Space Physics Flashcards
What are planets?
large objects that orbits stars
What are dwarf planets?
they orbit stars but don’t meet all the rules for being a planet
What are moons?
natural satellites that orbit planets
What are artificial satellites?
satellites made by humans that orbit the earth
What are galaxies?
massive collection of billions of stars that are held together by gravity
What is our galaxy?
the milky way
What provides the force that creates orbits?
gravity
What does it mean if an object is travelling in a circle?
constantly accelerating and constantly changing velocity but not speed
What must happen for an object to accelerate?
- must be a force acting on it
- this forces is directed towards the centre of the circle
What would the centripetal force cause the object to do?
fall towards whatever it was orbiting
The size of the force depends on?
the object’s speed
The closer you get to a star or planet…?
the stronger the gravitational force
The stronger the force…?
the faster the object needs to travel to remain in orbit
What will faster moving object do?
move in a stable orbit with a smaller radius than slower moving ones
