Solar System Flashcards
(36 cards)
When was Mars moon discovered, by who and where?
1978 by James Christy, Flagstaff
How did James Christy discover Mars’ moon?
Christy spotted something blurry in a photo of Mars that turned out to be its moon.
What did the discovery of Mars’ moon mean for knowledge of Pluto?
That Pluto was not as big as they previously thought
Where and when was Pluto discovered?
1930’s in Flagstaff
Where was Mars discovered?
Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff
Why do astronomers think there are many plants out there we don’t know about?
Low albedo (reflection of light) over 6 billion km away meaning they won’t be easily visible
What are the planets in order from the Sun?
Mercury – The closest planet to the Sun, known for its extreme temperatures.
Venus – Often called Earth’s “sister planet” due to its similar size, though it has a very thick, toxic atmosphere.
Earth – Our home planet, the only one known to support life.
Mars – Known as the Red Planet, it has the largest volcano and canyon in the solar system.
Jupiter – The largest planet in the solar system, famous for its Great Red Spot and many moons.
Saturn – Known for its spectacular ring system.
Uranus – An ice giant with a unique tilt, causing extreme seasonal variations.
Neptune – The farthest known planet from the Sun, known for its deep blue colour and strong winds.
Pluto used to be considered the ninth planet but is now classified as a dwarf planet.
Mnemonic for remembering order of planets from the Sun?
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles.”
Each initial letter stands for a planet:
My – Mercury
Very – Venus
Educated – Earth
Mother – Mars
Just – Jupiter
Served – Saturn
Us – Uranus
Noodles – Neptune
Which planets have moons?
Mercury – No moons.
Venus – No moons.
Earth – 1 moon (commonly called the Moon).
Mars – 2 small moons (Phobos and Deimos).
Jupiter – 95 known moons (including the four largest: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto).
Saturn – 145 known moons (including Titan, which is the second-largest moon in the solar system).
Uranus – 27 known moons (including Titania, Oberon, Miranda, Ariel, and Umbriel).
Neptune – 14 known moons (including Triton, which is the largest of Neptune’s moons).
Pluto, as a dwarf planet, also has moons (Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra), though it’s not considered one of the primary planets.
How did Percival Lowell contribute to the discovery of Pluto?
He had crazy theories but believed a “planet X” existed after Neptune due to irregularities in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune.
How did Clyde Tombaugh contribute to the discovery of Pluto?
He spotted Pluto confirming Lowell’s prediction but he was forgotten and Lowell got credit posthumously.
What were the first 2 letters of “Pluto” derived from?
Percival Lowell’s name
What does Pluto look like?
An icy dot
Where is Pluto found?
Within the Kuiper belt
Who theorised about the Kuiper belt and when?
F.C. Leonardin in 1930’s
What is the area which is a source of comets that come from the Oort cloud?
The Kuiper belt
What is the Kuiper belt?
A source of comets (Hayley’s comet and Hale-Bopp & Hyakutake) that come from the Oort cloud?
Name some comets in the Kuiper belt?
Hayley’s comet and Hale-Bopp & Hyakutake.
What is significant about Pluto’s orbit?
It is tilted at 17 degrees
What is the Oort cloud?
The Oort Cloud is a theoretical, distant, and spherical shell of icy bodies surrounding the solar system. It’s thought to be a vast reservoir of comets and other icy objects that extend far beyond the Kuiper Belt and Scattered Disk.
What is “Trans-Neptunian” ?
The term “Trans-Neptunian” refers to objects located beyond the orbit of Neptune in the solar system. These objects are part of a region known as the Trans-Neptunian region or the Trans-Neptunian Solar System.
What are the main categories of the Trans-Neptunian?
Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs): These are small icy bodies located in the Kuiper Belt, a region extending from about 30 to 55 AU (astronomical units) from the Sun. This includes many of the known dwarf planets, like Pluto, Haumea, and Makemake.
Scattered Disk Objects (SDOs): These are objects in a more eccentric and inclined orbits compared to those in the Kuiper Belt. They can come very close to the Sun and then travel far out into the solar system. Eris is an example of an SDO.
Oort Cloud Objects: Although more speculative due to its distance, the Oort Cloud is a proposed spherical shell of icy bodies that is thought to surround the solar system far beyond the Kuiper Belt and Scattered Disk. It is believed to be the source of long-period comets.
In what month and year were 600 additional Trans-Neptunian (including Varuna) objects discovered on Plutinos.
December 2002
What is Nicolaus Copernicus famous for?
Formulating the heliocentric model of the universe, which posited that the Sun, rather than the Earth, is at the centre of the universe.
