✅Topic 11 - Exploring the Solar System

Question 1

Comet Structure

Answer 1

Nucleus: Solid Core
Coma: Gas Layer
Dust Tail: Path of materials left behind
Ion Tail: Particles blown off by solar wind

Question 2

Short vs Long Period Comets

Answer 2

Short Period: From Kuiper Belt < 200yrs
Long Period: From Oort Cloud > 200yrs

Question 3

Heliosphere

Answer 3

Region where plasma from solar wind dominates over interstellar plasma

Question 4

How did the planets form?

Answer 4

Accretion, gas giants formed further out as it was too hot for light elements to accrete.

Question 5

Meteorids

Answer 5

Dust left behind by comets

Question 6

Meteors

Answer 6

Meteorid falling in the atmosphere

Question 7

Meteorites

Answer 7

Meteors that hit the earth’s surface

Question 8

Fireballs

Answer 8

Very bright meteors

Question 9

Ecliptic

Answer 9

The plane most objects orbit the sun on

Question 10

Comet’s Composition

Answer 10

Mostly Ice

Question 11

How was distance from Earth to Venus found

Answer 11

Transit of Venus with trigonmetric parallax

Question 12

Why are telescopes better for observation?

Answer 12

Allow more light to be collected

Question 13

Refracting Telescope

Answer 13

Combination of two lens

Question 14

Reflecting Telescope

Answer 14

Combination of lens & mirror

Question 15

Field of View

Answer 15

Angle across the sky that can be seen through the telescope

Question 16

Resolution

Answer 16

How fine the detail is

Question 17

Galileo’s Observations

Answer 17

Jupiter’s Moons, Saturn’s Rings, Venus’s Phases

Question 18

Why are reflecting telescopes better than refracting telescopes

Answer 18

• Lenses bend different wavelengths different amounts leading to Chromatic Aberration.
• Manufacturing large lens is difficult

Question 19

Types of Probes & Examples

Answer 19

Fly-By: New Horizons
Orbiter: Juno
Impactor: Deep Impact
Lander: Philae

Question 20

Apollo Missions

Answer 20

7-10: Tested equipment
11-17: Landed on moon except for 13