Solar System and Earth Sciences Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering the Sun, Solar System celestial bodies, Earth's layers, biogeochemical cycles, plate tectonics, and meteorological phenomena.

Sun

A $4.5$\text{ billion-year-old} yellow dwarf star and a hot glowing ball of hydrogen and helium at the center of our Solar system.

Solar wind

A stream of high-energy particles sent into space that causes aurora borealis in the Northern Hemisphere and aurora australis in the Southern Hemisphere.

Prominences

Solar storms that look like huge arches and may last for several days.

Solar flares

Intense solar activities that last only about $15$\text{ minutes}.

Sunspots

Storm areas on the Sun that appear as cool black spots.

Corona

The uppermost part of the Sun's atmosphere, which is millions of miles thick.

Chromosphere

An orange-red layer of the Sun's atmosphere situated above the photosphere and thousands of miles thick.

Photosphere

The lower atmosphere of the Sun and the part that is visible to us.

Core (Sun)

The innermost part of the Sun where nuclear fusion occurs.

Mercury

The smallest planet and the one closest to the Sun; it has no atmosphere.

Venus

The hottest planet in the Solar system with a core of molten iron and the slowest rotation among the planets.

Earth

The only planet in the universe known to harbor life.

Mars

Also known as the Red Planet, it is covered with iron-rich dust.

Jupiter

The biggest planet in the Solar system, characterized by the Great Red Spot.

Saturn

A planet known for having prominent rings.

Uranus

An ice giant that orbits the Sun on its side unlike other planets.

Neptune

The windiest planet in our Solar system.

Milky Way

The galaxy that contains our Solar system.

Comets

Known as "dirty snowballs," they have tails of dust and gases that always point away from the Sun due to solar radiation.

Meteor

A meteoroid as it burns up in Earth's atmosphere, often called a "shooting star."

Meteorite

A meteoroid that does not completely burn up and reaches the Earth's surface.

Moon

Earth's only natural satellite, which reflects light from the Sun rather than generating its own.

Black Holes

Stars that have collapsed, resulting in huge gravitational forces so strong that even light cannot escape.

Quasars

Massive and remote celestial objects that emit remarkably large amounts of energy.

Radio Pulsars

Intermittent radio signals emitted by dying neutron stars.

Asteroid belt

A region found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Tides

The regular rise and fall of sea levels caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun.

Spring tides

The strongest tides, occurring when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned in a straight line.

Neap tides

The weakest tides, occurring when the Sun, Earth, and Moon form a right angle.

Polaris

Also known as the North Star, it is located at the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper.

Sirius

The brightest star in the night sky, also referred to as the "Dog Star."

Proxima Centauri

The closest star to Earth, though it is too small to be seen in the night sky.

Alpha Centauri

The closest star to Earth that is actually visible in the night sky.

Ursa Major

The constellation known as the Big Bear, which contains the Big Dipper.

Ursa Minor

The constellation known as the Little Bear, which contains the Little Dipper.

Canis Major

The constellation known as the Big Dog, which contains the star Sirius.

Crust

The thin, outermost layer of the Earth where we live, consisting of continental and oceanic crust.

Mantle

A thick, semi-solid layer of hot, flowing rock beneath the crust that drives plate tectonics.

Outer Core

A liquid layer of molten iron and nickel that generates Earth's magnetic field.

Inner Core

A solid, extremely hot sphere of iron and nickel located at the center of the Earth.

Carbon Cycle

The process by which carbon transfers between different reservoirs or sinks on Earth, vital for maintaining a stable climate.

Theory of Continental Drift

A theory developed by Alfred Wegener in $1912$ suggesting that continents move relative to each other.

Glacial striations

Scratches in rock caused by the movement of glaciers, serving as evidence for continental drift.

Tillites

Glacial sediments that have been buried in rock.

Pangaea

A supercontinent that existed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras before breaking into Laurasia and Gondwanaland.

Transform Boundaries

Plate boundaries where plates slide side-by-side against one another, causing earthquakes.

Divergent Boundaries

Plate boundaries where plates move away from each other, forming mid-ocean ridges and young crust.

Convergent Boundaries

Plate boundaries where plates move toward each other.

Thunderstorms

Storms where clouds become electrically charged, producing lightning and thunder.

Tropical depression

A storm with wind speeds up to $63\,\text{km/hr}$.

Tropical storm

A storm with wind speeds between $63-117\,\text{km/hr}$.

Typhoons, Hurricanes, and Cyclones

Storms with winds between $120-350\,\text{km/hr}$ originating in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans respectively.

Tornadoes

Small storms with wind speeds of approximately $500\,\text{km/hr}$.

Percolation

The movement of water through the soil itself.

Evaporation

The process that changes liquid water into gaseous water vapor.

Condensation

The process of water vapor turning back into liquid water.

Precipitation

All liquid and solid water particles, such as rain or snow, that fall from clouds to the ground.

Transpiration

The release of water vapor from plants and the soil.

Oxygen Cycle

A biogeochemical cycle essential for maintaining concentration levels of $O_2$ in the atmosphere.

Rusting

Also known as oxidation, this process involves metals reacting with oxygen, which uses up atmospheric oxygen.

Combustion

The process of generating fire, which requires heat, fuel, and oxygen, while releasing $CO_2$ into the atmosphere.