Chapter 26: The Solar System

Flashcards for Chapter 26 Lecture on the Solar System.

The solar system consists of:

Sun, System of planets, Asteroids and Comets

The Inner planets are:

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

The Outer planets are:

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

The Nebular theory is the

Theory that the Sun and planets formed together from a cloud of gas and dust

Away from the center of the disk, ___ formed.

Planetesimals

The Sun is composed of mostly __ in the plasma phase.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen is fused to __ by thermonuclear fusion in the Sun's core

Helium

The apparent surface of the sun is called the __.

Photosphere

The presence of granulation is clear evidence that energy is flowing upward through the photosphere by a process known as __.

Convection

__ appear dark because slightly cooler than surroundings.

Sunspots

The Sun has an __ sunspot cycle.

11-year

The outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere is called the __.

Corona

Strictly speaking, in every second that passes, the mass of the Sun __.

Decreases

__ is the closest planet to the Sun.

Mercury

__ has a very dense atmosphere, mostly carbon dioxide and is volcanically active.

Venus

__ is the third planet from the Sun, where most of its water is neither solid nor gas, but liquid.

Earth

__ has a thin atmosphere—95% carbon dioxide and 0.15% oxygen.

Mars

Outer planets are __, __ worlds.

Gaseous, low-density

__ is the first of the outer planets, beyond Mars, and its composition is more liquid than gaseous or solid.

Jupiter

Jupiter's moon __ has an ice-capped ocean, which may hold extraterrestrial life

Europa

__ is most remarkable for its easily seen rings and could float in a giant bathtub.

Saturn

__ has a 98º tilt to the orbital plane.

Uranus

__ has a highly elongated elliptical path about the Sun.

Neptune

Since 2006, Pluto is classified as a __.

Dwarf planet

Earth's Moon has __—no weather and erosion to conceal past scarring of its surface.

no atmosphere

During the time of a new __, the Moon is between the Sun and Earth.

Moon

During the time of a full Moon, the __ is between the Sun and the Moon.

Earth

__ are small rocky bodies that orbit the Sun, mostly located between Mars and Jupiter.

Asteroids

__ are masses of water, methane, and ice—dirty snowballs.

Comets

The tails of comets point in a direction __.

Away from the Sun

A __ is a meteoroid that strikes Earth’s atmosphere, often called a falling star.

Meteor

A __ is a meteoroid that survives the trip through the atmosphere and reaches Earth's surface

Meteorite