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Planets are objects that orbit the sun and are large enough to [1] _______ [2] ________
-dwarf planets meet criterion __ |
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Definition
1.pull themselves into a round shape and 2. clear the area around their orbits
-dwarf planets meet criterion 1, but b/c they have considerable company in their orbits, they dont meet criterion 2 |
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| There re 5 recognized dwarf planets in the solar system: |
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| Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Ceres |
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| Pluto has 4 known moons, the largest of which is ___, about half the size of Pluto |
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| ___'s highly eccentric orbit carries it from 37.8 austronomical units (AU) out to 97.6 AU |
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| ___ spins so rapidly on its axis that its shape is distorted into a flattened eclipsoid with an equatorial radius that is approx. twice its polar radius |
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| __ is larger then most moons but smaller then any planet. It contains a third of the total mass in the main asteroid belt. |
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| We identify 4 categories of geological activity: |
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1.Definitely active today
2.probably or possibly active today
3.Active in the past but not today
4.Apparently not active at any time since their formation |
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| __ is the Solar System's most volcanically active body |
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| The summit crater of a volcano |
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| Low-temperature volcanism in which the magmas are composed of molten ices rather than rocky material |
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| Cryovolcanism occurs of Saturn's moon, __, and Neptune's moon, __. |
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| The breaking apart of molecules into smaller fragments or individual atoms by the action of photons |
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| Jupiter's moon, ___, is a target in the search for extraterrestrial life |
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| Also called minor planet. a primitive rocky or metallic body (planetismal) that has survived planetary accretion. Asteroids are parent bodies of meteoroids |
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| An asteroid whose orbit brings it close to the orbit of Earth |
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| An asteroid, comet, or large meteoroid whose orbit intersects Earth's orbit |
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| ___ are relics of rocky planetismals that formed between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter |
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| a complex object consisting of a small, solid, icy nucleus; an atmospheric halo; and a tail of gas and dust |
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| A comet nucleus that approaches close enough to the sun to show signs of activity, such as the production of a coma and tail |
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| A disk shaped population of comet nuclei extending from Neptune's orbit to perhaps several thousand AU's from the sun. The highly populated innermost part of the Huiper belt has an outer edge approx. 50 AU from the sun |
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| Also called Transneptunian object. An icy planetismal (comet nucleus) that orbits within the Kuiper belt beyond the orbit of Neptune |
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| A spherical distribution of comet nuclei stretching from beyond the Kuiper belt to more then 50,000 AU from the sun |
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| The Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud are reservoirs of ___ |
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| A comet with an orbital period of less then 200 years |
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| A comet with an orbital period of greater then 200 years |
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| Astronomers use it more generally to mean the central part of an object. Here, it refers to the solid core of a comet |
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| The part of a comet that includes both the nucleus and the inner part of the coma |
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| The nearly spherical cloud of gas and dust surrounding the nucleus of an active comet |
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| A type of comet tail consisting of ionized gas. Particles in the ion tail are pushed directly away from the comet's head in the antisolar direction at high speeds by the solar wind |
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Definition
| A type of comet tail consisting of dust particles that are pushed away from the comet's head by radiation pressure from the sun |
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| The __ is an extended cometary atmosphere surrounding the nucleus of a comet |
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| In comets, remember that both types of tails always point __ from the sun, regardless of which direction the comet is moving. As the comet approaches the sun, its two tails trail __ its nucleus. But the tails extend __ of the nucleus as the comet moves outward from the sun. |
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| __ or __ impacts are infrequent but devastating |
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| A larger-then-normal display of meteors, occuring when earth passes through the orbit of a disintegrating comet, sweeping up its debris |
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| the direction in the sky from which the meteors in a meteor shower seem to come |
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| A meteorite composed primarily of silicate minerals, similar to those found on Earth. |
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| A small, crystallized, spherical inclusion of rapidly cooled molten droplets found inside some meteorites |
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| A stony meteorite containing chondrules |
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| A stony meteorite that does not contain chondrules |
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| a metallic meteorite composed mostly of iron-nickel alloys |
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| a meteorite consisting of a mixture of silicate materials and iron-nickel alloys |
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| the most primitive type of asteroid. not heated enough to melt, low albedo (stony-iron) |
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| An asteroid made of material that has been unmodified from its original state, likely as the outer part of a larger, differentiated body that has since broken into pieces |
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| An asteroid that was once part of the metallic core of a larger, differentiated body that has since been broken into pieces; made mostly of iron and nickel |
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| A primitive stony meteorite that contains chondrules and is rich in carbon and volatile materials |
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| ___ tell us the age of the solar system |
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DISTRIBUTION OF SMALL BODIES:
-dwarf planets
-asteroids
-comets
-moons/satellites |
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Definition
-dwarf planets-almost all in kuiper belt (one in asteroid belt)
-asteroids-asteroid belt
-comets- kuiper belt, Oort cloud
-moons/satellites-respective planets/dwarf planets/ asteroids |
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__(planet) gravity still effects asteroid orbits (resonances).
__ gaps: empty spaces at certain values and a and p |
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__ orbit can either be chaotic or non-chaotic (regular).
-chaotic orbits have __
-nonchaotic resonant orbit gives __ |
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| resonant; occasional wild fluctuations in eccentricity, reaching as much as e=.3 |
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Another kind of clump= __ family
-asteroids with similar orbital elements--common origin--> fragments of a collision |
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| __ and __ of a asteroid vary with distance from the sun |
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meteorites are usually pieces of __(not always though. Can be from comets or other planets);
reflection spectra of __ can often be matched to meteorite spectra |
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| __-type asteroids have experienced processes like melting and differentiation--strong heating; silicate rock from mantle, crust; higher albedo (stony) |
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| __-type asteroids are also differentiated; from metal core; high albedo (iron) |
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ASTEROID DENSITIES:
densities from masses (spacecraft) and sizes.
-higher densities for __ objects of rock, metal
-lower densities for "__ piles" with lots of space between pieces |
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| Most comets do not have __, they stay frozen forever in the outer solar system. A few enter solar system, where they can __ |
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| In the ___, comets orbit in the same plane and direction as planets. |
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| In __, comet orbits are random |
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Definition
-period < 22yrs
-near ecliptic
-prograde orbits, circular or somewhat elongated
-origin often is kuiper belt |
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-200 to maybe 1 million years
-prograde or retrograde orbits in Oort cloud
-large tilts from the ecliptic, very elongated orbits |
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