Solar system

Question 1

What is the order of planets?

Answer 1

Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Question 2

What is the diameter of Earth?

Answer 2

12 760 km

Question 3

What is the smallest planet?

Answer 3

Mercury (3000 km)

Question 4

What is the largest planet?

Answer 4

Jupiter (143 000 km)

Question 5

What planets are made of gas?

Answer 5

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Question 6

How and when did the moon form?

Answer 6

Hadean/when 2 protoplanets collided

Question 7

Pluto was a planet until…

Answer 7

2006

Question 8

Why did we call the moon (THE Moon)

Answer 8

It was the first we observed

Question 9

Define an element

Answer 9

A substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by chemical reactions.
OR
a substance made up of a single atom type
OR
Building blocks for all materials that exists on Earth

Question 10

Why can carbon 14 be used for carbon dating?

Answer 10

Radioactive/unstable elements have half life. Carbon 14 is unstable and radioactive decay = carbon decay

Question 11

Define isotope

Answer 11

When atoms have same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons

Question 12

Currently how many elements are known?

Answer 12

118 known, which is about 20% only exist in trace/ultrasmall amounts or when synthesized in a laboratory

Question 13

Define nuclear fusion

Answer 13

• Reactions where two elements with lighter nuclei (less protons) combine to form a single heavier nucleus (with more protons)
• Releases energy that powers sun and other stars
• powers sun and other stars

Question 14

What are the reactants and products of nuclear fusion

Answer 14

Reactants: tritium and deuterium
Products: energy, helium, neutrion

Question 15

Helium/hydrogen will leave the atmosphere so why is there that still has gas in atmosphere?

Answer 15

H: chemical reactions, bacterial activity
He: slow decay of +++ wuantity of radioactive sustances

Question 16

What is a satellite

Answer 16

A natural object (aka natural satelite or moon) or spacecfraft that orbits a larger astronomical body

Natural satellites are the moons that orbit planets

Question 17

Planets furthest from sun (jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune) have all but __ of the moons in solar system

Answer 17

3

Question 18

Which planet has the most moons? (146)

Answer 18

Saturn

Question 18

Which planets have no moon?

Answer 18

Mercury and Venus

Question 19

Define asteroid

Answer 19

Small natural bodies (less/equal 1000 km in size/diameter that orbit SUN) and it is found in asteroid belt and kuiper belt.

Question 20

What is an asteroid belt

Answer 20

A torus-shaped (eg donut or ring shaped) region found between orbits of Mars and Jupiter

Question 21

In middle of asteroid belt is…

Answer 21

Ceres, first known asteroid (now considered a dwarf planet)

Question 22

Dwarf planet is…

Answer 22

A body, other than a natural satellite/moon, that orbits sun and is smaller than mercury (smallest planet) but large enough for its own gravity to have rounded its shape

Question 23

When was Ceres discovered?

Answer 23

1801 by Guiseppe Piazza in Palermo, Italy

Question 24

What is the diameter of Ceres?

Answer 24

946 km

Question 25

Who is Ceres?

Answer 25

Ancient Roman goddess of agriculture, fertility and motherly relationships

Question 26

Where are the asteroid belt and kuiper belt?

Answer 26

Asteroid belt: between Mars and Jupiter Kuiper belt: After Neptune

Question 27

Asteroids can be divided into 2 camps

Answer 27

- Greeks, named after Greek heroes - Trojans named after Trojan heroes

Question 28

What are Hildas asteroids?

Answer 28

More than 5000 asteroids located beyond asteroid belt, closer to Jupiter.

Question 29

Define Kuiper belt

Answer 29

An asteroid belt in outer solar system containing many bodies leftover from when solar system formed

Question 30

Name multiple dawrf planets found in Kuiper belt

Answer 30

Pluto, orcus, haumea, quaoar, makemake

Question 31

Why is Pluto not a planet?

Answer 31

Shares its orbital zone with many objects from Kuiper belt, including other dwarf planets.

Question 32

Is Pluto considered a dwarf planet

Answer 32

Yes

Question 33

What is another dwarf planet?

Answer 33

Eris (slightly smaller than Pluto, revolves around the Sun beyond the orbit of Pluto)

Question 34

Pluto shares its orbital zone with many bodies from the Kuiper belt! So it has not...

Answer 34

Cleared the neighbourhood arounds its orbit.

Question 35

Planet means...

Answer 35

Wanderers (comes from the Greek planetes)

Question 36

Characteristics of planet

Answer 36

- A large natural body that revolves/orbits around a star (yes for Pluto) - Does not radiate energy from internal nuclear fusion reactions, otherwise it's a star (yes for Pluto) - Must be more thna 1000 km in diameter or larger than Ceres the Dwarf planet (yes for Pluto) - Must be large enough to be rounded by its own (yes for Pluto) - Squeezed by its own gravity into a sphere (yes for Pluto) - Body must have cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit (NO FOR PLUTO)

Question 37

What does clearing the neighbourhood mean?

Answer 37

(aka dynamical dominance) refers to a body becoming gravitationally dominant

Question 38

For a celestial body to be considered a planet, there must be...

Answer 38

no other bodies in its orbital zone that are comparable size unless they are the body's own satellites/moons orbitting around it.

Question 39

Again, Pluto is not a planet because...

Answer 39

It shares its orbital zone objects from kuiper belt, including dwarf planets.