Term
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Definition
| Suspected by Voyager to be active because of lightly cratered terrain and hotspots. Subject to cryovolcanism. |
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Term
| How did terrestrial planets form? |
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Definition
Collisions between planetesimals
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Term
| How did the jovian planets form? |
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Definition
| accreted gas onto an ice/rock core |
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Term
| What are Jupiter's and Saturn's clouds composed of (makes them red and white)? |
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Definition
| Ammonia, ammonium hydrosulfide, and water |
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Term
| What makes Neptune and Uranus blue? |
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Definition
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Term
| How can we remotely study pressure? |
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Definition
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Term
| What causes the latitude bands on Jovian planets? |
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Definition
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Term
| What causes coriolis forces? |
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Definition
| the rotation of the planet |
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Term
| What causes the magnetic fields on Jupiter and Saturn? |
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Definition
| High pressure creates metallic hydrogen |
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Term
| What causes the magnetic fields on Uranus and Neptune? |
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Definition
| Salty ocean, moving due to convection and coriolis force |
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Term
| Which of the giant planets have dynamic weather? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the 5 major parts of a comet? |
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Definition
| Nucleus (central chunk of ice), coma (comet's 'atmosphere'), ion/plasma tail (charged particles pointing directly away from the sun), dust tail (dust affected by sun and comet's direction), and hydrogen envelope |
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Term
| What are the two types of comets and what distinguishes them? |
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Definition
| Short period (less than 200 years) and long period (high inclination) |
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Term
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Definition
| Not on the ecliptic plane; where long period comets originate |
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Term
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Definition
| On the orbital plane, formed via gravitational encounters with giant planets |
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Term
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Definition
1. It orbits a star
2. It is spherical
3. It has cleared its neighborhood of other objects |
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Term
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Definition
| A planet (orbits star, spherical) that hasn't cleared its neighborhood of other objects |
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Term
| What are the two main clumps of dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt? |
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Definition
| Plutinos at 40 AU having a resonance with Neptune, and the main belt. |
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Term
| What types of light make up the electromagnetic spectrum (from shortest to longest wavelength)? |
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Definition
| Gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet light, visible light, infrared light, radio waves |
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Term
| Shorter wavelenth= ______ frequency |
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Definition
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Term
| Lower frequency=______ wavelength |
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Definition
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Term
| Higher frequency=_____ energy |
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Definition
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Term
| Higher energy=_____ wavelength |
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Definition
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Term
| If we see visible light from an object, what is its likely source? |
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Definition
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Term
| If we observe infrared light from a planet, what is its likely source? |
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Definition
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Term
| Where do emission and absorption spectra come from, with regard to an object? |
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Definition
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Term
| Why would there be a large absorption spectra in the infrared coming from a planet? |
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Definition
| greenhouse gases absorb peak infrared radiation |
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Term
| Where do infrared excesses come from? |
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Definition
| Young stars' accretion disks |
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Term
| Where in the solar system are Trojan asteroids? |
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Definition
| They occupy the same distance from the sun as Jupiter, in front of and behind it in its orbit |
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Term
| Why couldn't a planet form between Mars and Jupiter, and what causes gaps in the main belt? |
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Definition
| Resonances with Jupiter prevented the formation of a planet and causes gaps in the main belt |
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Term
| What are the four types of meteorites? |
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Definition
| Chondrites, achondrites, stony-iron, and iron |
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Term
| What are the characteristics of chondrites? |
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Definition
| They are undifferentiated, very old, formed from the virgin material of the solar system |
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Term
| What are the characteristics of achondrites, stony-iron, and iron type meteorites? |
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Definition
| They are differentiated; they come from larger, differentiated planetesimals |
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Term
| Are larger asteroids generally "monolith" or "rubble pile" in nature? |
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Definition
| "Rubble pile," if they spin too fast they will break apart. Smaller "monoliths" can spin much faster. |
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Term
| In the core of the sun, light is in what form? What causes it to be visible light that escapes the sun? |
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Definition
| In the core, light is in the form of gamma rays. it gets absorbed and re-emitted multiple times, and emerges as visible light |
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Term
| In other solar systems, what could be the cause of "hot Jupiters" found near suns? |
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Definition
| Gravitational interaction cause may cause giant planets to migrate inward |
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Term
| When did life on Earth really diversify and take off? |
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Definition
| During the Cambrian Explosion, 500 million years ago |
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Term
| How long did it take for life to take over the planet? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is surprising about Jupiter's moon Callisto? |
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Definition
| It is undifferentiated in its interior |
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Term
| What causes the aurora on Jupiter? |
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Definition
| Particles coming off of Io and other moons, pulled by the magnetic field of Jupiter |
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Term
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Definition
| Hotter objects emit more light at all wavelengths |
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Term
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Definition
| Carbon- and water-based cellular form with complex organization and heritable genetic information |
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