Science Ch 17 Flashcards
(31 cards)
Why is our planetary system named the solar system?
Because it revolves around the sun
What is the latin word for sun?
Sol from which the word solar comes from
Where is our Planetary system located?
It is located in the outer spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy
What is the Solar system made up of?
The sun, eight regular planets, many dwarf planets, many moons, astroids, and comets
The earth and all the other planets follow a path called…
Called an orbit
What are the shape of orbits?
Elliptical (oval shaped)
What is a revolution?
Earth’s one full orbit around the sun
How long does it take the earth to orbit around the sun?
It takes the Earth 365 1/4 days To orbit the sun
What does 365 1/4 days equal?
1 YEAR
What are axis?
An imaginary line that runs through the center of the earth from the North Pole to the South Pole.
How does Earth spin?
By rotating on a tilted axis
What is it called when earth spins one full time around its axis?
It is called a rotation
How long does it take the earth to rotate around its axis once?
24 hours
What causes day and night?
Earths rotation
What is the north hemisphere experiencing when the earth is closest to the sun and why?
The north hemisphere is experiencing winter because the north is facing away from the sun
When the earth is farther away from the sun what is the North Hemisphere experiencing and why?
They are experiencing summer because we face the sun directly, even though we are farther away
Name the eight planets in our solar system.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
What do we believe the earth can do that other planets can’t do?
Believe earth is the only one that can support life
What is the distance between the planets measured in?
They are measured in astronomical units or AU
What is the distance between the earth and the sun in AU or astronomical units?
1AU which is 93,000,000 miles
What is Mercury?
Mercury is the planet closest to the sun
Small planet with metal-core
What is Venus?
Second planet from the sun
Same size as earth
The brightest planet
What is Earth?
Third planet from the sun
Mostly covered with water
Home to me and you
What is Mars?
Fourth planet from the sun
The red planet
Has a mountain on it that is twice the size of Mount Everest