Unit 2

Question 1

What contributions of the Solar System did Aristarchus provide?

Answer 1

He followed the Heliocentric Model, sun in the centre

Question 2

What contributions of the Solar System did Copernicus provide?

Answer 2

He also believed the Heliocentric Model, had Earth rotate around the sun and revolve on an axis once per day

Question 3

What contributions of the Solar System did Kepler provide?

Answer 3

Thought there was a mystery magnetic force, developed 3 laws that define the geometry of planets moving around stars

Question 4

What contributions of the Solar System did Galileo provide?

Answer 4

First to observe planets through a telescope, convinced that Copernicus was correct. Convinced that planets rotated around the Sun, satellites rotated around their planet

Question 5

Is the Sun a main sequence star?

Answer 5

YES

Question 6

What is the structure of the Sun? (name the layers)

Answer 6

Corona, Chromosphere, Photosphere, Core

Question 7

What is the most common element in the Sun?

Answer 7

Hydrogen

Question 8

How was the Genesis Mission accomplished?

Answer 8

A robotic spacecraft collected solar wind particles for more than 2 years

Question 9

What were the surprising results of the Genesis Mission

Answer 9

The isotopic compositions of oxygen and nitrogen implanted in the wafers are significantly different to those in most of the Solar System objects

Question 10

How often does the Sun’s magnetic field usually flip or how long does a solar cycle last?

Answer 10

Switch happens almost like clockwork every 11 years. The solar cycle last 22 years

Question 11

What is a Solar Cycle?

Answer 11

The complete 22 year cycle

Question 12

Does Solar Wind reach Earth?

Answer 12

Yes, takes about 2-4 days

Question 13

What are two effects of magnetic storms on Earth are caused by solar flares?

Answer 13

Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis

Question 14

What are the stages of the Sun from birth the death?

Answer 14

Sun has grown about 30% brighter than first born, eventually will expand to a Red Giant,, then the core will cool and become a White Dwarf, and when it stops glowing it becomes a Black Dwarf

Question 15

What do non-optical telescopes detect?

Answer 15

To collect radio waves

Question 16

Name the planets in order from their distance to the Sun

Answer 16

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto

Question 17

What is the definition of a planet?

Answer 17

A celestial body that is in orbit around the Sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit

Question 18

What are the differences between a planet, dwarf planet and a small solar system body?

Answer 18

A dwarf planet is NOT a satellite, and a small solar system body is every other object except satellites orbiting the sun.

Question 19

What is wrong with the Nebular Hypothesis?

Answer 19

It suggests gas collapses into itself, but gas needs to expand to overpower gravitational forces that are supposed to create planets.

Question 20

How did the positions of the planets of the Solar System evolve?

Answer 20

Jupiter got caught by Saturn and both Jupiter and Saturn swing around to move back out into their current positions

Question 21

What does the Grand Tack Model tell us about how quickly Jupiter was formed?

Answer 21

Takes place within 5 million years

Question 22

How does the Nice Model explain the position of Neptune and Uranus?

Answer 22

As N & U were pushed out, on the way to the Sun, they would have to pass close to all the terrestrial planets and many would likely impact. Such bombardment must have left evidence!

Question 23

What are the 2 pieces of evidence for Late Heavy Bombardment?

Answer 23

The grand tack and nice model??

Question 24

What is Obliquity and how does it occur?

Answer 24

Its the angle between its equatorial plane and its orbital plane. Large collisions ofprotoplanets/planetesimals knocked the planets askew a bit

Question 25

Is our Solar System typical?

Answer 25

No, only one out of nearly seven hundred planetary systems looking anything like ours