earth?
Rocky and 70% made up of water.
What is the atmosphere of Earth?
Mostly nitrogen and oxygen.
What is an interesting fact about the Earth?
Only planet known to support life.
What is Mars position from the Sun?
4th planet from the Sun.
What is the size of Mars compared to the other planets?
About half the size of Earth
What is the surface of Mars?
Rocky with mountains, valleys, and polar ice caps.
What is the temperature of Mars?
Cold, with temperatures dropping significantly at night.
What is the atmosphere of Mars?
Thin, mostly carbon dioxide.
What is an interesting fact about Mars?
Known as the Red Planet due to its reddish appearance.
What is Jupiter’s position from the Sun?
5th planet from the Sun.
What is the surface of Jupiter like?
Gas giant with no solid surface; has a Great Red Spot (a massive storm).
What is the size of Jupiter compared to the other planets?
Largest planet.
What is the atmosphere of Jupiter like?
Thick, mostly hydrogen and helium.
What is the temperature of Jupiter like?
Cold, with warmer temperatures near the core.
What is an interesting fact about Jupiter?
Has at least 79 moons, including Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system.
What is Saturn’s position from the Sun?
The 6th planet from the Sun.
What is the size of Saturn compared to the other planets?
Second largest planet.
What is the surface of Saturn like?
Gas giant with no solid surface; famous for its ring system.
What is the temperature of Saturn like?
Cold, with warmer temperatures near the core.
What is the atmosphere of Saturn like?
Thick, mostly hydrogen and helium.
What is an interesting fact about Saturn?
Rings are made of ice and rock particles.
What is the position of Uranus from the Sun?
6th planet from the Sun.
What is the size of Uranus compared to other planets?
Second largest planet.
What is the surface of Uranus?
Gas giant with a possible icy core; appears blue-green due to methane in atmosphere.
What is the temperature of Uranus?
Very cold.
What is the atmosphere of Uranus?
Mostly hydrogen, helium, and methane.
What is an interesting fact about Uranus?
Rotates on its side, making its rotation unique.
What is the position of Neptune?
8th planet from the Sun.
What is the size of Neptune compared to other planets?
Fourth largest planet.
What is the surface of Neptune like?
Gas giant with a possible icy core; appears deep blue due to methane.
What is the temperature of Neptune?
Very cold.
What is the atmosphere like on Neptune?
Mostly hydrogen, helium, and methane.
What is an interesting fact about Neptune?
Known for strong winds and storms, including the Great Dark Spot.
What is a galaxy?
A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems.
What is a black hole?
A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out, due to the result of a star dying.
What is a star?
Stars are huge, glowing balls of gases.
What is a planet?
Any of the large bodies that revolve around the sun in the solar system.
What is a moon?
A moon is an object that orbits a planet or another celestial body that is not a star.
What is a comet?
Comets are large objects made of dust and ice that orbit the Sun.
What is a meteor?
A meteor is any piece of comet, meteoroid, or asteroid that travels into Earth’s atmosphere.
What comes form biggest to smallest in space?
The galaxy, the black hole, the star, the planet, the moon, the comet, and lastly the meteor.
What is an Astronomical Unit?
An easier way to measure how far away planets are instead of Km.
What does AU?
AU stands for Astronomical Unit.
How many kilometres are in 1AU?
150 million Km.
How many km in 10AU?
1 billion and 500 km.
How many AU is Jupiter away from the Sun?
6AU.
How far from the Earth to the edge of the solar system?
30,000 Au, it takes one year to reach the edge of our solar system.
What is the nearest star in my Earth and how long it takes to reach it?
Prosima Centauri , it takes 4.25 years to reach Prosima Centauri.
What is the name of our galaxy?
The Milky Way.
How big is the Milky Way?
950,000,000,000,000,000km. It takes 100,000 lightyears to cross the Milky Way.
How close is our nearest galaxy?
Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy AKA CMDG. It takes 25,000 light years to reach it.
How big is the universe?
5,860,000,000,000 AU.
What is a light year?
A lift year is the distance travelled by the light in one year.
What is the speed of light?
The speed of light is 300,000km/s
How many km in 1 light year?
Thera are 9.5 trillion km in 1 year.
What happens in a solar system?
The planets orbit around the Sun.
