Space 2 Flashcards
What makes up our solar system?
The sun and group of objects that move around it.
Name 4 objects that orbit the sun.
Planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets.
What is the difference between a planet and a dwarf planet?
Planet- must orbit the sun, be almost spherical, have a greater mass than all the mass of objects orbiting nearby
Dwarf planets- spherical object orbiting the sun, does NOT have more mass than the total mass of objects orbiting nearby
What is the name of the millions of rocky objects that orbit the sun?
Asteroids
Where is the asteroid belt?
Between mars and Jupiter (inner and outer planets)
What is made up of gas, dust, and ice and orbits the sun in an oval-shaped orbit?
Comets
What is an astronomical unit? (AU)
The average distance from earth to sun
How do you convert from km to AUs?
What is the name given to planets made up of rock and metal?
Terrestrial
What type of planet has a hard surface?
Terrestrial
Which planet has no atmosphere?
Mercury
Which planet is very hot up to 460 degrees C?
Venus
Which planet has acid rain?
Venus
Which planet besides earth has polar caps?
Mars
Which planet has signs of liquid water?
Mars
What is the name given to planets made up of gas and ice?
Gaseous
What is the largest planet in the solar system?
Jupiter
What is the name of the storm on Jupiter?
The great red spot
What are the 4 largest moons on Jupiter?
What are they called collectively?
Io, Europa, Ganxlmede, and Callisto
Galilean moons
Which planet has the most visible rings?
Saturn
What is the largest moon of Saturn?
Titan
What planet has an unusual tilt?
Uranus
Which planet is bluish in color?
Uranus
Which planet has a surface of frozen nitrogen and geysers?
Neptune
What is a pattern of stars called?
Constellations
What is a light year?
The distance light travels in 1 year
What is the difference between apparent magnitude and luminosity?
Apparent magnitude- how bright something appears to be from earth
Luminosity- how bright something truly is
What is a large ball of gas held together by gravity with a core so hot that nuclear fusion?
Star
How are stars classified?
Temperature, color, mass
Where do stars form?
Nebula
What is a hot, dense, slowly cooling sphere of carbon?
White dwarf
What is an enormous explosion that destroys a star?
Supernova
What is a dense core of neutrons after a supernova?
Neutron star
What is an object with such strong gravity that light cannot escape?
Black hole
What is a large collection of stars called?
Galaxy
