Gravity and Its Effects
What is the attractive force between objects? (Hint, this keeps us on Earth!)
Gravity
We remain in orbit because of __________? (Hint, Newton’s first law.)
Inertia
What does orbit mean?
Orbit is the path that a planet, moon, or spaceship follows as it moves around another object, like how Earth moves around the Sun.
What galaxy are we a part of?
The Milky Way
Planet’s gravity keeps _________ in orbit around it.
The Sun
As the mass of an object increases, what happens to gravity?
The gravity force increases
What is forward velocity?
Forward motion in a specific direction
What two things pull us into a stable orbit?
Gravity and Velocity
The solar system formed from what?
Dust tags
Planets have their own _________? (Hint, two words.)
Forward Velocity
As distance between objects increases, what happens to gravity?
What is inertia?
Inertia is the property of matter that causes it to resist changes in its state of motion.
(An object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion, unless acted upon by an external force.)
Why wouldn't a satellite crash into a planet? What keeps it going?
A satellite doesn’t crash into a planet because its forward velocity and inertia balance with the planet's gravity, keeping it in orbit.
Does the sun orbit around the Milky Way?
Yes!
What does rotate mean?
The spinning of an object on its own axis, like the Earth rotating on its axis to create day and night.
What two things is gravity affected by?
Mass and Distance
Planets orbit on a predictable path because… (Hint, think Newton’s first law of motion.)
An object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.
If Planet B's lunar cycle is 20 days long, would they have more eclipses than we see on Earth? Why?
Yes, it completes one orbit around Planet B more quickly than the Moon does around Earth.
This means there are more chances for the moon to align with its planet and the sun, creating more eclipses.
If a planet's axis was directly pointed at the Sun (the northern axis is directly pointed at the sun) how many hours of sunlight would the North Pole have and how many hours would the South Pole have?
NP - 24 Hours of sunlight
SP - 0 Hours of sunlight
What does revolve mean?
The movement of an object around another object, like the Earth revolving around the Sun.
What planet’s gravity keeps planets in orbit? (Hint, what planet do all others orbit?)
The Sun
Why would cause a satellite’s path to changed as it passes a planet?
A satellite's path curves as it passes a planet because the planet's strong gravity pulls on the satellite, altering its straight-line motion.
What is an orbital plane?
An invisible flat surface in space where a planet, moon, or other object moves around its star.
The Earth’s orbital plane is the path it follows as it goes around the Sun.
If Earth was no longer tilted, what would be the effect on our seasons?
There would be NO seasons and the temperature would not change throughout the year.
Based on the following information, which moon is affected more by its planet’s gravity? WHY?
Earth: 10kg
Earth's Moon: 50kg
Planet B: 200kg
Planet B's Moon: 50kg
Planet B is affected more by its planet’s gravity. Because the stronger the planet’s mass, the greater its gravitational pull on the moon.