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Planetary Science

Planetary Science is the study of Planets and the Solar System, a combination of Astronomy and Earth Sciences. Find questions about the different planets and more.

500 Questions

What does revolution mean in space?

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The revolution of a planet means a celestial body revolving around a star.

Ex: Earth revolves around the sun

While rotation is the spinning of a celestial body on its own axis which some people get confused about

How hot are the planets?

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The temperatures of planets vary widely depending on factors like their distance from the Sun, atmosphere composition, and surface properties. For instance:

  • Mercury: Daytime temperatures can reach up to 800°F (430°C) due to its proximity to the Sun.

  • Venus: Its thick atmosphere traps heat, resulting in surface temperatures around 880°F (471°C), making it the hottest planet in our solar system.

  • Earth: Temperatures vary greatly depending on location, but the average surface temperature is about 59°F (15°C).

  • Mars: Temperatures can range from about -195°F (-125°C) at the poles to about 70°F (20°C) in equatorial regions during the summer.

  • Jupiter: Its upper atmosphere is around -145°F (-100°C), while deeper down, the pressure and temperature rise dramatically.

  • Saturn: Similar to Jupiter, temperatures vary widely, but its upper atmosphere is around -178°F (-118°C).

  • Uranus and Neptune: Being outer planets, temperatures are much colder, ranging from around -320°F (-195°C) to -370°F (-224°C).

These temperatures are approximate and can vary depending on specific conditions.

All about Mars?

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Mars, often called the "Red Planet," is the fourth planet from the Sun in our solar system. It's known for its reddish appearance due to iron oxide (rust) on its surface. Here's a brief overview:

  1. **Physical Characteristics**: Mars has a thin atmosphere composed mostly of carbon dioxide. It has polar ice caps, which consist of water and frozen carbon dioxide. The planet has diverse terrain, including mountains, valleys, and vast plains.

  2. **Moons**: Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are irregularly shaped and likely captured asteroids.

  3. **Exploration**: Mars has been the subject of numerous space missions. Notable ones include the Viking missions in the 1970s, the Mars rovers Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity, and more recent missions like NASA's Perseverance rover.

  4. **Potential for Life**: Mars is a prime target for the search for past or present life beyond Earth. Evidence suggests that liquid water existed on its surface in the past, and there are regions where it may still exist underground.

  5. **Future Missions**: Several space agencies and private companies have plans for future missions to Mars, including crewed missions. These missions aim to further explore the planet, study its geology, and potentially prepare for human settlement.

  6. **Challenges**: Mars exploration poses numerous challenges, including the harsh environment, distance from Earth, and the need for advanced technology to support human life.

Overall, Mars continues to captivate the imagination of scientists and space enthusiasts alike as humanity explores the possibilities of reaching and even colonizing the Red Planet.

Is mars the biggest 2nd biggest 3rd biggest planet in the solar system?

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Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in our solar system, so it's not the biggest, second biggest, or third biggest planet. The biggest planet is Jupiter, followed by Saturn (second biggest), and then Uranus and Neptune (third and fourth biggest respectively), before we get to Mars.

Is Jupiter the second or fourth brightest planet?

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Jupiter is typically the fourth brightest planet in our solar system, after Venus, Mars, and sometimes Mercury.

What is the brightest planet?

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Observed from Earth, the brightest planet is Venus with an apparent magnitude of -4.6.

That depends on how you think of that question. None of the planets produce light of their own. On that basis, they are all as dark as each other.

The planets reflect light from the sun. On Earth when we see the different planets reflecting the sun's light, it is Venus that looks brightest.

One other way of looking at your question is that on the surface of Mercury, the nearest planet to the sun, it would be extremely bright. So on that basis Mercury is the brightest.

What is the deepest crater on the Moon called?

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The Sun has a diameter of 1.392 x 10^6 Km which is about 109 times larger than the Earth.

You could fit about 1,300,000 Earths inside the Sun.

The Sun is an average sized star. In comparison to the largest star [See related question] our Sun is small in comparison.

What is a limitation of using models to study solar system?

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An ORRERY is a mechanical model of the planets revolving around the Sun. However, this revolution is circular, when in fact planetary orbiting is actually elliptical.

