Solar System

Question 1

8 Planets

Answer 1

• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune

Question 2

Rocky Planets

Answer 2

• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars

Question 3

Gas Planets

Answer 3

• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune

Question 4

Birth of a star

5 steps

Answer 4

1. Nebula of dust and gas that is mostly hydrogen
2. The dust and gases are attracted by gravitational forces to form a spiral shape
3. A protostar forms and it becomes hot enough to emit light
4. The pressure and temperature increase and the protostar is able to perform nuckear fusion between hydrogen and helium
5. The main cycle begins

Question 5

Life cycle of a star

Star like our Sun

Answer 5

1. Hydrogen fuel of a main sequence star runs out
2. The star expands and cools, forming a Red Giant
3. The outer layers drift away, forming a white dwarf
4. Star cools and forms black dwarf

Question 6

Life cycle of a star

Star greater than 3 times the mass of our Sun

Answer 6

1. Main sequence star runs out of hydrogen fuel
   2.Expands and cools to form a Red Supergiant
   3.Becomes a supernova
   4a.If >3x mass of Sun , then becomes a very dense Neutron Star
   4b.If >10x mass of Sun , then becomes a black hole (a singularity with an extremely high density)

Question 7

Centripetal force

Definition

Answer 7

Any force (e.g. gravity) that will cause circular motion

Question 8

Centripetal force

Equation

Answer 8

Mass x velocity^/radius

mv^/r

Question 9

Geostationary Orbit

List (4)

Answer 9

• Stays in fixed position in sky
• Orbital period is 24hr, orbit is above equator
• Requires very high altitude
• Used for communication

Question 10

Polar Orbit

List (4)

Answer 10

• Orbits above poles so Earth spins beneath it
• Satellite can ‘see’ entire planet over a period of time
• Orbital period is typically 90 -120 minutes
• Used for weather monitoring

Question 11

Doppler effect

Definition

Answer 11

When objects move away from Earth at high speed and light waves get ‘stretched out’

Question 12

Red Shift

Definition

Answer 12

• When the wavelength of the light increases toward the red end of the visible spectrum
• Increases with the distance of the galaxy from Earth

Question 13

Constellations

Defintiion

Answer 13

Different groups of stars used to help astronomers locate and identify stars and other objects in space

Question 14

Naked eye Planets

List (5)

Answer 14

• Mercury
• Venus
• Mars
• Jupiter
• Saturn