Planets & Solar System

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Terrestrial Planets

Back 1

MVEM – small, dense, rocky, and heavily cratered(usually)

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Jovian Planets

Back 2

JSUN - large, gaseous, low-density
Their moons are similar to terrestrial. All have rings of dust and ice particles

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Prograde

Back 3

normal motion, West to East across the sky

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Retrograde

Back 4

backwards motion, East to West across the sky

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Geocentric Model

Back 5

Earth centered

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Heliocentric model

Back 6

Sun-centered. Explains retrograde motion. Contradicted previous thinking and religious teachings. Earth noncentral.

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Perihelion

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the point on the elliptical path that is closest to the sun.

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Aphelion

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point on the elliptical path that is furthest from Sun.

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Spectroscopy

Back 9

analysis of the way matter emits and absorbs electromagnetic radiation.

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Spectrometer

Back 10

instrument for analyzing spectra.

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Ejecta Blanket

Back 11

deposit of debris generated during impact

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Absolute Age Date

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sample and analyze for amount of certain radioactive elements. Used on Earth, moon, and some meteorites from Mars.

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Relative Age Date

Back 13

2 methods: (1) layer of rock above is younger than layer below. (2) Counting number of impact craters in a certain area and comparing with counts from Moon where absolute age is known.

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Differentiation

Back 14

process of density layering of planet/moon

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Shield Volcano

Back 15

built up from successive low viscosity lava flows. Low angled slopes.

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Coronae

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elevated ring with troughs and ridges. Occur in chains.

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Lava Domes

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circular w/ steep sides. Req. flat topography. Overlap

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Calderas

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large collapse structures @ volcanoes with concentric fractures.

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Pyroclastic rocks

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volcanic rock made up of fragments of cooled magma

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Tesserae

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highly deformed highland areas. Up/Down magma plumes.

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Eudoxus

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founded 1st observatory. Believed Earth motionless & surrounded by crystalline spheres.

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Aristotle

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Earth spherical because shadow was curved during a lunar eclipse. Refined Eudoxus’ system (55 crystalline spheres w/in spheres).

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Aristarchus of Samos

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Dev. 1st heliocentric model before Copernicus. Measured relative distances to the Sun and Moon and determined their size.

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Claudius Ptolemy

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Combined best features of geocentrism with accurate planet positions.Created epicycles
Published Almagest

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Nicolaus Copernicus

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Rediscovered Aristarchus’s heliocentric model.

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Tycho Brahe

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One of best observational astronomers. Observed with instruments of his own design.
Advocated geocentric. Foundation for Kepler’s laws. Metal Nose. Aristocrat

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Johannes Kepler

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Joined Tycho & developed explanations for Tycho’s data. Accepted heliocentric

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Laws of Planetary Motion

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1st: Orbital paths of planets are elliptical with sun @ one focus.
2nd: An imaginary line connecting the Sun to any planet sweeps out equals areas of the ellipse in equal intervals of time. (planets/bodies travel faster closer to sun).
3rd: The square of a planet’s orbital period is proportional to the cube of its semi-major axis (square of the planet’s period and its distance from Sun cubed are proportional).

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Galileo Galilei

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First to use telescope to observe sky.
Provided indisputable support for heliocentric

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Isaac Newton

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Provided physical explanations of Kepler’s laws. Laws of motion and gravitation.

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Spectroscopy Process

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EM radiation from source (Sun) arrives @ planetary surface/atmosphere. Some wavelengths are absorbed, some emitted. Which wavelengths are absorbed/emitted depends on composition of material.

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Atom

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smallest form of a chemical element that retains its chemical properties

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Isotopes

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atoms w/ same number of protons, different number of neutrons

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Ion

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atom that loses or gains one or more electrons

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Kirchoff's Continuous Law

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A hot solid object produces light w/ a continuous spectrum

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Kirchoff's Emission Law

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A hot tenuous gas produces light w/ spectral lines @ discrete wavelengths which depend on the energy levels of the atoms in the gas

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Kirchoff's Absorption Law

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A hot solid object surrounded by a cool tenuous gas produces light with an almost continuous spectrum which has gaps at discrete wavelengths depending on the energy levels of the atoms in the gas.

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Why is the spectra of our sun INCOMPLETE?

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It may initially radiate a complete spectrum, the gases in its atmosphere actually absorb certain wavelengths

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Doppler Effect

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change in wavelength of radiation caused by the motion of a source. Used to determine velocity of a star

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Redshift

Blueshift

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object is moving away

object is moving toward

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Moon

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Dark areas are maria (vast floods of basaltic lava)
Lighter areas are older heavily-cratered highlands.
Formed from a giant impact on Earth.

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Mars

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Thin CO2 atmosphere. Red due to iron-oxides.
2 small satellites that resemble asteroids.
Olympus Mons – largest known volcano.
Largest canyon system.
Polar ice caps.

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Jupiter

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Largest planet. 11 Earth diameters. 16+ moons.

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Saturn

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10 times diameter of Earth.

Rings are mostly water ice 30+ moons.

Cassini spacecraft now in orbit will visit many of its moons.

Titan(moon) - *most* interesting body in Solar System.

Thick dense atmosphere( only moon to have one)

Major target for life forms.

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Uranus

Back 45

15+ satellites and a ring system.
Rotates on its side