Space physics Flashcards
Solar System
The collection of planets and their moons, comets, asteroids, and other objects that orbit the Sun.
Orbit
The path an object takes around another object.
Planet
A celestial body that orbits the Sun, is spherical in shape, and has cleared its orbit of other debris.
Satellite
An object that orbits a planet.
Gravity
The force of attraction between two masses
Weightlessness
The sensation of having no weight due to free fall.
Circular Orbits
Orbits with a constant radius around a central mass.
Elliptical Orbits
Orbits with varying distances from the central mass.
Kepler’s First Law
Planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus.
Kepler’s Second Law
A line segment joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time.
Kepler’s Third Law
The square of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.
Lunar Phases
The changing appearance of the Moon as seen from Earth.
Tides
The periodic rise and fall of sea levels caused by the gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun.
Solar Structure
Core, radiative zone, convective zone, and outer layers.
Solar Wind
A stream of charged particles emitted from the Sun
