Download Compute This Practice-Satellites Dwarf Planets 2010

Compute This Practice
Moons, Dwarf Planets, and Plutoids
Answer Key
Part A:
Use EXCEL to construct a bar graph of the number of satellites of Saturn
compared to their year of discovery. Make sure to include a title, and label each
axis, and each year of discovery.
Record the URL of the site that you obtained your data.
http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?sat_discovery
Part B:
Answer the following questions in WORD. Include the URL of the site where you
found the answers.
Only NASA sites may be used.
1. a. What year was the first moon of Saturn discovered? 1655
b. What is the name of the discoverer and the name of the moon?
C. Huygens/Titan
http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?sat_discovery
c. What does your graph reveal about the discovery of the satellites of
Saturn over time? (No URL needed)
Most were discovered since 1980; Only a few (9) were known before
1900, 7 more were discovered by Voyager in 1980, and the majority were
discovered since 2000.
2. List each planet in order of distance from the sun with number of moons
that are officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU)
for each planet.
Mercury - 0
Venus - 0
Earth – 1
Mars – 2
Jupiter – 50
Saturn – 53
Uranus –27
Neptune - 13
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/index.cfm
3. What is the name of the most widely accepted theory for the formation of
the moon?
Giant Impactor Theory
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question38.html
4.
a . What is the difference between a dwarf planet and a plutoid?
A "dwarf planet" is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b)
has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so
that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, (c) has not
cleared the neighborhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite.
Plutoids are celestial bodies in orbit around the Sun at a semi-major axis
greater than that of Neptune that have sufficient mass for their self-gravity
to overcome rigid body forces so that they assume a hydrostatic
equilibrium (near-spherical) shape, and that have not cleared the
neighborhood around their orbit.
A Plutoid is a “dwarf planet” that orbits the Sun at a distance (semi-major
axis) greater than that of Neptune.
b. List the formal names of the known dwarf planets.
Eris (UB313)
Pluto
Ceres
MakeMake (2005 FY9)
Haumea (2003 EL61)
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Dwarf&Display=Overview
Long
5. a What is the name of the Mission to Pluto? New Horizons
b. When is this space probe expected to arrive at Pluto? July 2015
c. How much does the spacecraft weigh in kilograms? 465 kg
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?Sort=Target&Target=Pluto&MC
ode=PKB&Display=ReadMore
Compute This Practice 2010
Moons, Dwarf Planets, and Plutoids
Part A:
Use EXCEL to construct a bar graph of the number of satellites of Saturn
compared to their year of discovery. Make sure to include a title, and label each
axis, and each year of discovery.
Record the URL of the site that you obtained your data.
Part B:
Answer the following questions in WORD. Include the URL of the site where you
found the answers.
Only NASA sites may be used.
1. a. What year was the first moon of Saturn discovered?
b. What is the name of the discoverer and the name of the moon?
c. What does your graph reveal about the discovery of the satellites of
Saturn over time? (No URL needed)
2. List each planet in order of distance from the sun with number of moons
that are officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU)
for each planet.
3. What is the name of the most widely accepted theory for the formation of
the moon?
4.
a . What is the difference between a dwarf planet and a plutoid?
b. List the formal names of the known dwarf planets.
5. a What is the name of the Mission to Pluto?
b. When is this space probe expected to arrive at Pluto?
c. How much does the spacecraft weigh in kilograms?
Make an XY Scatter plot of Equatorial Gravity vs Escape Velocity for the 8
planets plus Pluto.
Make a line graph of distance vs orbital period for each planet in the Solar
System.
Make a double line graph with two axes for orbital velocity and orbital period vs
distance for the 8 planets and dwarf planets.
Make a bar graph of eccentricity vs distance.
Make a bar graph of rate of rotation vs distance.
Make a line graph of rate of rotation vs rate of revolution.Make an XY Scatter plot
of Equatorial Gravity vs Escape Velocity for the 8 planets plus Pluto.
Make a line graph of distance vs orbital period for each planet in the Solar
System.
http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?planet_phys_par