Planets & Dwarf Planets
Fill in the Blank: One day is the time it takes a planet to rotate on its ____________.
Axis
What percent of the Solar System's mass is contained within the Sun?
99.85%
An object that orbits a planet.
Satellite/Moon
How is scientific notation useful to astronomers?
Astronomers use scientific notation to help describe the vast sizes and distances found in space.
How do astronomers measure distance to other planets?
Astronomical Units (AU)
How old is our Solar System according to scientists in your textbook?
4.6 Billion Years Old
All but 2 planets in our Solar System have natural Satellites.
In this sentence, what other word can be used to explain a Natural Satellite?
Moon.
A loose, icy body with a long, narrow orbit.
Comet
True or False: The more a nearby star appears to move, the farther away it is.
False: the less it appears to move, the farther away it is.
Fill in the Blank: A ___________ is a measure of distance on an astronomical scale, not time.
Light-Year
Name all 8 Planets in order of increasing distance from the Sun?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Small asteroid-like bodies that formed the building blocks of the planets are known as...
Planetesimals
A small rocky body that orbits the Sun.
Asteroid.
Calculate: The Andromeda galaxy is 2,200,000 light-years away. Write this in Scientific Notation.
2.2 x 106 light years
True or False: The Spacecraft Voyager is 16,000,000,000 km away from Earth. That is the same as: 1.6 x 1010 km.
True
What are the 3 characteristics of a Planet?
- Sphere shape (due to gravity)
- Clear orbit
- Orbits a Star
What determines the main differences between the inner and outer planets? (Not Composition)
Their distance from the Sun when they formed.
Where can the Asteroid Belt be found?
Between Mars and Jupiter
What do astronomers use to measure distance to stars?
Parallax
Convert to Scientific Notation:
0.000001
1 x 10-6
Explain why Pluto was classified as a Dwarf Planet in 2006 in regards to Gravity.
Dwarf Planets have less gravity- not enough to clear their orbital path of other objects.
Process where Temperature and Pressure elevates so high, that Hydrogen atoms were pressed together to form Helium.
Nuclear Fusion
The first 4 Planets are known as the rocky planets, what is the other term for "rocky."
Terrestrial
How far does light travel in one year?
(1 Light-Year)
9.46 trillion kilometers
Convert to Standard Form:
8.63 x 106
8,630,000