ASTRO-110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 27: Oort Cloud, Inverse-Square Law, Interstellar Cloud
9 Oct 2020
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Document Summary
Patterns of motion among large bodies: orbit and rotate in a very organized way. Two major types of planets: small rocky planets, and large gas-rich planets. Asteroids and comets: which orbit the sun and follow distinct patterns. Exceptions to the rules: earths large moon, uranus on its side etc. All orbits are nearly circular and lie in the same plane. Orbit in the same direction: counter clockwise. Rotate in the same direction with a small axis tilt. Two distinct planetary classes: terrestrial and jovian. Made mostly of h, he, and h compounds. Asteroids: rocky bodies that are smaller than planets. Comets: small objects that orbit the sun that are made up of ices. Solar system formed from the gravitational collapse of an interstellar cloud of gas. Because an interstellar cloud is usually called a nebula. Planets formed from blobs of gas that had been gravitationally pulled out of the sun.
