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Space Exploration
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| What does the name mean that ancient astronomers gave to the planets | wonders |
| name the planents in order from the sun | mecury, venus, earth, mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune |
| what are snowballs of frozen gases, rock & dust that heat up and spew dust and gases into a giant glowing heat | comets |
| what happens when comets get near the sun | their gases form a tail that stretches away from the sun |
| what are little chunks of rocks & debris called | meteoroids |
| can meteoroids be found in our solar system | yes |
| what are these chunks (meteroroids) called when they enter the atmosphere of a planet | meteors |
| what are the meteors called when they hit the ground | meteorites |
| what is another name for meteorites | shooting stars |
| what are the four planets closest to the sun | mercury, venus, earth, mars |
| why are the 4 planets closest to the sun called terrestrial planets? | because they have solid rocky surfaces |
| what are the the other 4 planets fartherest from the sun called | gas |
| how many known moons are there orbiting around the planets in our solar system | 146 |
| what is the largest object in our solar system | sun |
| how much of the total mass of our solar system is made up of the sun | 98% |
| How many Earths could fit in the sun | 1.3 million |
| How is the energy of the sun carried from its core to the surface | in a process of convection where it is released as light & heat |
| what does the sun's temperatures range from | 15,000 deg. C in the core to 6,000 deg. C on its surface |
| How long does it take energy from the sun's core to reach its surface | 1 million years |
| where do sunspots occur | on the sun in areas where the temperature is cooler |
| what is our sun's next stage in its life called | red giant where it becomes a white dwarf |
| when stars begin to form what do they initially begin as | a cloud of dust & gas |
| what are stars made up of | 97% Hydrogen & 3% helium |
| what holds stars together | gravity |
| what is the first stage in the life cycle of a star | prostar |
| is a star stable during the prostar phase | not at this point |
| What will the prostar need in order to achieve & maintain equillibrium | it will need a balance between gravity pulling it toward the center & the gas pressure pushing heat & light away from the center |
| what do we identify the firth of a star as | the moment it begins fusing hydrogen in the core into helium |
| what is needed for a prostar to become a star | gas pressure must equal gravity's pull |
| What happens if a critical temperature in the core of a prostar isn't reached | it becomes a brown dwarf & never becomes a star |
| what phase do most stars live out their life in | in a phase called main sequence |
| explain what size star lives the longest | a small star because it doesn't burn fuel as fast as a large star does |
| what are all stars made of | hydrogen & helium gas |
| what is the star's main goal in life | achieve stability or equilibrium |
| what is being signaled when stars begin to burn helium | that the star is dying |
| what stage follows the main sequence stage | red giant stage |
| what happens to the stars after the red giant stage | low mass stars become white dwarf that is about the size of earth |
| what do medium mass stars become | neutron star |
| when does supernova happen | when medium mass stars become neutron stars |
| what might the largest mass stars become | black hole |
| what does the Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram show | the relationships & differences among stars |
| what does each dot on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram show | it represents a star |
| What does the HR diagram describe | the luminosity & temperature of a star |
| what is luminosity | the star's absolute magnitude or brightness |
| describe a star in the top left corner of the HR diagram | hot & bright |
| how many phases of the moon are there | 8 phases |
| what are the 8 phases of the moon called | 1. new moon 2. waxing crescent 3. first quarter 4. waxing gibbous 5. full moon 6.wanning gibbous 7. last quarter 8. waning crescent |
| how long does a complete cycle of the phases of the moon take | 29.5 days |
| what are tides caused by | gravitational interaction between the Earth & Moon |
| what are strong tides that occur at full & new moon phases | spring tides |
| when do neap tides occur | during the quarter moon & they are especially week |
| when does a lunar eclipse occur | when the moon passes through the shadow of earth |
| what color will the moon turn during a lunar eclipse | red |
| when does a solar eclipse occur | when the moon comes between the Earth & sun &most of the sun's light is blocked |
| is it dangerous to look at a solar eclipse | yes |
Created by:
rudolph.beukes
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