AST101H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Liquid Hydrogen, Oort Cloud, Kuiper Belt

• School: UTSG
• Department: Astronomy & Astrophysics
• Course: AST101H1
• Professor: Michael Reid

Document Summary

Stars balls of plasma that produce energy by nuclear fusion. Planets rocky, icy or gassy, and doesn"t produce much energy. Moon any large body that orbits a planet. Solar system consists of a star orbited by planets, moons, and lots of debris (comets, asteroids, dust). (the) solar system refers to our solar system, solar system or star system refers to other solar systems. Terrestrial planets small, rocky, thin or no atmosphere, few moons, made of heavy elements. Jovian planets large, liquid + gas, small rocky core, many moons, made of light elements ( gas giants ) Criteria for planets: orbit stars (e. g. sun, must be massive enough for their own gravity to compress them into spherical shapes, must have cleared their orbits. Planets that fail last criteria are dwarf planets e. g. pluto. Almost all planets and their moons orbit in a counter-clockwise direction except.