The solar system- Jon Carey (25/09/23)

Question 1

What 2 dominant sources does our knowledge of abundance of elements in the universe?

Answer 1

Spectroscopic analysis
Meteorite analysis

Question 2

What is spectroscopic analysis?

Answer 2

using the light emitted from the sun/ other stars and intergalactic nebulae

Question 3

What type of element is spectroscopic analysis best for finding?

Answer 3

Volatile elements

Question 4

What type of element is meteorite analysis best for finding?

Answer 4

non-volatile elements

Question 5

What are the 3 “types of matter” to understand? (solar systems)

Answer 5

interstellar gas/ dust and stars (big very old stuff)
Composition and nature of planets
Asteroids and meteorites

Question 6

What is modern interstellar dust composed of?

Answer 6

H-hydrogen
O- oxygen
C-carbon
N- nitrogen
Mg- magnesium
Si-silicon
Ca- Calcium
Fe-Iron

Question 7

What was the first interstellar dust composed of? (potentailly)

Answer 7

H- hydrogen
He- Helium

Question 8

What ways can “star dust” be sampled?

Answer 8

from meteorites or directly

Question 9

What is an example of a project to sample stardust?

Answer 9

Cassini to Saturn

Question 10

How did stars form in the early universe?

Answer 10

gravitational collapse as cloud of dust and gas in nebulae

Question 11

What does the heat at the centre of a new star allow to occur?

Answer 11

hydrogen fusion to form helium

Question 12

What happens to a star when hydrogen begins to runout?

Answer 12

the core collapses (increases heat and pressure)

Question 13

What can medium stars fuse up to?

Answer 13

Carbon

Question 14

What does a medium star form when it sheds its mass?

Answer 14

planetary nebula
white dwarf

Question 15

What can a massive stars core fuse upto?

Answer 15

Fe- iron

Question 16

What temperature is needed in a stars core to fuse Iron?

Answer 16

100 billion degrees

Question 17

What are the stages are degradation of a massive star?

Answer 17

collapse
Nuclei repulsion
supernova
neutron star/ blackhole

Question 18

What was Joseph Von Fraunhofer studying/measuring in 1814?

Answer 18

darklines in the solar spectrum

Question 19

What was discovered 45 years after Fraunhofer dark lines which allowed the composition if the sun to be determined?

Answer 19

dark-lines coincided with emission lines in the heated element spectra

Question 20

What did the dark-lines theory show the rough composition of the sun is?

Answer 20

H-73%
He- 25%
C-0.5%
O-0.5%
Other sum to 1%

Question 21

What will larger stars do with nuclear fusion?

Answer 21

Move up the elemental chain though progressive fusion till Fe

Question 22

How are elements heavier than Fe formed? (Solar System)

Answer 22

Neutron capture during supernovae explosion

Question 23

What are the 4 planets closest 2 the sun known as?

Answer 23

Terrestrial planets- Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

Question 24

What are the planets past mars called/ known as?

Answer 24

Gas giants- Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, Uranus

Question 25

What is the common factors of a terrestrial planet?

Answer 25

Have a core Evidence of current or past tectonics

Question 26

What elements are the mantle and crust dominated by on terrestrial planets?

Answer 26

SiO2 MgO

Question 27

What element is the core dominated by on terrestrial planets in our solar system?

Answer 27

Fe- iron

Question 28

What elements are Jupiter and Saturn mainly composed of?

Answer 28

H2 He

Question 29

What elements are Uranus and Neptune composed of mostly?

Answer 29

H20 CH4 NH3

Question 30

What is nuclear fusion?

Answer 30

When hydrogen atoms fuse to form helium

Question 31

What are the brief steps if the solar system formation?

Answer 31

4.6 bn yr wispy cloud of gas and dust Some part of cloud collapses in on itself Flat spinning disk of dust and gas created Enough material gathered formed the sun Left other material formed meteorites and planetary bodies

Question 32

Where did/ has most ice formed on our solar system?

Answer 32

Further from the sun as only rocky can survive closer proximity

Question 33

What might have been the cause for the collapse of the dust and gas cloud in the early solar system formation?

Answer 33

Maybe due to shockwave of nearby supernova explosions

Question 34

How much material that was in the dust and cloud was collected by the sun formation? (%)

Answer 34

99.8%

Question 35

What is the evidence that accreation wasn’t gentle?

Answer 35

Mercury missing mantle+elliptical orbit Origin of earths moon Planets axes of rotation not on perpendicular orbital plane

Question 36

What are meteorites?

Answer 36

Left over chunks of early solar system when planets formed

Question 37

What are meteorites an important source of information for?

Answer 37

Early history planetary composition

Question 38

What are the 3 types of meteorite?

Answer 38

Irons Stony irons Stones

Question 39

What is the composition of iron meteorites?

Answer 39

Iron-nickel alloy

Question 40

What is the composition of stony irons?

Answer 40

Silicate minerals Fe-Ni alloys

Question 41

What are stone meteorites mainly composed of?

Answer 41

Silicate minerals (chondrites and achondrites)

Question 42

How many meteorites have been found?

Answer 42

Over 50,000

Question 43

How many of the found meteorites have been stony?

Answer 43

90%

Question 44

What are the 3 types of stony meteorites?

Answer 44

Chondrites Achondrites Carbonaceaous chondrites

Question 45

What are Chondrites composed of?

Answer 45

Millimeter sized round masses called Chondrules and matrix

Question 46

What is a chondrule?

Answer 46

One molten droplets of rock/ material

Question 47

What did the chondrules and matrix form in chondrites?

Answer 47

Anhydrous high temp minerals

Question 48

What are Achondrites like/ composed of?

Answer 48

No Chondrules Texture and mineral similar to earth Lunar like primitive igneous rock (basalts)

Question 49

What do carbonaceous chondrites contain?

Answer 49

Chondrules Hydrous low temp minerals Hydrocarbons Water Volatile elements

Question 50

Which type of stony meteorite is most primitive?

Answer 50

Carbonaceous chondrites

Question 51

What will knowing the composition of the solar atmosphere allow us to know?

Answer 51

Composition of the nebula the solar system formed from

Question 52

What is the composition of some carbonaceous chondrites thought to be similar to ?

Answer 52

Solar atmosphere (primitive material which all bodies in solar system formed from)

Question 53

When have many carbonaceous chondrites been dated to?

Answer 53

4.56 billion years ago using radiogenic isotopes

Question 54

What is used to date meteorites

Answer 54

Radiogenic isotopes

Question 55

How were al objects in the early universe formed?

Answer 55

Successive accreation from small to large masses