7.2 Universe Flashcards
What are satellites?
They are celestial bodies orbiting the earth or other planets.
What is a galaxy?
A galaxy is a collection of stars held together by gravity.
What orbits around some other stars?
Exoplanets
What does our solar system orbit?
A large black hole at the centre of our galaxy
How fast does light travel?
Light travels at about 300,000km/s
What is a light year?
How far light travels in a year - it is a measure of distance not time
What is the order of the planets?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
What are gas giants made of?
Mainly hydrogen and helium
What does Mercury not have?
An atmosphere
What is between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter?
An asteroid belt
Why is there day and night on Earth?
There is day and night because the Earth spins on its axis.
What is a year?
A year is the time it takes for the Earth to orbit the Sun.
Why do we have Seasons?
We have seasons because the Earth is tilted on its axis meaning in the Winter the Sun’s rays are spread over a larger area than they are during the Summer.
What are the phases of the moon?
- New moon
- Waxing crescent
- First Quarter/Half Moon
- Waxing gibbous
- Full Moon
- Waning Gibbous
- Half Moon
- Waning Crescent
Why are there phases of the moon?
Half of the moon is always lit up by the Sun, however as the moon moves round the Earth we see different parts of it lit up.
