Download Solar System

Name: _______________________________________________ Date: _____________________ Period: __________
Solar System Notes – Part 1
 Universe: all of space and ________________________________________________
 Galaxy: A large group of __________________________________, solar systems, and
associated gas and dust in space that is bound by _____________________________
 Solar System: Composed of one or more _____________________________ and the
planets and other bodies that orbit around the star(s)
 How did our universe get started?
o Big Bang Theory
 The universe began with a _____________________________________
about 10-15 billion years ago
 Since then, the universe has been ______________________________
 We believe it is still expanding!
 Matter in the universe collected to form stars  stars died in supernova
explosions  explosions added new elements to the universe
 About 5 billion years ago, a __________________________ collapsed to
form the solar system
 Since the “big bang” created the entire universe, ___________________
and ____________________________ did not exist before the big bang
 “Space” and “Time” are concepts that came into being when our
universe began
o How did our solar system form?
 About __________ billion years ago, a nebula collapsed to form the solar
system
 Slowly the nebula shrank into a _________________________________
 Gravity pulled the matter into the disk’s center – sun was born
 Gas and dust started to collect to form ___________________________
 Spheres closest to the __________ lost most of their gases and dust/rock
collected and became very dense = inner planets (Earth, Mars, etc)
 Spheres farther away retained gases to form
________________________________________ = Jupiter, Saturn, etc
 Planet: Any celestial body (other than comets or satellites) that revolves around a
______________________________________________________________________
 Dwarf Planets:
 Comet: A small body of ice, rock, and dust that revolves around a star and
_______________________________________________ as it passes close to the star
 Asteroid: Small, ______________________________, rocky objects that orbit the sun
Name: _______________________________________________ Date: _____________________ Period: __________
 Meteorites: Pieces of __________________________________ that originate in
space and survive a fall to the ground through Earth's atmosphere
o Most are remnants of asteroids or possibly comets
 Sun:
o The Sun is a __________________________________!
o Source of ____________________ & _________________________ for the
planets in the solar system
o Contains ______________________% of the mass in the solar system
o the Earth revolves around the Sun
 Solar flares:
o A sudden eruption of intense
____________________________________________ from the sun's surface
o Associated with __________________________________ and radio
interference
 Star: a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear
reactions in the interior
 Constellations: A _________________________________________ of stars in the sky
 Nebula: A large amount of __________________________________ spread out in an
immense volume
 How are stars made?
o All stars begin as parts of ______________________________________
o Gravity pulls some of the gas and dust together
o This cloud of dust and gas is called a “_____________________________”
o When this cloud of dust and gas gets so hot that
___________________________________________ occurs…a star is born!
 Nuclear fusion – atoms of hydrogen combine to form helium and lots of
energy is released
 Light-year:
o The distance that light travels in ______________________________________
o A measurement of ___________________________, not time!
o In space, light travels at a speed of about 300,000 kilometers per second
o 300,000 km = 186,411 miles = over _______________________ football fields!
 That’s 11,000 football fields a second!
o In one year, light travels about 9.5 trillion _______________________ (about 6
trillion miles)
 Black hole:
o The remains of an __________________________________ pulled into a small
volume by the force of gravity
 Quasar: A distant galaxy with a black hole at its _______________________________