2.5 STARS AND PLANETS Flashcards
WHAT ARE THE OBJECTS THAT ORBIT THE SUN?
- planets
- moons
- dwarf planets
- asteroids
- comets
ORDER THE PLANETS FROM CLOSEST TO THE SUN TO FARTHEST
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
WHERE DOES THE ASTEROID BELT LIE?
Between Mars and Jupiter
WHICH ARE THE ROCKY PLANETS?
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars
WHICH ARE THE GASEOUS PLANETS?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
WHAT IS A MOON?
A moon is a body that orbits a planet
WHAT IS AN ASTEROID?
An asteroid is a small rocky object that orbits the Sun
WHAT IS A PLANETARY SYSTEM?
Comprises a star and all the objects which orbit it. Our Solar System is a planetary system
WHAT IS A COMET?
A comet is a lump of frozen gas, rock and dust that orbits the Sun. A comet has a tail that always points away from the Sun due to the Sun’s radiation pressure
WHAT IS A GALAXY?
A huge collection of billions of stars and their solar systems. Our Solar System is a small part of the Milky Way galaxy
WHAT IS THE MEAN DISTANCE OF THE SUN FROM EARTH?
One astronomical unit (A.U)
WHAT SPEED DOES LIGHT TRAVEL AT?
3x10^8 m/s
DESCRIBE THE LIFE CYCLE OF A LOW MASS STAR
protostar -> average mass main sequence star -> red giant star -> white dwarf -> black star
DESCRIBE THE LIFE CYCLE OF A HIGH MASS STAR
protostar -> massive mass main sequence star -> red super giant -> supernova -> neutron star OR black hole
WHAT DOES NUCLEAR FUSION IN STARS PRODUCE?
All element apart from hydrogen (and some helium)
