The Solar System
What is the name of the star at the center of our solar system?
the SUN
What are comets made of?
Dust, rock and ice
What metals make up earths core?
iron and nickel
Who discovered the Law of Universal Gravitation
Sir Isaac Newton
What people call a “shooting star” is actually a ______
meteor
Name one dwarf planet
Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, Ceres
The head of a comet consists of 2 parts; what are they?
Nucleus and Halo
What protects Earth from solar wind?
The magnetosphere
What two factors affect the strength of gravitational attraction?
The masses of the objects and the distance between them
What is a meteorite impact?
When a large meteorite collides with the ground
Why are gas giants less dense than terrestrial planets?
Because they are made mostly of gases (hydrogen and helium) instead of solid rock.
As a comet approaches the sun, pressure from solar wind can cause a comet to create 2 tails. What are these tails?
Plasma (ion) tail: Electrically charged (ionized) particles of gas
Dust tail: gas and dust
Where do polar auroras form (which layer of the atmosphere)?
Why is your weight different on the Moon than on Earth?
Because the Moon has less mass and weaker gravity
Most of the time, where do meteorites land and why?
In the ocean because most of the earth is water (70%)!
What is the shape is the path that planets follow around the sun?
Oval-shaped (elliptical) orbits!
I am a current of charged particles (protons and electrons) emitted by the sun.
What am I?
Solar Wind
Where do Aurora Borealis occur?
Where do Aurora Australis occur?
Aurora Borealis: North Pole
Aurora Australis: South Pole
Assuming we are in a vacuum (no air): If a ball with a mass of 8kg is dropped at the same time and from the same height as one of 24kg, which will hit the ground first?
They will hit the ground at the same time
What is the hole in the ground caused by a meteorite impact called?
A crater
Name the terrestrial planets (4) and the Gas giants (4)
Terrestrial Planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
Gas Giants: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
Where are comets believed to originate from?
The Kuiper Belt
The Oort cloud
Why do polar auroras mostly appear near the poles?
Because Earth’s magnetic field lines enter and exit near the poles, directing the solar wind particles there.
Why does a leaf fall more slowly than a basketball, even though gravity pulls on them equally?
Gravity pulls on both, but the leaf falls slower because air resistance slows it down more than the basketball.
How often (approximately) do meteorite impacts happen?
Every 1000 years