earth and space science ch 28

where did the sun form

from the interstellar cloud

what elements does Jupiter's atmosphere remain in?

gas and liquid

what causes the ringlets and open gaps in Saturn's rings?

gravitational effects of Saturn's moons

universal gravitation

the force of gravity acts between all objects in the universe

pluto resembles

the gas giants moons

Uranus's core

very small

Saturn's average density is lower than that of

water

center of mass

where each planet orbits a point between itself and the sun

what are asteroids thought to be?

planetesimals that never formed planets.

Jupiter spins once on its axis in less then

10 hours

Neptune had a storm similar to Jupiter's until

1994

one day on Venus is equal to how many days on earth?

243

how many moons does Uranus have?

27

how long are seasons on Uranus in earth years

42

how many moons does Pluto have

5 moons

what percentage of all planetary matter in the solar system is in Jupiter's mass?

70%

periodic comet

A comet that keeps returning because of an elliptical orbit

meteor

A streak of light in the sky produced by the burning of a meteoroid in Earth's atmosphere.

meteor shower

An event where a large number of meteors enter the Earth's atmosphere from the same direction in space at nearly the same time. Most meteor showers take place when the Earth passes through the debris left behind by a comet.

Heliocentric

Based on the belief that the sun is the center of the universe

Why is Mars called the red planet?

Because its surface is reddish in color because of its high iron content

interstellar cloud

Gas and dust from which stars and planets form

Astromical unit

the average distance between the earth and the sun

where are most asteroids located?

In the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter

which of Jupiter's largest moons is completely molten inside

Io

The first large planet to develop

Jupiter

Closest planet to the sun

Mercury

retrograde

Motion of a planet moving in the opposite direction of the normal direction of planetary motion as observed from Earth

planetesimal

Objects that collided and merged to form other various objects in the solar system

ellipse

Oval shape centered on two points instead of one point

terrestrial planets

The name often given to the four inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

Saturn's largest moon

Titan

planet discovered accidently in 1781

Uranus

the brightest planet in earths nighttime sky

Venus

liquid metallic hydrogen

a form of hydrogen that has properties of both a liquid and a metal

What is Jupiter's Great Red Spot?

an atmospheric storm

semimajor axis

average distance of a planet to the sun

meteoroid

broken fragment of an asteroid or other interplanetary material.

what des Venus's atmosphere mostly consist of?

carbon dioxide and nitrogen

Neptune's atmosphere is similar to Jupiter's in the way that it is

cloud streaked

What Saturn's rings are made of

debris leftover from collisions of asteroids and other objects

Eccentricy

defines a planets elliptical orbit as the ratio of the distance between the foci and the length of the major axis

Observations of Mercury suggest that it was originally much larger, with a mantle and crust similar to that of

earth

planets with greenhouse effect

earth and Venus

what are Jupiter's for moons composed of?

ice and rock

meteorites cause

impact craters

the surface of venus

is very hot and rotation slowly

who developed an understanding of gravity by observing motions of the moon

issac newton

what happens when a comet comes within 3 AU of the sun?

it begins to evaporate and become much brighter

Why isn't Pluto a planet?

it has low density and small size

what allows water to exist on earth in all three forms?

its distance from the sun and its nearly circular orbit

what part of Jupiter did Galileo discover?

its rings

inner planets

lacking in satellites because of proximity to the sun

belts

low, warm, dark-colored clouds that sink

Hydrogen

main element in early interstellar clouds

what is the composition of Neptune's six rings?

microscopic dust particles

earths atmosphere

moderately dense and is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen

acronym for order of the planets

my very elegant mother just served us nachos

Is Saturn the only planet with rings?

no

Pluto's orbit is

not a perfect circle

the rotational axis of Uranus is tipped over so far that

the north pole almost lies in its orbital plane

which moon has nitrogen geysers and a thin atmosphere

triton