Thursday, February 21, 2013

Douglas Middendorf Quiz

What does the solar system look like?
Our solar system consists of planets, asteroids and comets that orbit the sun.
What features of our solar system provide clues to how it formed?
The Sun, planets, and large moons generally rotate and orbit in a very organized way. With the exception of Pluto, the planets divide clearly into two groups: terrestrial and Jovian. The solar system contains huge numbers of asteroids and comets.
What theory best explains the features of our solar system?
The nebular theory.
Where did the solar system come from?
The solar system came from a cloud of gas which was the product of recycling gas through many generations of stars within our galaxy.
What caused the orderly patterns of motion in our solar system?
A collapsing gas cloud naturally tends to heat up, spin faster, and flatten out as it shrinks in size. therefore, our solar system began as a spinning disk of gas.
Why are there two major types of planets?
In the inner solar system it was only possible for terrestrial planets to form due to the high temperatures, and in the outer solar system it was only possible for Jovian planets to form because of cool temperatures.
Where did asteroids and comets come from?
Asteroids are the rocky leftover planetesimals of the inner solar system, and comets are the icy leftover planetesimals of the outer solar system.
How do we explain the existence of our Moon and other exceptions to the rules?
Most of the exceptions probably arose from collisions or close encounters with leftover planetesimals.
When did our planets form?
4.6 billion years ago.
When was Nicolaus Copernicus born?
1473.

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