DBA 3

Flashcards about the outer solar system, its formation, planets, moons, and small solar bodies.

What is the Outer Solar System?

The region beyond Mars' orbit, containing the asteroid belt, gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn), ice giants (Uranus and Neptune), asteroids, comets, trans-Neptunian objects, meteoroids, and Kuiper Belt objects.

How the Outer Planets Formed

Formed from the solar nebula approximately 4.5 billion years ago through the accretion of planetesimals. The outer solar system was cool enough for dust and ice particles to form, allowing for the accretion of matter into giant planets.

Condensation Temperature

The temperature at which a substance changes from gas to solid. It determines whether a substance solidifies into dust/ice or remains a gas.

Core Accretion Theory

A theory that describes the formation of planets, illustrating how planets become multi-layered, from inner terrestrial to outer gaseous planets. It emphasizes the availability of solid material and the capture of gases in the colder outer solar system.

Disk Instability Theory

A theory explaining how massive dust and gas clumped together to form giant planets quickly from the unevenly distributed gas of the solar nebula.

Outer Planets

The four largest planets in our solar system (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) that orbit the Sun starting at approximately 2.6 AU from the asteroid belt.

Gas Giants

Giant balls of gas (Jupiter and Saturn) that primarily contain liquid hydrogen and helium.

Ice Giants

Giant planets (Uranus and Neptune) with icy moons and rings that contain liquid water, ammonia, and a rocky inner core.

Shape of Outer Planets

The slight difference in shape of the outer planets (oval instead of circular) due to gravity pulling matter inward and rapid rotation flinging matter outward near the equator.

Rotation and Revolution of Outer Planets

Outer planets rotate more quickly and have weaker gravitational pull, leading to longer orbit times.

Great Red Spot

Located on Jupiter, this gigantic storm, four times larger than Earth, rotates counter-clockwise and is powered by heat within Jupiter.

Planetary Ring System

Consists of multiple discs orbiting a planet, composed of tiny dust, rock, and ice particles held together by gravitational attraction or tidal forces.

Tidal Forces

Force is defined by the gravitation attraction between particles or generated by a planet, which holds rings together.

Roche Limit

The distance from a planet within which the difference in gravitational pull from one side to the other is sufficient to pull a moon apart.

Galileo's Observation of Saturn

Observed 'ears' on each side of Saturn, later identified as rings.

Planetary Moons

Orbit their planet at different speeds and distances. Moons are also called natural satellites.

Galilean Moons

Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. They are the four most prominent moons of Jupiter

Europa

Has the possibility of containing life due to potential oceans under layers of ice. This moon is made of ice.

Ganymede

Only moon that possesses its own internally generated magnetic field. It is also larger than mercury.

Callisto

Surface may contain a subsurface ocean approximately 155 miles below.

Titan and Enceladus

Two of Saturn's moons, have subsurface oceans and collect material from Saturn's rings and magnetosphere.

Enceladus

Has liquid water oceans beneath its frozen shell and is thought by scientist to contain all of the ingredients needed for life.

Titan

Has clouds and a thick atmosphere consisting primarily of nitrogen as well as methane and ethane rivers, lakes, and seas on its surface.

Miranda

Tiny moon Uranus, has giant fault canyons almost 12 times as deep as the Grand Canyon

Titania

Uranus's largest moon, has grooves and ridges, thought to be caused by tectonic activity a long time ago.

Triton

Neptune's gravity is dragging it closer to the planet, causing it to be torn apart and forming a new ring around Neptune. It is also one of the coldest places in the solar system.

Small Solar Body

Rock, ice, and metal chunks that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, icy objects, and Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) are located beyond Neptune's orbit; also orbit the Sun.

Trans-Neptunian object (KBO)

Discovered a faint light emission from a celestial body 42 AU away from the Sun.

Full Size Planets Criteria

It is in orbit around the Sun, It has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium (a nearly round shape), It has “cleared the neighborhood” around its orbit.

Comets

Water, dust, ice, and frozen gases considered space debris from larger objects.

The Oort Cloud

Ranging from 1,000 to 200,000 AU from the Sun, represents the most distant region of our solar system.

Meteor

A steak of light formed when particles of space debris, called meteoroids, burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

Shooting Stars

Space debris, called meteoroids, burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

Impact Crater

Forms when one object in space collides with another object

DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test)

NASA developed a test that changed the asteroid Dimorphos' orbit, avoiding a possible collision with Earth.