Solar System Study Guide (2025) PDF

Moons of the Jovian Planets, Asteroids, Comets and Meteoroids, & Origin and Formation of the Solar System Study Guide Moons of the Jovian Planets Jupiter ​ The 4 Galilean moons: Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Io ​ Significant characteristics of each mo...

Moons of the Jovian Planets, Asteroids, Comets and Meteoroids, & Origin and Formation of the Solar System Study Guide Moons of the Jovian Planets Jupiter ​ The 4 Galilean moons: Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Io ​ Significant characteristics of each moon that are unique among others ○​ Callisto is the oldest, most heavily cratered surface in the Solar System ○​ Europa has a cracked, icy crust with few craters suggesting its surface is not very old, evidence leaning to a possible ocean and life existing. ○​ Ganymede is the largest moon of the Solar System, has its own magnetic field, also possible ocean, & has strange, grooved terrain suggesting tectonic activity. ○​ Io is the only moon known to have active volcanism visible from the surface. Saturn ​ Significant characteristics of each moon that are unique among others ○​ Titan – Saturn’s largest moon and 2nd largest moon to Ganymede in the Solar System, thick nitrogen atmosphere (thicker than Earth’s/1.6 atm. x Earth’s), Cassini (2004) & Huygens probes landed ○​ Enceladus – fresh, clean icy surface with icy volcanoes that erupt ice into Saturn’s rings, reflective. Neptune ​ Significant characteristics of one of its moons ○​ Triton – largest moon with surface temp. of -391ͦ F (coldest object measured in solar system), retrograde orbit inclined 23 degrees to Neptune’s equator, streaks from nitrogen geysers Pluto ​ Why did Pluto get demoted to a dwarf planet? ​ What is its composition? What are its surface features? ​ What is different about its orbit as compared to planets in our solar system? ​ Exoplanets ​ What are the radial velocity and transit methods of exoplanet discovery? ​ What features do the above methods “bias” towards? What types of planets are they more likely to discover? ​ What would data for the above methods look like for a small vs. a large planet? Asteroids, Comets & Meteoroids ​ What are asteroids? remnant “left-over” space debris? (compare in size to planet/planetesimal) ​ Asteroid Belt – between Mars & Jupiter (where majority reside) ○​ Ceres: largest as dwarf planet ​ Types: C, S, and M – made of metals, silicate (rocky), carbon (carbonaceous) - Orbits and Earth-crossing types ​ What could happen to the Earth if one collided with us? What would be the consequences? EX: Dinosaur extinction 65M years ago – happen again? ​ Comets – “Dirty Snowballs” What are they? What are they made of? Parts? Types of Tails? Orbits? ​ Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt – short-term vs. long-term comets ​ EX: Halley’s Comet – most recent return to Sun in 1986 (every 76 years) ​ Meteoroids, Meteor Storms/Meteor Showers & Meteorites – What are they? How related to comets? Describe and differentiate between them in terms of their unique characteristics ​ Meteor craters: Winslow, AZ, Tunguska, Russia. What is a fireball? Why study meteorites?​ The Origin and Formation of the Solar System ​ Nebular Origin Hypothesis & Theory – what is it? Describe the basic steps of the process of solar system formation (in general and related directly to the formation of our own Solar System) ​ What is a protostar? How is a star like our Sun eventually “born”? ​ Formation and growth of planetesimals – growth through condensation and accretion - Growth of protoplanets – inner vs. outer planet differences ○​ differentiation of rocky planets and formation of secondary atmospheres (outgassing) ○​ Story of Planet Building ○​ Masses < ~15 Earth masses (Terrestrials) vs. masses > ~15 Earth masses (Jovians) - The Jovian Problem: What are two problems for the theory of planet formation? ​ Evidence for ongoing planet formation in other solar systems (ie: dust disks, wobbling, etc.) ​ What are “Extrasolar” or “Exosolar” planets? How do astronomers detect their existence? – use of Doppler Effect for light through telescope observations – how does that work? ​ Clearing of the solar nebula – the remains of the protostellar nebula were cleared by what 4 processes? ​ Age of the Solar System – Age of our Sun, the planets, and overall solar system? Radioactive dating