An Introduction to the Solar System
A planetesimal refers to...
A small clump of mass that is the first stage of a planet.
Where are most of the asteroids in our solar system located?
In the "asteroid belt" between Mars and Jupiter.
What distinguishes the orbit of Pluto from that of the eight major planets of the Solar System?
It does not lie in the same plane as the others.
According to the law of angular momentum, what happens to a spinning object as its size decreases?
It spins more quickly.
How is the mass of the solar system distributed among the Sun, the planets, and the smaller objects.
The Sun has over 99% of the total mass. The planets have most of the remaining mass. In spite of how many there are, the random objects have a tiny fraction of the total mass.
Our current model of the formation of the Solar System is strongly supported by the fact that...
The orbits of most objects in the solar system lie in the same plane and most planets rotate in the same direction.
Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus were able to become much larger than the rockier planets such as Earth and Mars because...
They are farther from the Sun, which allowed them to form ice as well as rock and metal, creating a larger mass which also allowed for them to hold on to lighter gasses like hydrogen.
The material that now composes the asteroid belt most likely did not combine to form planets due to...
Tidal forces from Jupiter.
Many icy objects similar to Pluto lie in the outer part of the Solar System beyond 40 AU.
True
Objects in the Kuiper Belt differ from others in the Solar System in that their orbits...
can stray more from the flat plane that the planets sit in.
The rocky or terrestrial planets of the solar system are located...
nearest to the Sun.
Objects in the Oort cloud follow orbits similar to that of the Kuiper Belt, extending slightly above and below the plane of the rest of the Solar System.
False
