Unit 2: Our Solar System and Planetary Motion

Which planets are considered terrestrial planets?

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

Which planet has the most moons?

Saturn

Where is the asteroid belt located?

Between Mars and Jupiter

Which planet has the longest day (slowest rotation)?

Venus

What is the largest volcano in the Solar System?

Olympus Mons

What is the Kuiper Belt?

A region of icy bodies beyond Neptune

Why is Pluto classified as a dwarf planet?

It has not cleared its orbit of debris

Which planet is tilted on its side

causing extreme seasons?, Uranus

What is the main difference between a comet and an asteroid?

Comets are icy; asteroids are rocky

What does one astronomical unit (AU) measure?

The distance from Earth to the Sun

Why is Earth unique in the Solar System?

It has liquid water and life

What is the Oort Cloud?

A region of space filled with comets far from the Sun

Which of the following is NOT a dwarf planet?

Europa

What role did gravity play in the formation of the solar system?

It pulled dust and gas together to form planetesimals and planets

What is a major difference between the asteroid belt and the Kuiper Belt?

The asteroid belt is mostly rocky, while the Kuiper Belt contains icy bodies and dwarf planets

What process is believed to have led to the formation of the solar system about 4.6 billion years ago?

Nebular Hypothesis

What is the primary element that makes up the Sun?

Hydrogen

Which planet has the fastest rotation period completing a day in less than 10 hours?

Jupiter

Which planet is often referred to as Earth's "twin" because of its size and composition but has a runaway greenhouse effect?

Venus

Which planet has the most extensive and complex ring system?

Saturn

Which dwarf planet is located in the asteroid belt?

Ceres

Which planet experiences the strongest winds in the solar system reaching speeds over 1,200 mph?

Neptune

The Kuiper Belt is most similar in composition to:

Comets

Which planet is known for its Great Red Spot a massive storm lasting hundreds of years?

Jupiter

Which dwarf planet was once considered the ninth planet of our solar system?

Pluto

The Oort Cloud is believed to be the source of:

Long-period comets

Kepler's First Law states that planets orbit the Sun in what shape?

Ellipses

What is an ellipse?

A flattened circle with two foci

According to Kepler's Second Law what happens when a planet gets closer to the Sun?

It speeds up

Kepler's Third Law relates a planet's orbital period to what?

Its average distance from the Sun

What does orbital eccentricity describe?

How stretched out an orbit is

Which of Kepler's laws is known as the "equal area law"?

Second Law

How did Kepler's laws support heliocentrism?

They proved planets orbited the Sun, not Earth

Whose observations did Kepler use to develop his laws?

Tycho Brahe

What does Kepler's Third Law allow astronomers to compare?

The orbital periods of planets

True or False: All planetary orbits are perfect circles.

False

What is geocentrism?

The belief that Earth is at the center

What is heliocentrism?

The belief that the Sun is at the center

Who first proposed the geocentric model in ancient Greece?

Aristotle and Ptolemy

Why did geocentrism last for so long?

It was supported by the Church and tradition

Which astronomer revived and proved the heliocentric model during the Scientific Revolution?

Galileo

In the geocentric model what is at the center of the universe?

Earth

How did the Roman Catholic Church respond to heliocentrism in the 1600s?

It rejected and banned it

Which Galileo observation supported heliocentrism?

Jupiter's moons

What did Copernicus propose in On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres?

The Sun is at the center of the Solar System

Why is Galileo called the "father of modern astronomy"?

He built telescopes and made discoveries supporting heliocentrism

What was Tycho Brahe known for?

Making precise observations without telescopes

How did Kepler build on Tycho Brahe's work?

By using Brahe's data to create his three laws

What was Isaac Newton's main contribution to astronomy?

Explained gravity and planetary motion

What was Francis Bacon known for?

Developing the scientific method

What was René Descartes' main contribution?

He developed rationalism and ideas about scientific thought

Which astronomer suggested a compromise model (Sun and planets orbiting Earth)?

Brahe