Space Physics - Physics Paper 2

Question 1

What can you use to remember the planets?

Answer 1

My Very Easy method Just Speeds Up Naming Planets

Question 2

What do stars initially form from?

Answer 2

A nebula

Question 3

What is a nebula?

Answer 3

A cloud of dust and gas

Question 4

The force of gravity makes the gas and dust spiral in together to form a what?

Answer 4

A protostar

Question 5

What happens after a protostar is formed?

Answer 5

Gravitational attraction causes the density of the protostar to increase and particles within the protostar collide with each other more frequently, so the temperature rises.

Question 6

What happens when the temperature inside a protostar is high enough?

Answer 6

hydrogen nuclei undergo nuclear fusion to form helium nuclei. This gives out massive amounts of energy which keeps the core of the star hot. At this point, as star is born

Question 7

What happens once a star is formed?

Answer 7

It enters a long stable period and is now a main sequence star, where the energy released by nuclear fusion provides an outward pressure that tries to expand the star , which balances the force of gravity pulling everything in (equilibrium).

Question 8

What happens when the hydrogen in a star begins to run out?

Answer 8

fusion of helium occurs and the star is no longer a main sequence star

Question 9

What produces all the naturally occurring elements in the universe?

Answer 9

Stars and their life cycles

Question 10

What happens to small stars the size of the sun when they run out of hydrogen?

Answer 10

The star will expand into a red giant and will become red because the surface cools off. It will then become unstable and eject its outer layer of dust and gas as a planetary nebula. This leaves a hot white dwarf. As a white dwarf cools, it emits less and less energy. When it no longer emits a significant amount, it is called a black dwarf and eventually disappears from sight.

Question 11

What happens to big stars when they run out of hydrogen?

Answer 11

They begin to expand into red super giants when they run out of hydrogen. They expand and contract several times, forming elements as heavy as iron in various nuclear reactions. Eventually, red super giants run out of elements to fuse and they become unstable. They then explode into a supernova , forming elements heavier than iron and ejecting them into the universe to form new planets and stars. Then, the exploding supernova throws the outer layer of dust and gas into space, leaving a very dense core called a neutron star. If the star is big enough, it will become a black hole instead

Question 12

What’s a black hole?

Answer 12

A super dense point in space that not even light can escape from

Question 13

What is the single star in our solar system called?

Answer 13

The sun

Question 14

What are planets?

Answer 14

Large objects which orbit a star

Question 15

What is an example of a dwarf planet?

Answer 15

Pluto

Question 16

What are dwarf planets?

Answer 16

Plantet-like objects that orbit stars but are too small to meet all the rules for being a planet

Question 17

What are satellites?

Answer 17

Objects that orbit a second more massive object , like a moon or an artificial satellite

Question 18

What is a moon?

Answer 18

Natural satellites that orbit planets

Question 19

What is a artificial satellite?

Answer 19

A man-made satellite that orbits planets

Question 20

What provides the force that keeps an object within orbit?

Answer 20

gravity

Question 21

What is an orbit a balance between?

Answer 21

The force providing the acceleration of the object in orbit and the forward motion (Instantaneous velocity)

Question 22

What does the size of an orbit depend on?

Answer 22

The object’s speed

Question 23

The closer you get to a star….

Answer 23

the stronger the gravitational force

Question 24

The stronger the gravitational force….

Answer 24

the faster the orbiting object needs to travel to remain in orbit

Question 25

for an object in a stable orbit, if the speed of the object changes, what must also happen?

Answer 25

the size of its orbit

Question 26

if an object in a stable orbit moves faster, the radius of its orbit must be…

Answer 26

smaller so that the object remains close to the sun and doesn’t fly off in to space

Question 27

if an object in a stable orbit moves slower, the radius of its orbit must be…

Answer 27

larger so that the object in orbit remains further away from the sun and doesn’t collapse into the sun

Question 28

What is red-shift?

Answer 28

The idea that galaxies are moving further away from us and their wavelengths are increasing and shifting towards the red end of the spectrum.

Question 29

More distant galaxies have a greater what than others?

Answer 29

A greater red shift

Question 30

What is the whole universe doing?

Answer 30

Expanding

Question 31

Are more distant galaxies moving further away than nearer ones?

Answer 31

yes

Question 32

What does the big bang theory say?

Answer 32

That initially, all matter in the universe occupied a very small space . This tiny space was very dense and so was very hot. Then, all the matter exploded , space started expanding, and the expansion is still going on

Question 33

What is evidence for the big bang theory?

Answer 33

Red shift

Question 34

Do we know why the expansion of the universe is speeding up?

Answer 34

No

Question 35

What is the universe mostly made up of?

Answer 35

Dark matter and dark energy

Question 36

What is dark matter?

Answer 36

The name given to an unknown substance which holds galaxies together but does not emit any EM radiation.`

Question 37

What is dark energy responsible for?

Answer 37

the accelerated expansion of the universe.

Question 38

What might dark matter also be called?

Answer 38

Dark mass

Question 39

Where are elements heavier than iron only produced?

Answer 39

In a supernova