Astronomy Final

Our solar system consists of 8 planets that orbit the sun, the first 4 are _________ and _________, the last 4 are ____________ and ____________

small and rocky; large and gaseous

which direction do all the planets orbit around the sun

same direction

what two major categories do planets fall into?

terrestrial and jovian planets

as the temperature of a disk cools down, gas could condense into what?

a solid

how did the terrestrial planets form?

the condensed seeds grew into rocky planets through accretion

how are planetesimals formed?

the accretion of ice and dust

where did asteroids and comets come from?

remnants from the creation of planets

why is earth geologically active?

because it’s made up of the core, mantle and crust

what process shapes earth’s surface?

impact cratering, volcanism, tectonics, erosion

what is one of the ways that the atmosphere warms the earth

the greenhouse effect, because the gases slow down the process and trap the heat in the atmosphere

how are the seasons of mars caused

by it’s axis tilt

why is venus so hot?

venus has a very thick carbon dioxide atmosphere with a surface temp 90 times that of earth

the jovian planets are all large compared to terrestrial planet, orbiting further from the sun and consist of ____________?

hydrogen and helium

what is Jupiter’s core thought to be made of?

rock, metals and hydrogen

what is the most famous storm on Jupiter?

The Great Red Spot

What is the most famous storm on Neptune?

The Great Dark Spot

what is the most volcanically active body in the solar system?

Lo

why is Lo volcanically active?

because it’s interior is heated by the tides of jupiter

What is the second largest moon in the solar system?

Titan

what are saturn’s rings made out of?

numerous tiny individual particles

how did jovian planets get ring systems

leftover material from the formation of a planet

what is a coma?

when a comet nears the sun, it heats up and some ice melts and turns to water vapor, the gas and dust create a cloud around the nucleus

what is the plasma tail?

created by ultraviolet radiation from the sun ionizing the gas, that is then pushed back by the solar wind.

How is Einstein's famous equation, E=mc², important in understanding the Sun?

the Sun generates energy to shine by losing 4 million tons of mass each second

Which planet has the most extreme seasons?

Uranus

According to the nebular theory of solar system formation, which law best explains why the central regions of the solar nebula got hotter as the nebula shrank in size?

The law of conservation of energy

According to the nebular theory of solar system formation, which law best explains why the solar nebula spun faster as it shrank in size?

The law of conservation of angular momentum

According to the nebular theory of solar system formation, which of the following best explains why the solar nebula ended up with a disk shape as it collapsed?

As the nebula shrank and rotated faster, collisions between orbiting particles caused it to flatten into a disk.

How do scientists determine how long ago Earth first formed?

Radiometric dating of meteorites

What are the two geological features that appear to set Earth apart from other terrestrial worlds in our solar system?

Tectonics and Erosion

Suppose that Earth's atmosphere had no greenhouse gases. Then Earth's average surface temperature would be ________.

below the freezing point of water

what do scientists think happened to outgassed water vapor on Venus?

Ultraviolet light split the water molecules, and the hydrogen then escaped to space.

Which two factors are most important to the existence of plate tectonics on Earth?

mantle convection and a thin lithosphere

what evidence is there to support human activity is the cause of global warming?

carbon dioxide tends to make planets warmer

measurements show that humans are raising carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere

What would happen to Jupiter if we could somehow double its mass?

Its density would increase, but its diameter would barely change.

Why does Jupiter have three distinct layers of clouds?

They are clouds made of gases that condense at different temperatures.