Solar System Astronomy Flashcards
6 cards from real ASP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Solar System Astronomy flashcards as text
Mars has two small moons. What are their names?
Answer: Phobos and Deimos
Phobos and Deimos are the two small, irregularly shaped moons of Mars, likely captured asteroids from the nearby asteroid belt.
What is the Great Red Spot on Jupiter?
Answer: A persistent high-pressure storm
The Great Red Spot is a persistent anticyclonic storm system in Jupiter's southern hemisphere that has been observed for at least 350 years.
What is the Roche limit in planetary science?
Answer: The closest distance a body can orbit without being torn apart by tidal forces
The Roche limit is the minimum orbital distance at which a celestial body, held together only by gravity, can orbit a more massive body without being torn apart by tidal forces.
Which planet rotates on its side with an axial tilt of about 98°?
Answer: Uranus
Uranus has an axial tilt of approximately 98°, meaning it essentially rotates on its side relative to its orbital plane, causing extreme seasonal variations.
What is the Cassini Division in Saturn's ring system?
Answer: A gap between the A and B rings caused by orbital resonance with Mimas
The Cassini Division is a 4,800 km wide gap between Saturn's A and B rings, created by orbital resonance with the moon Mimas which clears that region.
How long does it take light to travel from the Sun to Earth?
Answer: About 8 minutes
Light traveling at 300,000 km/s takes approximately 8 minutes and 20 seconds to travel the 150 million km from the Sun to Earth.