The Solar System and the Sun

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on the Solar System and the Sun, providing definitions and clarifications on essential terms.

Planetary Orbits

Nearly perfect circles in a flat sheet called a plane.

Terrestrial Planets

Rocky planets that are closer to the Sun.

Gas Giants

Larger, gaseous planets that are farther from the Sun, consisting mostly of hydrogen and helium.

Solar Nebula Theory

The currently accepted theory of the Solar System formation, where the Sun and planets formed from a rotating cloud of gas and dust.

Protosun

The early form of the Sun that forms at the center of the solar nebula.

Planetesimals

Solid particles that condense from the solar nebula and are the building blocks of the planets.

Asteroids

Rocky remnants from the formation of the Solar System; can become stony meteorites when they fall to Earth.

Meteorites

Remnants of asteroids that fall into the Earth's atmosphere; classified into types such as chondrites and achondrites.

Sunspot Cycle

An 11-year cycle where sunspots appear at higher latitudes initially and move towards the equator over time.

Photosphere

The visible surface of the Sun from which most light comes, characterized by a granulated appearance.

Chromosphere

The intermediate layer of the Sun's atmosphere, hotter than the photosphere and visible during solar eclipses.

Corona

The outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, extremely hot but very thin, often studied during solar eclipses.

Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs)

Massive bursts of solar wind and magnetic fields rising above the solar corona or being released into space.

Nuclear Fusion

The process occurring in the Sun's core where hydrogen nuclei combine to form helium, releasing energy.

Neutrinos

Elementary particles produced during nuclear fusion in the Sun's core, which can change flavors as they escape.