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Astro 100
For Exam III and Final
30
Astronomy
Undergraduate 4
11/14/2011

Additional Astronomy Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Astronomical Unit (AU)
Definition
Distance from Earth to the Sun.

1.496 x 108km
Term

 

 

Light year/ Speed of Light

Definition



Fastest speed in universe
3 x 105km/s

 

Term

 

Nine Planets

Definition
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Earth
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Term


"Superior" planets
Definition

A planet which orbits the Sun outside of the Earth's orbit. The superior planets are Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and most of the minor planets.
Term
Denisity of Mercury
Definition
5400 kg/m3
Term
Density of Venus
Definition
5200 kg/m3
Term
Density of Mars
Definition
3900 kg/m3
Term
Density of Earth
Definition
5500 kg/m3
Term
Atmosphere of Mercury
Definition
No appreciable atmosphere-- because of low mass and high surface temperature.

Meteroids, X rays, ultraviolet radiation
Term

Atmosphere of Venus

 

Definition
More massive atmosphere than Earth.
Higher atmosphere/ic pressure (90x)
96.5% Carbon Dioxide
Rest is Nitrogen
No water-- sulfuric acid
Term
Atmosphere of Mars
Definition

1/150 pressure of Earth

95.3% Carbon Dioxide
2.7% Nitrogen
Argon, carbon monoxide, H2O Vapor
"air" is 13,000x thinner than Venus

Term
Planets in order of size
Definition
Jupiter - 88,700 miles (142,800 km) in diameter
Saturn - 74,898 miles (120,536 km) in diameter
Uranus - 31,690 miles (51,118 km) in diameter
Neptune - 30,775 miles (49,528 km) in diameter
Earth - 7,926 miles (12,756 km) in diameter
Venus - 7,521 miles (12,104 km) in diameter
Mars - 4,222 miles (6790 km) in diameter
Mercury - 3,031 miles (4,878km) in diameter
Pluto - 1,413 miles (2274 km) in diameter
Term
Order of planets by mass
Definition

Jupiter
Saturn
Neptune
Uranus
Earth

Venus
Mercury
Pluto

Term
Planets in order of Rotation
Definition
Jupiter- 9.84 hrs
Saturn- 10.2 hrs
Uranus- 17.9 hrs
Neptune- 19.1 hrs
Earth- 24 hrs
Mars- 24.6 hrs
Pluto- 6.39 days
Mercury- 58.7 days
Venus- 243 days
Term

 

 

Planets in order of revolution

Definition

Mercury- 87.96 days
Venus- 224.68 days
Earth- 365.26 days
Mars- 687 days

Jupiter- 12 years
Saturn- 29 years
Uranus- 84 years
Neptune- 165 years
Pluto- 248 years

Term

 

 

Planets in order of the number of satellites/moons they have

Definition

Jupiter- 18 named (Galilean)
Saturn- 18+
Uranus- 15
Pluto- 4
Neptune- 2
Mars- 2
Mercury
Venus

 

Term
Density of Planets
Definition


Density of the Planets
[image] The outer, gaseous planets are much less dense than the inner, rocky planets.

The Earth is the densest planet. Saturn is the least dense planet; it would float on water.


Earth
Mercury
Venus
Pluto
Neptune
Jupiter
Uranus
Saturn

Term

 

 

Theoretical Age/Origin of Earth and Moon

Definition

 

 

4.6 billion years ago

Term

 

 

The Greenhouse Effect

Definition

 

 

The absorbtion and trapping by atmospheric gases (primarily CO2 and water vapor) of infrared radiation emitted by Earth's surface. Incoming visible light from the Sun is not significantly absorbed by these gases. By making it more difficult for Earth to radiate its energy back into space, the greehouse effect makes our planet's surface some 40 K warmer than would otherwise be the case.

Term

 

 

Why Earth only sees same half of the moon:

Definition


the moon's rotational period is exactly the same as the orbital period
Term

 

 

Mars

Definition
Mars
Named after: Roman God of war and discord.
Mean Distance from the Sun: 227,936,640 km
Diameter: 6,794 km
Revolution period: 686.93 Earth days
Rotation period: 24.62 hours
Moons: 2: Phobos, Deimos
Atmosphere: 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon. There are some times giant dust storms that get into the whole atmosphere.
Temperature: Surface temperature ranges from -87 to -5 °C
Composition: Mars is a small rocky body once thought to be very Earth-like. Volcanism, impacts from other bodies, movements of its crust, and atmospheric effects such as dust storms have changed its surface.
My weight on Mars: 31.291 pounds
Interesting Facts: It has polar ice caps that grow and recede with the change of seasons.
Term

 

 

Mercury

Definition

Mean Distance from the Sun: 57,909,175 km (35,983,093.1 miles) or 0.387 astronomical units
Diameter: 4,879.4 km (3,031.92 miles)
Revolution period: 0.24 Earth Years (87.97 Earth Days)
Rotation period: 58.65 Earth Days
Moons: None
Atmosphere: Mercury has very little atmosphere. Mercury's thin atmosphere consists of atoms blasted off its surface by the solar wind, a constant stream of particles coming from the outer layer of the Sun.
Temperature: Mercury's surface temperatures range from 467 degrees Celsius (872 degrees Fahrenheit) to -183 degrees Celsius (-300 degrees Fahrenheit). The average surface temperature on Mercury is 166.86 C (332.33° F).
Composition: Rocky planet with many craters.