Where are most asteroids found?
Between Mars and Jupiter,
Which two object sin space have the greatest distance apart?
Two neighbouring universes.
How many galaxies are there in the universe?
2 trillion galaxies.
Which force keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun?
Gravity.
What does orbit mean?
An object moving around another object.
What does the Earth spin on?
The Earth spins on an axis,
Why do we have day and night?
We have day and night because the Earth rotates when it is daylight, , the Sun is shining on that part of the globe, when it doesn’t shine it is night time.
How long is one full day?
24 hours for one full rotation.
Why does the Sun move across the sky during the day?
The sun moves across the sky during the day because the Earth rotates anti-clockwise, so the Sun appears to rise in the east.
Where does the Sun go at night?
We can’t see the Sun because we have rotated far way from it.
What is the moon in relation to Earth?
The moon is our only natural satellite.
How was the moon most likely formed?
The moon was most likely formed when a planet collided with Earth about 4.5 billion years ago.
What is the crust of the moon made of?
The crust of the moon is made of rocks.
Why does the moon’s surface have craters?
The moon’s surface has craters due to frequent asteroid impacts.
What is the strength of gravity on the moon?
The strength of gravity on the moon is 1.6 N/kg.
Why can we see the moon from Earth?
We can see the moon because it reflects light from the Sun.
How long does it take for the moon to complete one full orbit around Earth?
One full orbit of the moon around Earth takes about 27 days..
If the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun, what could happen?
There could be a solar eclipse.
If the Earth is between the Moon and the Sun, what would happen?
The Moon will be orbiting the Earth and the Earth will be orbiting the Sun.
Why is there a solar eclipse every month?
Because the Moon only blocks the Sun.
What causes the different phases of the moon?
The different phases of the moon are caused by its position relative to the Earth and the Sun.
What is a moon phase?
A moon phase is the appearance of the moon as seen from Earth, which changes as the moon orbits Earth.
What is the phase of the moon called when it is not visible from Earth?
New Moon.
What is the phase of the moon called when it is fully visible from Earth?
Full Moon.
What is the phase after the New Moon when a small part of the moon begins to be visible?
Waxing Crescent.
What is the phase called when half of the moon is visible and increasing in visibility?
First Quarter.
What is the phase called when more than half of the moon is visible and it continues to grow?
Waxing Gibbous.
What is the phase called when the moon is fully visible and then starts decreasing in visibility?
Waning Gibbous.
What is the phase called when half of the moon is visible and decreasing in visibility?
Last Quarter (or Third Quarter)
How long does it take for the moon to go through all its phases?
It takes about 29.5 days for the moon to complete all its phases.
What degree is the Earth’s axis always tilted at?
23.45 degrees.
What does hemisphere mean?
Hemisphere means the two halves of a sphere.
How long does it take for the Earth to rotate on its axis once?
24 hours.
What is the Northern Hemisphere?
The half of Earth north of the equator.
What is the Southern Hemisphere?
The half of Earth south of the equator.
What are the main differences in seasons between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres?
When it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa.
When is summer in the Northern Hemisphere?
June to August.
When is summer in the Southern Hemisphere?
December to February
When does the Northern Hemisphere have the longest day?
Around June 21st (summer solstice)
When does the Southern Hemisphere have the longest day?
Around December 21st (summer solstice).
What does summer solstice mean?
Summer solstice means when one of Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt towards the Sun.
What is the equator?
An imaginary line dividing Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
How do stars differ in the hemispheres?
Different constellations are visible.
Which hemisphere has more land?
Northern Hemisphere.
What is the Tropic of Cancer?
23.5 degrees to the North of the Equator.
What is the Tropic of Capricorn?
23.5 degrees to the South of the Equator.
What is the distance to the Sun measured in?
Astronomical Units.
Why do leap years happen?
Because a year on Earth is slightly longer than 365 days.
How many days are there in a year?
365.
When do leap years happen?
Every 4 years.
What month has a day added to it when it is a leap year?
February, February 29th is the leap day.
What is the name of the eclipse when the moon blocks out the Sun?
Solar eclipse.
What is the name of the eclipse h the Earth blocks out the Sun?
Lunar eclipse.
What type of nuclear reactions is occurring in the Sun?
Fusion.
