The Sun & Solar System
What is the biggest celestial object in our Solar System?
The Sun
What two factors affect the strength of gravity between two objects?
Mass and distance
What are the small, rocky planets closest to the Sun called?
Terrestrial planets
What is gravity?
A force that allows a planet or other body to draw objects toward it.
What are naturally-formed bodies that orbit planets?
Moons.
What keeps the planets in the Solar System instead of floating away? (2 forces)
Gravity and inertia
Why does Jupiter have stronger gravity than Earth?
It has much greater mass
What are the large, gaseous planets farther from the Sun called?
Jovian planets
What has gravity?
Anything that has mass.
What is a small, rocky object that orbit the Sun?
Asteroid
What do we call the path a planet takes around the Sun?
Orbit
What happens to the force of gravity as distance between two objects increases?
It decreases
Which planet type includes Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune?
Jovian
Who came up with the Law of Universal Gravitation?
Isaac Newton
What separates the inner and outer planets? It is also an orbiting ring of rocky objects.
The Main Asteroid Belt.
What shape best describes the planets’ orbits?
Elliptical (ellipse)
How do gravity and inertia work together to keep planets in orbit?
Gravity pulls inward; inertia keeps planets moving forward
Name one difference in composition between terrestrial and Jovian planets.
Terrestrial = rock/metal, Jovian = gas/ice
What scientific law states that every mass in the universe attracts every other mass with a force that is based on their mass and their distance from each other?
Law of Universal Gravitation
What is an object made of dust and ice that orbits the Sun?
Comet
What is the name of the system that includes the Sun, planets, moons, and other space objects?
The Solar System
What keeps the Moon orbiting Earth?
Earth’s gravity and the Moon’s inertia
What are the terrestial planets?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
What is the Law of Gravitation in your own words?
Answers will vary.
What is a rocky object that enters Earth's atmosphere?
Meteor