QUIZ - 2.21.13

1.    What does the solar system look like?

• The solar system looks like and consists of planets. Planets are little compared to the distances between each one of them. Every world has its own nature but there are many clear patterns throughout them all.

2.    What features of our solar system provide clues to how it formed?

• Features of our solar system that provide clues to how it is formed would be the motions of large bodies. They have the same direction and plane and contain two major planet types; Comets & Asteroids.

3.    What theory best explains the features of our solar system?

• The best theory which explains the features of our solar system would be the Nebula Theory: the origin of the solar system according to which a rotating nebula cooled and contracted, throwing off rings of matter that contracted into the planets and their moons, while the great mass of the condensing nebula became the sun.

4.    Where did the solar system come from?

• The solar system came from galactic recycling, this built the elements from which all of the planets were formed.

5.    What caused the orderly patterns of motion in our solar system?

• The cause of orderly patterns of motion in our solar system would be when the solar nebula. It rotated faster, as it contracted because of the conservation of angular momentum.

6.    Why are there two major types of planets?

• There are two major types of planets because there are two main types of planets because the two categories separate the planets into more specific groups.
• Terrestrial planets have a rocky surface and are inside of the asteroid belt that separates the Terrestrial planets from the Gas Giants. The Terrestrial planets are: (in order of distance to the sun (close to far) Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
• Gas Giants are mostly made up of gasses and are very large in size Gas Giants are: (in order of distance to the sun (close to far) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

7.    Where did asteroids and comets come from?

• Asteroids and comets came from the extra planetesimals; Asteroids are believed to be pieces of a planet which on collision with the planet Jupiter broke into pieces. These revolve around the sun just like the planets. Comets are just big chunks of rock, dust, ice and frozen gases.

8.    How do we explain the existence of our Moon and other exceptions to the rules?

• We explain the existence of our Moon and other exceptions to the rules because of the material torn from Earth’s crust, in which a massive collision shaped the Moon.

9.    When did our planets form?

• Our planets formed 4.5 billion years ago.

10.  When was Nicolaus Copernicus born?

• Nicolaus Copernicus was born in February 19, 1473.