Chapter 7 Flashcards
(23 cards)
1
Q
Solar System
A
- 8 Major Planets
- Planets all orbit in the same direction and nearly the same plane
2
Q
Sun
A
- 99.9% of solar system’s mass
- Mostly made of H/He
(plasma) - Turns 600 million tons of H and 596 million of He converts 4 million tons of mass into energy per second
3
Q
Mercury
A
- Made of metal and rock
- Large Iron Core
- Very Hot/Very Cold
- Rotates in 58.6 days
4
Q
Venus
A
- Nearly similar size to Earth
- Harsh conditions bc of the green house effect
- Hotter than mercury, 470 degree Celsius
- Very bright due to clouds of sulfuric acid
5
Q
Earth
A
- Life
- Oceans and Ice Caps
- Surprisingly Large Moon
6
Q
Mars
A
- Looks almost Earth-Like
- Giant volcanoes, Huge canyon, polar caps
- Water used to exist
7
Q
Jupiter
A
- Much farther from Sun than inner planets
- Mostly H/He, no solid surface
- 300 times the size of Earth
- 4 main moons
8
Q
Jupiter’s 4 Main Moons
A
Io
Europa
Ganymede
Callisto
9
Q
Io
A
Active volcanoes all over
10
Q
Europa
A
Possible subsurface ocean
11
Q
Ganymede
A
Largest moon in solar system
12
Q
Callisto
A
Large cratered “ice ball”
13
Q
Saturn
A
- Giant, gaseous, and rings
- Rings are NOT solid made of ice and rocks
14
Q
Uranus
A
- Smaller than Jupiter/Saturn
- Made of H/He gas and hydrogen compounds
- Extreme Axis Tilt
15
Q
Neptune
A
- Similar to Uranus (except for axis tilt)
- 14 (including Triton)
16
Q
Dwarf Planets
A
Pluto and Eris
17
Q
Terrestrial Planets
A
- Smaller size and mass
- Higher average density
- Solid Surface
- Closer to the Sun
18
Q
Jovian Planets
A
- Larger size and mass
- Lower average density
- Made mostly of hydrogen/helium/hydrogen compounds
- No Solid Surface
- Farther from the Sun
19
Q
Motion of Large Bodies
A
All large bodies in the solar system orbit in the same direction and in nearly the same plane.
Most also rotate in that direction
20
Q
Asteroid Belt
A
Asteroids that orbit between Mars and Jupiter
21
Q
Kuiper Belt
A
Comets found beyond Neptune’s orbit
22
Q
Oort Cloud
A
Distant spherical region that orbit the Sun
23
Q
Flybys
A
A flyby mission flies by a planet just once.
Cheaper than other mission but less time to gather data
