Topic 11 - Exploring the solar system

• How many planets are in the solar system?

  8
• name the planets from closest to the sun?

  mercury

  venus

  earth

  mars

  jupiter

  saturn

  uranus

  neptune
• which planets have a ring system?

  Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune.
• which planet has no atmosphere?

  Mercury
• does venus have a thick atmosphere?

  Yes.
• give the names of thee 5 dwarf planets in our solar system?

  Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, Ceres
• where does ceres orbit the earth?

  Asteroid belt (between mars and jupiter)
• what is classified as small solar system objects (SSSOs)?

  Asteroids, comets, and meteoroids.
• what are asteroids?


  Rocky objects that orbit the Sun, mostly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
• what are meteoroids?


  small chunks of rock/metal or tiny particles of dust.
• what are two types of meteoroids?

  Cometary meteoroids which are small particles shed by comets

  Asteroidal meteoroids which are particles fallen off or chipped off asteroids
• what is a meteor?

  meteoroids that enter the earths atmosphere and burn up, so are seen as streaks of light.
• what is a meteorite?

   a meteor survives the entry into Earth's atmosphere it will land as a meteorite.
• what causes meteor showers to appear as though they are coming from a single point in the sky?

  perspective
• what is the one point called that meteors appear to come from?

  Radiant
• what are comets?


  Celestial objects made of ice, dust, and rock that orbit the Sun.
• name 4 features of a comet?

  nucleus

  coma

  ion tail

  dust tail
• how does the coma form?

  as the comet approaches the sun the nucleus begins to release gas (held by the comets weak gravity)
• why is the ion tail straight and point away from the sun?


  it is affected by the magnetic field of the solar wind
• the dust tail is curved as it follows the trajectory of the comets orbit
• features of short peroid comets?

  orbital period less than 200 years

  orbit approximately in the ecliptic plane in the same direction as the planets
• where are short period comets thought to have originated from?

  kuiper belt
• where are long period comets thought to have originated from?

  Oort cloud
• features of long period comets?

  orbital period more than 200 years

  
  

  orbits are highly inclined to the ecliptic
• what is the oort cloud?

  cloud of icy planetesimals at distances of about a light year from the sun
• where is the kuiper belt located ?

  outside the orbit of neptune
• what is the heliosphere?

  is a magnetic bubble of charges particles from the solar wind that surrounds the solar system
• what is the boundary of the heliosphere called?

  heliopause
• what happens at the heliopause?

  interplanetary space reaches the interstellar medium
• what is another word for moon?

  satellite
• which two planets have no satellites?

  Mercury and Venus
• which planets have ring systems?

  the gas giants
• what is the speed of light?

  3x10^8 m/s
• what is a parsec?

  abt 3.26 light years