The Solar System Chap. 28-29

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

Earth

A star that begins with a mass 8-20 timesthe suns mass will...

End up with a core too massive to be supported by pressure and come to a violent end.

What is fusion? Where does it take place in the sun? (short answer)

Fusion is the combination of the lightweight, atomic nuclei, into heavier nuclei, under high heat and pressure. In the sun Hydrogen and Hydrogen fuse together to create Helium.

Which of Jupiter's largest moons is completely molten inside?

Io

How many years does it take a star with the mass of the sun to convert all the hydrogen in its core? To what is the Hydrogen converted? (short answer)

It takes about 10 billion years to convert all of the hydrogen into helium.

Energy output from the surface of a star per second...

Luminosity

Its --- controls the motions of the planets.

Mass

The closest planet to the sun is...

Mercury

The resistance of a stars core to being squeezed halts the collapse if the core and the core becomes a...

Neutron star

The visible surface of the Sun is called the ---

Photosphere

Arc of gas ejected from the photoshere...

Prominence

Next to the core is...

Radiation zone

Venus's spin is an example of...

Retrograde rotation

The ringlets and open gaps in Saturn's rings are caused by the gravitational effects of...

Saturn's moons

It is approximately 2500 km thick and has an average temperature of 15,000 k. Without speacial filters, this layer is visible only during a. ----

Solar eclipse

It has a temperature of about 3 million to 5 million k. Plasma flows outward from this layer at high speeds and forms the ---

Solar wind

Cooler areas on the surface of the photosphere that appear darker than the surrounding areas on the sun...

Sunspots

The four inner planets of out solar system are...

Terrestrial planets

What happens when a comet comes within 3 AU of the sun? (short answer)

The comet begins to evaporate, tails form, and they're pushed away by the sun's radiation.

During a supernova...

The entire outer portion of the star is blown off in a massive explosion.

What happens to a star when it becomes a red giant?

The hydrogen starts to run out, the core becomes helium, the luminosity increases while the temperature decreases, thus createing a red giant.

The surface of Mercury is similar to the surface of...

The moon

What is fission?

The splitting of heavy atomic nuclei into smaller lighter nuclei.

A star of the sun's mass never becomes hot enough for carbon to react, and the dtar's energy production is at an end. What happens to the outer layers? What is the star called?

They expand again and are expelled by pulsations that develop the outer layers. This shell of gas is called a planetary nebula.

Saturn's largest moon is named...

Titan

What is a meteor shower? (short answer)

When Earth crosses the tail of a comet, particles left in the trail burn up in Earth's upper atmosphere producing bright streaks of light.

Galileo discovered Jupiter's...

four major satellites

Jupiter spins once on its axis in a little less than...

10 hours

How many times bigger than Mercury is Earth?

3 times

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

70%

Brightness of an object if it was placed at a distance of 10 pc...

Absolute magnitude

What is Jupiter's Great Red spot?

An atmosphereic storm

Ancient Greek classification system based on how bright a star appears to be...

Apparent magnitude

Low, warm, dark-colored, sinking clouds in Jupiter's atmosphere are known as...

Belts

Elements in Jupiter's atmosphere remain in...

Both gas and liquid forms

The atmosphere of Venus is mostly...

Carbon dioxide and nitrogen

It is the lowest layer of the sun and is approximately 400 km in thickness. The average temperature is 5800 k. Above the visible layer is the ---

Chromoshere

Next to the radiation zone is...

Convection zone

The top layer of the sun's atmosphere is the ---

Corona

Many astronomers hypothesize that Saturn's rings were formed from...

Debris left over from collisions of asteroids and other objects...

T/F: As a star ages, its internal composition changes as a result of rising temperature...

False

T/F: Like Earth's moon, Pluto has no atmosphere.

False

T/F: Most of Uranus's atmosphere is composed of helium and hydrogen, which causes it's atmosphere to reflect blue light back into space.

False

T/F: Neptune's largest moon, Triton, has a retrograde orbit, which means it orbits like every other satellite in the solar system.

False

T/F: Pluto is larger than Earth and is made of ice.

False

T/F: Saturn is the only planet with rings.

False

T/F: The orbit of Pluto is a perfect circle.

False

T/F: The southern hemisphere of Mars is dominated by sparsely cratered plains.

False

T/F: The sun formed outside the rotating instellar cloud.

False

T/F: Today, we are certain that Uranus has no moons and 15 rings.

False

T/F: Uranus's tilt and its great distance from the sun result in seasons on Uranus that last about 21 Earth years.

False

Violent eruptions of particles and radiation from the surface of the sun...

Solar flares

The sun is the largest object in our ---

Solar system

T/F: A large meterite will cause an impact crater when it collides with Earth.

True

T/F: A meteor is a meteoroid that bypasses Earth's atmosphere.

True

T/F: A meteroid is a broken fragment of an asteroid or other interplanetary material.

True

T/F: A new star often illuminates the gas and dust surrounding it...

True

T/F: As a nebula contracts, its rotation forces it into a disl shape with a hot condensed object at the center, which will become a new star

True

T/F: As nuclear fuel runs out, a star's internal structure and its mechanism for producing pressure change to counteract gravity...

True

T/F: Asteroids are thought to be planetesmals that never formed planets.

True

T/F: Earth's aosphere is moderately dense and is composed of 78% oxygen and 21% nitrogen.

True

T/F: Earth's distance from the sun and it's nearly circular orbit allow water to exist on its surface as a solid, liquid and gas.

True

T/F: Mars is referred to as the red planet as a result of it's high iron content and reddish appearance.

True

T/F: Mars's atmosphere is similar to that of Venus, and it has a strong greenhouse effect.

True

T/F: Most asteroids are located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt.

True

T/F: Neptune's six rings are composed of microscopic dust particles.

True

T/F: Pluto is not classified as a terrestrial planet because of its low density and small size, among other things.

True

T/F: Pluto's properties more closely resemble those of the gas giants' large moons than of other planets.

True

T/F: The formation of a star begins with a cloud of interstellar gas and dust called nebula...

True

T/F: The rotational azis of Uranus is tipped over so far that the north pole almost lies in its orbital plane.

True

T/F: Triton has nitrogen geysers and a thin atmosphere.

True

Saturn's average density os lower than that of...

Water

Unit of measurement used to express the energy emitted per second...

Watt

Composition of the sun: the very center of the sun...

core

The center of the sun is very dense. The high temperature at its center causes the solar interior to be --- throughout.

gaseous