Studied by 3 peopleWhat is the typical size of the most known asteroids?
A few kilometers
What is the defining property of the Trojan asteroids?
They have orbits at the distance of Jupiter and 60° ahead of or behind it
The three largest asteroids are?
Ceres, Pallas, and Vestas
The Trojan asteroids have orbits that lie where?
60° a head of or behind Jupiter
The Apollo and Aten asteroids have orbits that?
Cross the orbit of earth at perihelion.
The orbits of most comets lie where?
Lie almost entirely beyond the orbit of Neptune
What are comets made of?
Silicates and rocky dust, metallic dust particles, dark colored complex hydrocarbons, methane, ammonia, and water ice
The Oort cloud is thought to be?
The spherical cloud of comets, and some larger icy bodies surrounding the outer solar system
The nucleus, or main solid body, of a comet has a typical size of?
A few kilometers
Long period comets are thought to reside mainly in the?
Oort cloud
Haleys comet last past Earth in 1986. It will be due back in?
2061
The Kuiper belt objects have orbits that stay where?
They lie just beyond Neptune and close to the ecliptic
From its orbit, we now recognize Pluto as the largest member of the?
Kuiper belt
The largest Kuiper belt body is?
Eris
Most famous asteroid impact scar on earth is located in?
Arizona
The body which wiped out the dinosaurs was about…
As big as one of mars moons
The major impact in the Yucatán wiped out the dinosaurs about…
65 million years ago
What is the name of the theory that is currently used to describe the formation of the solar system?
Nebular theory
The Kuiper belt is found where in the solar system?
Beyond the orbit of Neptune
What is the role of irregularities in the solar system in terms of theories of its origin?
They introduce a need for flexibility, in theories of the solar systems origin
What might have made the original solar nebula begin to contract?
The shockwave from a nearby exploding Star
The meteorites that strike earth are how old?
4.6 billion years old.
What is true about solar system densities
The denser planets lie closer to the sun
The Jovian planets all have _____ around their equator.
rings
What happens when a solar nebula contracts?
It heats up, spins faster, flattens out.
In light of modern solar system theory, why do the orbits of the planets all lie in the same plane?
The early solar nebula flattened into a disk
What is the process of accretion?
Growth of an object by the accumulation of matter
Conservation of angular momentum means that the spinning body tends to?
Keep spinning
What was the primary role of dust in the formation of the solar system?
Dust acted as condensation nuclei platforms to which other particles could attach and form larger particles of matter
As a solar nebula contracts, it reacts how?
Spins faster
As a rotating gas cloud contracts, how is its rotation effected?
It spins faster due to conservation of angular momentum
Why are the Jovian planets so large?
They formed from the largest Proto planets which swept gas from the solar nebula
How does the melting and vaporization point of materials determine the composition of the planets?
Durable solids that are very hard to melt in vaporize form, close to the sun, making terrestrial planets
The concept that Jupiter and other Jóvenes formed farther out then their present orbits is called?
Planetary migration
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