So an orrery doe not give a true picture of planetary revolution.

Where does the light come from that you see from the moon?

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The light comes from the Sun.

Not only does the Sun shine on Earth, but it also shines on the Moon. The sunlight that shines onto the Moon is reflected back into space and we see it as moon light.

NB All the othert planets in the Solar System will have sun lighty.

Which planets are outer planets?

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Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and you may consider Pluto as a planet too. This is in order from the sun out, but skipping the inner planets

Does the sun have any moons?

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no its doesnt have any moons. because its to hot for it but they consider the planets to be the suns moons

Does a dwarf planet have an atmosphere?

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Some have a very thin atmosphere layer, some do not have any atmosphere at all.

What planet has an atmosphere that is so thin that it is barely detectable?

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Mercury's atmosphere is so thin that it is barely detectable.

Does mars rotate faster than the earth?

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Yes, It does. Considering Newtonian physics and assuming circular orbit for simple calculations, this is because in order to equalize gravitational pull of Sun which is higher at Mars orbit, the centrifugal force must be adequately higher(and it rises proportionally to square of velocity).

What is the speed of gravity on earth?

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The speed of gravity can not be measured because it does not move instead it is a field denting space and time

Gravity does not have a speed but at the Earth's surface it produces an acceleration of 9.08 metres per second per second on a falling object. In other words an object that is dropped will after one second be travelling at 9.08 m/s

Who predict that the planets circle around the sun?

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Copernicus was the first astronomer to come up with the idea of heliocentric cosmology (planets orbit the sun).

Is a circle an oval?

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NO!!!

Circle ; from its centre the distance to the edge(circumference) is equal .

Ellipse(Oval) ;from its centre the distance to its edge(circumference) can vary.

Casually, you can think of an oval as a squashed circle.

In the coordianet plane ;

A circle has the Equation x^2 + y^2 = 1

An Oval has the Equations x^2/a^2 + y^2/b^2 = 1

The 'a' & 'b' represent the eccentricity of the oval (ellipse), and the lengths of the major and minor axes.

What is it called when a rainbow circles around the sun?

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A circular rainbow around the sun has a rich mythological context, especially relevant in this era. It is also known as The Whirling Rainbow, or the Sunbow. You can read an epic saga of the Whirling Rainbow online for free at http://www.8thfire.net

or explore a shorter treatment at

Tales of the Whirling Rainbow - via Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Whirling-Rainbow-Authentic-ebook/dp/B0045JLPUQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1302181084&sr=1-1

Which terrestrial planet has the most moons?

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Mars, which is a terrestial planet, has two moons.

However, Jupiter, which is a gas giant and not terrestial, has at least 14 moons.

What planet spins on more than 1 axis?

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that one over there -->

A planet that has at least one moon?

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The Earth has ONE Moon

Mars has TWO Moons

Jupiter and Saturn have several Moon.

Notably Mercury and Venus have NO Moons.

The stars appear to move across the sky at night is this true?

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YES!!!

Because '-

#1 the Earth is rotating so it appears that the stars move across the sky.

#2 the Stars in their own right also move. Since most stars are so far away their movement is hard to detect.

#3 the Planets, appear to be stars, because they are pin point spots of light.

The planets move , notably Venus, which can be seen as the Morning Star, or at a different time of the year as the Evening Star. The word 'planet' comes from Classical Greece, and means 'Wandering Star'.

Is planet Earth a gas planet or non gaseous planet?

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Located in the vastness of space, the planet Earth is a dynamic, complex organism that is home to a wide variety of life forms. Although it is widely recognized as a terrestrial planet, the distinction between gaseous and non-gaseous planets frequently confounds astronomers who are trying to learn more about our place in the universe. In order to present a complete picture, this article will dissect the details of Earth's composition by looking at both its gaseous and non-gaseous components.

The Gaseous Composition of Earth:

  1. Atmosphere: A thin layer of gases known as the atmosphere surrounds the Earth. predominantly composed of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%), with trace amounts of other gases such as argon, carbon dioxide, and

What force holds a planet in orbit around the sun?

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Gravitation. The phenomenon by which two masses attract each other with a force proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.