The Outer Planets 30.3 Flashcards
Jupiter
the fifth planet from the Sun; the largest planet with continuous, swirling high-pressure gas storms
Saturn
sixth planet from the Sun; the second-largest planet with the most complex ring system
Uranus
seventh planet from the Sun; appears blue-green due to methane in the atmosphere; its axis of rotation is tilted on its side
Neptune
eighth planet from the Sun; has storms similar to Jupiter’s and is blue due to methane in the atmosphere
dwarf planet
nearly-spherical object in orbit around the Sun that is not a satellite, and has not cleared the debris in its orbit.
comet
object in elliptical orbit around the Sun composed of dust and particles, frozen water, methane, and ammonia; vaporized due to heat from Sun, producing a coma and tail
asteroid
rocky object formed from material similar to that of planets, orbiting the sun
meteroid
sand-to-boulder rocky sized object orbiting the Sun
Sedna
distant planetoid, smaller than Pluto, larger than comets, with a very elliptical orbit
extraterrestrial life
life beyond Earth, object of the search by exobiologist
Which space probes flew past Jupiter in 1979?
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2
Which space probe reached Jupiter in 1955?
Galileo Space probe
What did the Voyager probes and Galileo study?
studied the composition, structure, and motion of Jupiter’s atmosphere, many features of its moons, volcanoes, new moons and faint rings around Jupiter
How many known moons does Jupiter have?
63
What are the 4 Galilean moons?
Ganymede, Callisto, Io, Europa
Which of the Galilean moons is the largest in the solar system?
Ganymede
Which of the Galilean moons most likely have water trapped beneath their surface?
Ganymede, Callisto, Europa
Which of the Galilean moons is the most volcanically active object in the solar system?
Io
What is Saturn most commonly known for?
ring system
What are Saturn’s rings made of?
particles of water-ice
How many moons does Saturn have at least?
60 moons
What is the name of Saturn’s largest moon?
Titan
What is the name of the space craft that approached Saturn in 2004?
Cassini-Huygens space craft
What was Cassini’s mission?
data about Saturn, the ring system, and its many moons
What was the Huygens mission?
went to Titan’s surface
Which space probe is the only probe to study Uranus?
Voyager 2
How many moons does Uranus have?
27 moons
Does Uranus have moons?
yes
How is Uranus axis tilt?
nearly parallel to the plane of the planet’s orbit
What color is Uranus?
blue-green color
Which space probe is the only probe to reach Neptune?
Voyager 2
What makes Neptune a bluer color than Uranus?
Neptune has 3% methane; Uranus has 2% methane
How many moons does Neptune have?
13 moons
What is Neptune’s largest moon?
Triton
What are the names of 3 dwarf planets?
Pluto, Eris, Ceres
What is the bright cloud of a comet called?
coma
Where do Comets originate?
Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud
When meteoroids enter the Earth’s atmosphere, what are they called?
shooting stars
When a meteor strikes Earth’s surface, what are they called?
meteorites
What does AU stand for?
astronomical unit
What is an AU equal?
one astronomical unit equals to 150 million kilometers
