AS101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Moon, Mars 2, Space Debris
Document Summary
Composition hydrogen, helium, and methane atmospheres slushy interior (rocks, water, methane); heavy element core. Axis of rotation is tilted at 98 degrees. Distance from sun 30au almost same as uranus. Moons earth 1 moon, mars 2 moons, jupiter 67. The total mass of all the other objects is less than that of the earths moon. Found throughout solar system but mostly between mars and jupiter. Average separation in asteroid belt is 1. 3 million km. Ices: water ice, dry ice, carbon monoxide, methane, ammonia. If its orbit carries it toward the sun, the warmth will cause gas and dusty to be released from the nucleus. Comet tails can stretch 10^8 km, always point away from the sun. Short period comets that orbit in the ecliptic come from the kuiper belt (beyond neptune) Long period comets approaching the sun from random directinos come from the oort cloud (about one light-year from the sun} A momentary trail of light across the sky.
