our solar system Flashcards
(26 cards)
What type of body is the sun?
A star, body of gas that releases energy through nuclear fusion
How large is the sun compared to the size of Earth?
1.3 million
What gases make up the sun?
hydrogen and helium
Cooler, dark spots on the sun are called
sun spots
Energy building in these cooler regions and is eventually released in a solar storm called a
solar flare
What process creates the sun’s energy? Briefly describe this process.
The sun creates its energy through nuclear fusion. This process is where hydrogen atoms join together to create helium
What are the building blocks of planets called?
planestimals
Briefly describe how planets are created.
Rocky bodies revolve around a star. These small pieces are pulled together by gravity, creating planetesimals. This increases their mass, making the gravitational pull increase. This pulls in more pieces, and it gets bigger and bigger.
Why do the planets remain in orbit? Why do planets closer to the sun revolve at a faster speed?
Planets stay in their orbital path due to the combination of the gravitational pull and the planet’s inertia.
Planets remain in orbit because of gravity. Planets closer to the sun revolve at a faster speed because the closer something is to the sun, the more of a gravitational pull the sun has to it. The sun’s gravitational pull is stronger to something at a shorter distance which is why planets closer revolve faster.
Name the 8 planets in order beginning with the one closest to the sun.
mercury
venus
earth
mars
jupiter
saturn
uranus
neptune
my very educated mother just served us nachos
Which of the planets are classified as terrestrial/ rocky?
mercury
venus
earth
mars
my very educated mother
Which of the planets are gas giants (Jovian planets)?
jupiter
saturn
uranus
neptune
just served us nachos
is the closest planet to the sun. Its surface has many craters due to its lack of atmosphere
mercury
is also called the Earth’s sister planet. It has a dense atmosphere that causes the greenhouse effect making it the hottest planet.
venus
is the only planet with large amounts of water and the ability to sustain life
earth
is called the Red Planet. It has the largest volcanoes in the solar system and river beds which indicate past presence of large amounts of liquid water
mars
is the largest planet. It has a continuous storm called the Big Red Spot that is bigger than Earth itself. Two of its moons, Europa and Ganymede, may have liquid water.
jupiter
is known for the largest rings. (Although all of the gas giants DO have rings)
saturn
has an axis that spins on its side probably due to a large impact.
uranus
is called the windy planet because of its winds of more than 700 miles per hour.
neptune
What is significant about the way our moon was formed? Describe the theory below.
The giant impact theory says that the moon was formed during a collision, with earth and a Mars sized planet.
An object made of dust and ice that orbits the sun, releases gas and dust when it is near the sun which creates a streak.
comet
rocky objects, similar to a planet but smaller, that orbit the sun.
asteroids
Very small rocky bodies
meteoroid
