The Solar System & Moon Notes - 17.x Highlights

Flashcards cover major topics from The Family of the Sun (17.1) through Moon topics (17.12–17.16), including planets, comets, meteors, asteroids, moons, phases, eclipses, and lunar surface/origin features.

What are the two planetary groups and their general characteristics in the Solar System?

Inner planets are rocky with few moons; outer planets are gas giants with big rings and many moons; all planets orbit in the same direction and in the same plane.

What defines comets and the direction of their tails?

Comets are icy visitors from far away; their tails always point away from the Sun.

What are meteors and meteor showers?

Shooting stars are space dust burning up in Earth's atmosphere; meteor showers occur when Earth crosses trails left by comets.

What are meteoroids?

Tiny rock or metal pieces in space.

Mercury facts.

Closest planet to the Sun, with extreme hot and cold temperatures and no thick atmosphere.

Venus facts.

Earth’s sister, but toxic and hot; rotates backwards so the Sun rises in the west; life is very unlikely.

Mars facts.

Cold desert world with giant volcanoes; evidence of ancient water.

Life on Mars?

Maybe underground microbes could exist.

Asteroids — location and significance?

Mostly between Mars and Jupiter; big impacts can change Earth.

Jupiter — key features.

Gas giant with the Great Red Spot; Europa may have an ocean and possibly life.

Saturn — key features.

Gas giant famous for rings made of ice and rock.

Enceladus.

Moon with water geysers.

Uranus, Neptune, Pluto — quick facts.

Uranus spins on its side; Neptune is very windy; Pluto is a dwarf planet.

The Moon — phases.

Phases cycle for about 29.5 days and are caused by the relative positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.

Eclipses — Solar vs Lunar.

Solar eclipse: the Moon blocks the Sun; Lunar eclipse: Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon.

Lunar surface features.

Craters, mountains, and maria plains; no atmosphere and possibly some ice.

Lunar evolution.

Early Moon experienced violent impacts; now the surface is quiet and stable.

Moon’s origin.

Formed from a giant impact; debris coalesced to form the Moon.

What is the Great Red Spot and which planet has it?

A massive storm on Jupiter.

What are the Moon’s maria?

Dark basaltic plains on the Moon.