Solar System Formation
What did our solar system begin as?
According to Kepler's First Law, planets travel around the Sun in this shape.
What is an ellipse?
Earth's spinning on its axis is called this.
What is rotation?
Earth's axis is tilted approximately this many degrees.
23.5°
TRUE or FALSE: Earth is closer to the Sun during summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
False
This force caused gas and dust in the solar nebula to begin pulling together.
Gravity
According to Kepler's Second Law, a planet moves faster when it is ______ the Sun.
closer to the Sun?
Earth's movement around the Sun is called this.
What is revolution?
Earth's seasons are primarily caused by Earth's ______ and its revolution around the Sun.
axial tilt
A student says, "Night happens because the Sun goes around Earth." Correct the student's explanation.
Day and night occur because Earth rotates, causing different parts of Earth to face toward or away from the Sun.
As the solar nebula collapsed, most of its material collected here.
In the Center/Protosun
Which planet would generally take longer to orbit the Sun: one close to the Sun or one far away?
A planet farther from the Sun.
Approximately how long does one complete rotation of Earth take?
About 24 hours.
When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, what season is occurring there?
Summer
If Earth suddenly stopped rotating, which familiar daily cycle would immediately be disrupted?
The day/night cycle.
Put these in the correct order: planets form, solar nebula collapses, Sun begins forming, material clumps together.
Solar nebula collapses → Sun begins forming → material clumps together → planets form.
A planet is moving through the fastest portion of its orbit. What can you infer about its position?
It is nearer to the Sun.
Approximately how long does Earth take to complete one revolution around the Sun.
About 365.25 days
Clue: Which situation would cause the Northern Hemisphere to receive the most direct sunlight?
A. Northern Hemisphere tilted away from the Sun
B. Northern Hemisphere tilted toward the Sun
C. Earth at the farthest point in its orbit
D. Earth rotating faster than normal
B. Northern Hemisphere tilted toward the Sun
Two locations receive sunlight. At Location A, the rays strike almost directly. At Location B, the same amount of sunlight is spread across a larger area. Which location will receive more concentrated solar energy?
Location A, because more direct sunlight concentrates energy over a smaller surface area.
This theory explains how our solar system formed from a cloud of gas and dust.
What is the Nebular Theory?
Planet X is four times farther from its star than Planet Y. Without calculating its exact orbital period, predict which planet has the longer year and explain using Kepler's Third Law.
Planet X, because planets farther from their star have longer orbital periods.
Earth is rotating at hundreds of miles per hour, yet you don't feel yourself moving. Explain why.
Because we, Earth's surface, and the atmosphere are moving together at a nearly constant rate, so we don't experience a sudden change in motion.
Three students explain why North Carolina is warmer in July:
Student A: "The Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun."
Student B: "The Sun's rays hit the Northern Hemisphere more directly."
Student C: "Earth moves much closer to the Sun during July."
Which student is WRONG?
A. Student A
B. Student B
C. Student C
D. They're all correct
C. Student C
The Sun has been giving off light and heat for billions of years. Which question will we need to answer to understand how the Sun keeps producing all that energy?
A. How fast does the Sun rotate?
B. What happens to matter inside the Sun's extremely hot, high-pressure core?
C. How far is Earth from the Sun?
D. Why do planets orbit the Sun?
B. What happens to matter inside the Sun's extremely hot, high-pressure core?