The Solar System

TEST: The Solar System

Earth Systems Science

Topics:

1. Observations that caused different models of the solar system

   1. the apparent retrograde motion of planets

   2. the fact that parallax could not be detected

2. Different models of the solar system created to explain the observations

   1. geocentric (What is it?  What did it look like? Why did this model become accepted for some portion of time?)

   2. geocentric with loops (What is it? What did it look like? Why did this model become accepted for some portion of time?)

   3. heliocentric (What is it? What did it look like? Why did this model become accepted for some portion of time?)

3. Planets

   1. order of the planets

   2. 2 types of planets

   3. some basic characteristics of the 2 types of planets

4. Using a model of the solar system

   1. place planets in their orbits based on when we see them

   2. predict where a planet might be in the future

5. Kepler's laws

   1. What does each law tell us about planets? 

   2. Parts of an ellipse

   3. What is eccentricity and how is it determined?

   4. Calculating parts of an ellipse

   5. use Kepler's 3rd law

Vocabulary:

• Geocentric

• Parallax

• Retrograde motion

• Epicylces (loopty loops)

• Heliocentric

• Claudius Ptolemy

• Nicolaus Copernicus

• Johannes Kepler

• Terrestrial planets

• Jovian planets

• Ellipse

• Semi-major axis

• Aphelion

• Perihelion

• Eccentricity

• Focal points