EARTH SCIENCE

Name: Kathleen Mae R. Dalida Mr. Arnel Rendon

Grade & Section: STEM 11-04 October 20, 2021

Formation of the Solar System

Answer the following questions.

1. Which among the heavenly bodies formed first in the solar system? the sun, the
rocky planets? the gas planets?
The solar nebula, created 4.6 billion years ago from a cloud of gas and dust, was
the first celestial body in the solar system. The solar nebula's collapse was likely
triggered by a shock wave from a nearby supernova explosion. The planets formed
in a narrow disk circling around the Sun, which formed in the middle.

2. Which planet have no moons?

Mercury and Venus are the only planets that do not have moons, most likely to
their close closeness to the Sun. Any moon that is too far away from these planets
will become trapped in an unstable orbit and be captured by the Sun. If they went
too close to these planets, they'd be destroyed by tidal gravitational forces. The
zones around these planets where moons might be stable for billions of years are
likely so tiny that no one was ever sent into orbit or created in situ when the
planets were first formed.

3. Which planets move in the opposite direction unlike the rest?

Venus and Uranus travel in the opposite direction to the rest of the planets
because a planet's axial tilt indicates whether the planet is rotating prograde (the
normal direction of rotation of most bodies in our solar system) or retrograde (the
reverse, ie, from East to West). The tilt angle of a planet is computed in respect to
its orbital plane. Prograde rotation is defined as a tilt of 1 to 90 degrees (the tilt of
the Earth is 23 degrees in prograde rotation), whereas a tilt of 90 degrees is
considered perpendicular and neither prograde nor retrograde. A tilt more than
90 degrees, on the other hand, is referred to as retrograde rotation. Uranus has
an axial tilt of about 98 degrees, whereas Venus has a tilt of 177 degrees. As a
result, they are both thought to be in retrograde rotation.
4. what are the standard criteria required to be called a planet? is Pluto a planet
or a planetoid?
Based on the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) definition of a full-sized
planet in the Solar System in August 2006, the three criteria of the IAU for a full-
sized planet in the Solar System are: It is in a circular orbit around the Sun. It has
enough mass to achieve hydrostatic equilibrium (a nearly round shape). It has
"cleared the neighborhood" in which it is orbiting.
Pluto is classified as a planetoid, although the most precise term is dwarf planet.
The International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto since there were
numerous new planetary bodies that didn't fit into previous classifications.
Planetoids can refer to a variety of objects ranging from asteroids and comets to
dwarf planets such as Pluto, Ceres, and Makemake.
5. Differentiate the following:
a. Planet
A planet is (astronomy) a body that circles the sun directly and is big
enough to be in hydrostatic equilibrium (essentially a spheroid) and control
its orbit; particularly, the eight main planets of mercury, venus, earth,
mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus, and neptune (pluto was considered a planet
until 2006 and has now been reclassified as a dwarf planet). Planet is a
see also of planetesimal.

b. Planetoid
A planetoid is another name for asteroids, which are also known as minor
planets. Planetoids are small celestial bodies that orbit the Sun. Planets
are easily described as asteroids, however the name asteroid is also
poorly defined.

c. Planetesimal
A planetesimal is any of a group of tiny, solid astronomical objects that
orbit a star and create protoplanets as a result of mutual gravitational
attraction. Planetesimal is a derived term of planet.

6. Which of the planets have rings?

Astronomers have used larger and greater telescopes since then to detect rings
around all of the outer gas giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus.
Unlike the rest of our solar system, these planets are primarily made up of gas.
7. Why does our moon have craters? what does it indicate?
Asteroids and meteorites collide with the lunar surface, forming craters. The
Moon, unlike the Earth, lacks an atmosphere to shield it against collisions. It also
has relatively little geologic activity (such as volcanoes) or weathering (from wind
or rain), resulting in craters that have remained intact for billions of years. Impact
craters are easily the most visible geologic structures on the Moon and other
terrestrial planets. Craters are very valuable characteristics for geologists since
they allow us to estimate the age of a planet's surface and even the composition
of its interior.
8. Can we live outside earth? why or why not?
The answer is no, we can’t live outside the world yet but there’s a possibility
because as the time goes by technologies develop. Finding a world within a star’s
habitable zone where liquid water can exist would be a great start to finding life.
Unfortunately, we have not perfected the technology for it yet. But finding a planet
with the right conditions for life isn’t enough; we need to be able to detect
signatures of life itself (scientists call these “biosignatures”). For example, we can
look at a planet’s atmosphere and see what gases are in it. If we found a planet
with lots of oxygen, we can infer there may be life there. At the moment, it is not
possible to detect biosignatures on Earth-like planets around others stars.