Moons notes

Satellites

  • natural/artificial bodies that revolve around planets.


Lunar Rocks

  • Brought back by the apollo mission.

  • estimated to be 4.6 billion years old.

  • They come from the moon.


The surface of the moon has no what?

  • Atmosphere


What are the 4 possible explanations for the moon’s formation?

  1. The moon was a separate body captured by the earths gravity.

  2. Formed at the same time from the same materials as the earth.

  3. Newly formed earth was spinning so fast that a piece flew off and became the moon.

  4. A large Mars-Sized object collided with earth while the earth was still forming.


Phases of the moon:

  • New Moon

  • Waxing Cresent

  • First Quarter

  • Waxing Gibbous

  • Full Moon

  • Waning Gibbous

  • Last quarter

  • Waning Cresent


Waxing

  • When the moon is waxing the sunlit fraction that we see is getting larger.


Waning

  • Moon is waning the sunlit fraction is getting smaller


Solar eclipse

  • Happens when the moon comes between the earth and the sun


Lunar Eclipse

  • When the earth comes between the sun and the moon.

  • Shadow of earth falls onto the earth.


Annular Eclipse

  • When the edge of the sun remains visible as a bright ring around the moon.


Total Solar Eclipse

  • Happens when the new moon comes between the sun and the earth and casts the darkest part of the shadow.


What 2 planet’s don’t have moons?

  • Mercury and Venus


Explain the moons of mars

  • Phobos and Deimos

  • Both are very dark, rocky and asteroid like.


Explain the moons of Jupiter

  • Jupiter has 80 moons

  • 4 largest are Europa, Ganymede Callisto and eyo.

  • Discovered by Galileo also known as Galilean Satellites.



Explain the moons of Saturn

  • Saturn has 83 moons

  • Titan is the largest of Saturns moons.


Explain the moons of Uranus

  • Uranus has 27 moons.

  • Has several moons made of ice and rock.

  • Miranda - Has the most unusual turain


Explain the moons of neptune

  • Neptune has 14 moons.

  • Titron

  • Retrograde

  • Ice volcanoes and geysers

  • Geologically Active - Surface is mostly frozer notrogen and methane.


Explain the moons of Pluto

  • Pluto has 5 moons.

  • Nix

  • Hydra

  • Styx Kerberos

  • Charon: It is so big that Pluto and Charon orbit each other like a double planet.


Comets

  • Small bodies of ice, rock and cosmic dust loosely packed together to form “dirty Snowballs”


Comet Tails

  • Result from comets passing close enough to the sun so that ice melts and gas/dust are given off.


Ion Tails

  • Dust tail

  • Made of ions

  • Solid center of comet is called the nucleus.


Comet Orbit

  • Always follows the orbit of the commet.


Asteroids

  • Small, rocky bodies that revolve around the sun.


Types of asteroids

  • Outermost region: asteroids are dark reddish brown

  • Intermost region: Stony or metallic composition

  • Rich in organic material.


Meteoroids

  • Soace rocks that vary in size


Meteorite

  • A meteorite that enters earths atmosphere and strikes the ground

  • Stony

  • Metalic

  • Iron


Meteor

  • A bright streak of light caused by a meteoroid or comet dust burning up in the atmosphere.


Meteor Shower

  • Several meteors passing by earth.


Torino Scale

  • A system that allows scientist to rate the hazard level of an object moving towards earth.


Why are most craters left on earth no longer visible?

  • Because of weathering, erosion and tectonic activity.


What is the difference between neap and and spring tides?

  • Spring tides occur when the sun, moon, and earth are lined up.

  • Neap tides happen when the sun, moon, and earth are at a right angle.