trail of dust and gas that stretches behind the comet as it travels through space
tail
Rocky object in space that moves between planets, smaller than an asteroid.
meteoroid
Pluto is part of a vast grouping of frozen worlds beyond Neptune called
Kuiper Belt
Explain the effect of gravity on the sun?
The sun is pulled by massive gravitational forces of the center of the Milky Way, which cause stars and stellar systems to orbit around the center of the galaxy
About how many moons orbit the planets of our solar system?
180
What is the smallest planet?
Mercury
Rocky objects that orbit the sun
Asteroids
Name some characteristics of Uranus.
gas giant, 27 moons, rotates sideways, rings vertical, freezing temp
Name some characteristics of Saturn
2nd largest planet, largest ring system, close to 60 moons, gas giant, freezing temp
Describe 3 characteristics of Venus
hottest planet due to thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide, longest day (its day is longer than its year), rocky surface
How does gravitational attraction between celestial bodies decrease?
if the bodies are smaller size and greater distance
Name 6 characteristics of Jupiter
largest planet, red spot storm (lasted 400 years), most moons (63 and counting), freezing temp, small rings, gas giant
Where is our solar system?
Inside one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way
Why is Uranus tipped on its side in its orbit around the Sun
Because of an ancient impact
Planets are generally in the same plane and thus appear in the night sky along a path called the
ecliptic
Small mass of dust and ice that originates in an area beyond Pluto called the Oort cloud
comet
Are the largest planets in the inner or outer solar system? which planet is the largest?
Outer / Jupiter
What happens as the dense mass of gases that make up a star burn?
They give off visible light as well as other forms of energy and charged particles.
How can comets get close to the sun in some parts of their orbits?
The gravity of the gas giants and the Sun pulls them inward in giant elliptical orbits much larger than those of the planets.
How does the sun's mass effect the solar system?
The sun has enough mass that its gravitational pull holds the planets and other objects in the solar system in orbit.
What is the heliocentric model?
Model where the Sun is the center of the solar system, with the planets orbiting the Sun and the stars remaining stationary (not moving)
Describe 4 characteristics of Mercury
Fastest to orbit the sun (year is only 88 days long), smallest planet, cratered, rocky surface
Why aren't asteroids planets, dwarf planets or even moon?
Too small
All the gas giants have ring systems, which planet's is the most prominent?
Saturn
How does an asteroid become a meteoroid and a potential threat to planets, moons, spacecrafts, and satellites?
It gets knocked out of its orbit
Where is the asteroid belt located?
Between Mars and Jupiter
Name some characteristics of Mars.
red soil (iron oxide/rust in the soil), biggest volcano, longest valley, cold, lifeless, water flowed in ancient times, polar ice caps, 2 moons
How did scientists come up with the heliocentric model?
From the invention of the telescope in the 1600s that allowed scientists such as Galileo Galilei to use measurements and demonstrate the heliocentric model.
Where does most of the energy, including light and heat, come from that reaches our planet?
Sun
Why is Pluto not considered a planet?
Large # f frozen worlds that share its orbit. Pluto is so small, its gravity is not strong enough to clear smaller objects from its orbit. Dwarf planet
Meteoroids that burn in Earth's atmosphere are called
meteors
Name 3 characteristics needed to be considered a planet.
1. object must be in orbit around the sun 2. object must be nearly spherical in shape 3. object has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit of smaller planets
What does our solar system consist of?
Sun, plants, dwarf planets (smaller planets), moons, asteroids, comets, meteoroids, and a host of frozen worlds beyond Neptune.
What is the size of the sun compared to Earth?
The sun's diameter (the distance around it) is 100 times bigger than Earth's.
Describe some characteristics of Neptune.
small rings, blue gas giant, 13 moons, freezing temp
cloud of dust and gas around a comet
coma
Why is Venus's day longer than its year?
it spins so slowly on its axis by the time its orbited the sun, it has not done 1 full rotation
Which planet rotates backwards where the sun rises in the west and sets in the east? What is this called?
Venus / retrograde
Meteoroids that strike Earth's surface are called
Meteorites
What makes comets visible?
when comets are close to the Sun, solar radiation and solar wind give them a visible coma and tail
Name 3 characteristics of Earth.
life, water covers 3/4 surface, 1 moon
Name 3 possible physical properties of moon.
Large volcanoes, major areas of frozen water, layers similar to Earth's layers: an inner core, a thick mantle, and a thin crust
Name the 2 places where asteroids are located in the solar system.
Wide area between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter/ area past Pluto, know as the Kuiper Belt
Name the 4 inner planets (closest to the sun) and give a brief description.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars - small and rocky
What is the geocentric model of the solar system?
a model that assumes the sun an other stars moved around the Earth. Geo means "Earth." Geocentric means "Earth-centered"
Does the Sun rotate, or spin, about its axis like all the other stars located in the Milky Way galaxy?
Is a pig's hiney pork? Sure it does!
Moons are smaller than planets and held in place by
the pull of gravity of the planet they orbit
Meteoroids that we can see their heat in the sky as a glowing path, is called a
Meteor
How does gravitational attraction between celestial bodies increase?
if the bodies are greater size and smaller distance
An extremely hot, dense mass of gases.
Star
Name the planets in order from the sun.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
A piece of a meteoroid (or an asteroid) that survives its passage through the atmosphere and strikes Earth's surface is called
meteorite
Name the 4 outer planets (farthest from the sun) and give a brief description.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune - gas giants, freezing temperatures, many moons, and ring systems
Medium-sized, most massive object in our solar system?
Sun
Which planet is the largest of the inner planets?
Earth
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