space Flashcards
what is a main sequence star
outwards pressure caused by nuclear fusion balances the force of gravity pulling everything inwards
forces are balanced and star is stable
first step of star cycle
clouds of dust, rock and gas in a planetary nebula
gas is drawn inwards by gravity
the collapsing cloud rotate and flatten into disc
second step of star cycle
disc rotates faster and faster
particles collide, temp increases and a hot dense core called a protostar form
third step of star cycle
hydrogen atoms fuse producing helium and radiation
star shines
what is a red giant
and what is does
as hydrogen runs out the star swells into a red giant
red as the surface cools
fusion of helium creates elements
what happens once stars become unstable
it emits dust and gas
leaves behind hot dense core(white dwarf)
when the dwarf cools it emits less(black dwarf)
what is a red super giant
and what it does
big star start to glow again as more fusion happens
form elements
explode in a supernova forming elements
what happens after a supernova
throws outer layers of dust and gas leaving neutron star
if big enough will turn into blackhole
what planets have rings
jupiter,saturn,uranus,neptune
what are the rings made of
ice and rock
why is venus hotter than mercury
layer of carbon dioxide, creates greenhouse effect
planets in order
mercury, venus, earth, moon, mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune
why does the sun have 4 inner rocky planets and 4 gas giants
heat evaporates ice in the clouds and pushes away gas leaving orbiting clumps(planets)
the gas on the inner planets evaporate but the outer planets didn’t
what is the big bang
matter in the universe occupied a small space then explosion
what does red shift tell us
universe is expanding as planets are moving away