Term

 

 

Venus

Definition
Mean Distance from the Sun: 108,208,930 km. (6.72 x 107 miles) or 0.723 astronomical units
Diameter: 12,103.6 km (7,520.83 miles)
Revolution period: 224.7 Earth days
Rotation period: 243 Earth days
Moons: None
Atmosphere: It has a thick, poisonous atmosphere of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid.
Temperature: 456.85 C (854.33° F)
Composition: Its surface is covered with lava flows, quake faults and impact craters. Venus has abundant small volcanoes and long lava flows. Venus has cool clouds and an extremely hot surface. Venus has a composition similar to that of basaltic volcanic rocks found on Earth.
My weight on Venus: 75.281 pounds
Interesting facts: Venus spins backwards compared to other planets. One volcano on Venus is bigger than Mt. Everest.

 

Term

 

 

Jupiter

Definition
Mean Distance from the Sun: 778,412,010 km (4.84 x 108 miles) or 5.20 astronomical units
Diameter: 778,412,010 km (4.84 x 108 miles) or 5.20 astronomical units
Revolution period: 11.86 Earth years
Rotation period: 0.41 Earth days (9.8 Earth hours)
Moons: Jupiter has 62 . Four largest are Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa.
Atmosphere: 90% hydrogen, 10% helium, .07% methane
Temperature: 14.85 - 19.85 C (58.73 - 67.73° F)
Composition: Jupiter's core is probably not solid but a dense, hot liquid with a consistency like thick soup. The pressure inside Jupiter may be 30 million times greater than the pressure at Earth's surface.
Interesting Facts: Its immense, complex atmosphere includes the Great Red Spot, a 300-year-old storm that is almost the size of three Earths.
Term

 

 

Saturn

Definition

 

 

Mean Distance from the Sun: 1,426,725,400 km (8.87 x 108 miles) or 9.54 astronomical units
Diameter: 120,536 km (74,897.6 miles)
Revolution period: 29.46 Earth years
Rotation period: 0.44 Earth days (10.2 Earth hours)
Moons: 30: Titan is the largest, and the next six in size are Rhea, Iapetus, Dione, Tethys, Enceladus, and Mimas.
Atmosphere: 97% hydrogen, 3% helium, .05% methane. Surface Temperature: -139.15 C (-218.47° F)
Composition: Saturn is a gas giant. It is made mostly of hydrogen and helium.
My weight on Saturn: 76.028 pounds
Interesting Facts: Winds in the upper atmosphere reach 500 meters per second in the equatorial region. These super-fast winds, combined with heat rising from within the planet's interior, cause the yellow and gold bands visible in its atmosphere

Term

 

 

Uranus

Definition
Mean Distance from the Sun: 2,870,972,200 km (1.78 x 109 miles) or 19.19 astronomical units
Diameter: 51,118 km (31,763.3 miles)
Revolution period: 83.75 Earth years
Rotation period: 0.72 Earth days or 17.9 Earth hours
Moons: Sixteen others had been discovered before 2001. Five of the largest are Miranda, Titania, Oberon, Umbriel, and Ariel.
Atmosphere: 83% hydrogen, 15% helium, 2% methane (at depth). The methane gas above the cloud layers gives it a blue-green color. When the spacecraft flew past Uranus it saw few features to its atmosphere
Mean Surface Temperature: -197.15 C (-322.87° F)
Composition: It is a "gas giant" with no solid surface. It may have a small, silicate-rich core, but most of its gas consists of water, ammonia and methane.
My weight on Uranus: 73.787 pounds
Interesting Facts: Uranus spins backwards compared to other planets.
Term

 

 

Neptune

Definition
Mean Distance from the Sun: 4,498,252,900 km (2.80 x 109 miles) or 30.07 astronomical units
Diameter: 55,528 km (34,503.5 miles)
Revolution period: 163.72 Earth years
Rotation period: 0.67 Earth days (19.1 Earth hours)
Moons: 8: Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Galatea, Larissa, Proteus, Triton, and Nereid.
Atmosphere: Its atmosphere contains hydrogen and helium with enough methane to give it a bluish tint.
Mean Surface Temperature: -200.15 C (-328.27° F)
Composition: Neptune is one of the “Gas Giants” therefore Neptune has no solid surface.
My weight on Neptune: 93.375 pounds
Interesting Facts: Most of the time, it is the eighth planet from the Sun, but because of Pluto's odd-shaped orbit, Neptune is actually the farthest out of the nine planets for about 20 years out of every 248 years.
Term

 

 

Pluto

Definition
Mean Distance from the Sun: 39.48 AU (5,906,376,200 km)
Diameter: 2300 km
Revolution period: 247.92 Earth years
Rotation period: 6.39 Earth Days
Moons: 1: Charon
Atmosphere: perhaps methane and nitrogen
Min/Max Surface Temperature: -233/-223 °C
Composition: perhaps methane ice
My weight on Pluto: 5.561
Interesting Facts: Pluto spins backwards to most other planets.
Term

 

 

Earth

Definition
Mean Distance from the Sun: 1 AU (149,597,890 km)
Diameter: 12756 km
Revolution period: 365.26 Earth Days
Rotation period: 1 day (23.93 hours)
Moons: 1: Luna
Atmosphere: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% argon
Temperature: -88/58 (min/max) °C
Composition: basaltic and granitic rock and altered materials.
My weight on Earth: 83 pounds
Interesting Facts: Oceans at least 4 km deep cover nearly 70 percent of Earth's surface.
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