Solar System Objects

consists of the sun, planets, their moons, and a variety of smaller objects

solar system

what is at the center of the solar system with other objects orbiting around it

the sun

what holds the objects in their orbit around it

force of gravity

one (__) is the average distance measured from the center of the sun to the center of earth

astronomical unit

how many AU does the entire solar system extend to

100,000 AU

a gaseous body much larger than anything else in our solar system

sun

how long is the sun expected to burn for

5 billion years

is round; orbits the sun; has cleared its orbit of other objects

planet

describe the 4 inner planets

closer to the sun, small, made of rock and metal

describe the 4 outer planets

farther from the sun, very large; made mostly of gas or liquid

the time it takes for one day (spin)

rotate

an object that orbits the sun; has enough gravity to be spherical, has not cleared its orbit

dwarf planet

a natural satellite that orbits a planet

moon

what is between a planet and its moon that keeps the moon in its orbit

force of gravity

small, mostly rocky bodies, found in an area between the orbits of mars and jupiter

asteroids

chunks of rock or dust smaller than asterioids

meteroids

a streak of light made when a meteoroid’s friction creates heat

meteor

a meteoroid that passes through te atmosphere and has hit Earth’s surface

meteorite

loose balls of ice and rock, have very long and narrow orbits

comets

what do comets develop as they orbit the sun

tails

describe the structure of the sun

no solid surface, completely gaseous; its mass is hydrogen and helium

what is hydrogen and helium in the form of in the structure of the sun

plasma

which state of matter is plasma

fourth state

very hot fluid-like gas consisting of electrically charged particles

plasma

what does the sun’s interior include (in order)

1- convection zone, 2- radiative zone, 3- the core

what is the sun’s atmosphere made out of

hydrogen and helium

what are the three main layers of the sun’s atmosphere

photosphere, chromosphere, and corona

which main layer of sun’s atmosphere is the inner layer

photosphere

which layer of the sun’s atmosphere is the middle layer

chromosphere

which layer of the sun’s atmosphere is the outer layer and looks like a white halo around the sun

corona

which features of the sun are the most visible

sunspots, prominences, and solar flares

what are sunspots

dark areas on the sun’s surface

sunspots are the areas of plasma (cooler/hotter) than the plasma around them

cooler

what does cooler plasma give off less of

less light

what does changing positions of sunspots indicate

the sun rotating

huge loops of plasma that are polarized

prominences

loops in sunspot regions connect, releasing large amount of magnetic energy; this energy heats plasma millions of degrees causing it to erupt into space

solar flares

what are eruptions called

solar flares

about how many years ago was our solar system formed

4.6 billion

what was our solar system formed from

a cloud of hydrogen, helium, rock, ice and other materials

(STEP 2 of solar system formation) ______ began to pull together materials in a cloud forming a solar system

gravity

(STEP 3 of solar system formation) a rotating disk of _____, ____, and ____ that formed the cloud material was drawn toward the central mass

gas, ice, and dust

the rotating disk became more dense, pressures _____, so the center grew ____

increased, hot

temperatures/pressures in the rotating disk became so high that hydrogen atoms combined to form _____

helium

when temperatures become so high that hydrogen atoms combine to form helium, this is called ______

nuclear fusion

why do the inner planets have dry, rocky bodies

weak gravity and hot environment, unable to hold on to light gases

far from the sun(gas giants), ___ combined with ___ and ___ forming a cooler environment

ice, rocks, and metal

the outer planets were massive and gravity exerted a strong pull on _____ and _____

hydrogen and helium