ASTR 1101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Solar System, Nuclear Reaction, Spiral Galaxy
Document Summary
The planets- what are they? (only true for our solar system) 8 planets: orbits the sun, massive enough to become spherical under its own gravity (a ball, not a potato, must clear its own orbit. Dwarf planets- icy: follows 1&2, this includes pluto, so cold b/c length from sun, even nitrogen is iced, pluto is a kiker belt object . 6. past pluto is eris- the biggest dwarf plan. In between mars n jupiter, ceres- largest asteroid in the asteroid belt also an d. p. Terrestrial planets-rocky- 4: all are rocky, exsist close to sun, mercury, venus, earth, mars, all small, few satellites, no rings, characteristics, volcanoes, active atmospheres, weather patterns, mercury doesn"t have. Jovian planets-gasy-4: gas planets, primarily hydrogen, some helium and very little metal, exist far from the sun where water is frozen, several satellites, all have rings. Little suns that can"t shine : active upper atmospheres. Nebula- stellar nurseries: essentially gas and dust, born in groups of millions.
