The Univers Flashcards
What is meant by a day, in terms of our solar system?
Time taken for a planet to spin once on its axis.
What is meant by a year, in terms of our solar system?
Time taken for a planet to go round the Sun once
In the summer, is the northern hemisphere tilted towards the Sun or away from the Sun?
Towards
Why is it colder in the winter?
Our side of the planet is tilted AWAY from the Sun
What is a solar system?
a star and all its orbiting bodies
Name the planets in our Solar System starting with the one nearest the Sun.
Mercury venus earth mars jupiter saturn uranus neptune
The Moon does not give out light so why do we often see it at night?
The Sun’s light is being reflected off the moon
Which planet in our Solar system should be hottest and why?
Mercury - it is nearest to the Sun
what is an Exoplanet
a planet outwith our solar system
What is the Sun
our nearest star
What is a Star
a ball of burning gas which radiates energy from nuclear fusion
what is the universe
all observable space
What is a comet
ball of ice and dust orbiting the Sun - has a tail
What is a galaxy
a group of stars and solar systems - we are in the Milky Way galaxy
what is a planet
a body which revolves around a central star
List the following in order of increasing size: galaxy, planet, solar system, universe
Planet , solar system, galaxy, universe
What is a light year and why do we need to use them?
Distance travelled by light in one year, it helps us to measure long distances
How long does it take light to reach us from the Sun?
8 minutes
How is the weight of an object calculated?
Weight = mass x gravity
What is the unit of weight? (What is weight measured in?)
Newtons (N)
What is meant by the ‘habitable zone’ and what is it sometimes called?
An area that has the right temperature, not too hot and not too cold, for water to exist.
What conditions are required for life on a planet?
Food, warmth, liquid water and oxygen
Why is it difficult for us to travel to Mars?
Takes many months so we would need to take food, have an oxygen supply and water
on the spaceship, wear space suits, make sure the space ship had protection against
dangerous radiation from the Sun
