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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.
25,144 Questions
How much is a small meteorite worth?
That depends on how big it is and what it is made of, and its "provenance"; where and how it was found, and its history. If the object was seen falling, it will be more valuable. Nickel-iron meteorites are more valuable than stony ones, and carbonaceous chondrites are more valuable yet.
You can purchase meteorites from collectors; they aren't cheap, but they aren't THAT expensive. A co-worker showed up at the office last year with a polished slice of a nickel-iron meteorite about 9 inches across, and nicely mounted with its provenance displayed. It was a few hundred dollars.
Lunar meteorites and Martian meteorites are extremely rare, and even more expensive. These are pieces of the Moon or Mars that were blasted back into space when a REALLY big rock hit the Moon, or Mars. These fragments then made their way to Earth.
How many years does it take a star with the mass of the Sun to convert all the hydrogen in its core?
Something like five billion years more.
Something like five billion years more.
Something like five billion years more.
Something like five billion years more.
How long are the days are on the planets?
24h 39m 35s is the length of the apparent or solar day, 24h 37m 22s is the time taken for one revolution on its axis relative to background stars.
Neptune has a surface more similar to the inner planets than to the other outer planets. It is primarily composed of rock and ice, similar to the composition of the inner planets, whereas the other outer planets are predominantly gas giants.
The less a star appears to move, the farther it is from Earth. Stars that do not appear to move are very far away from Earth, making their apparent motion negligible from our perspective due to the vast distances involved in space.
The large ones, bigger than say 400 kilometers in radius, are round because the amount of mass present produces such a strong gravitational field that most substances such as rock become very plastic. But, if the planet is too close to its sun, or if a satellite is too close to its parent planet, the shapes can be very out-of-round due to tidal effects. The above image is of the asteroid Vesta taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. It has a diameter of 525 kilometers and at this size you can see that large objects already have a noticeably round shape to them. The telescope photographed the asteroid while it was rotating and above you can see four of the views from the 'movie'
The large ones, bigger than say 400 kilometers in radius, are round because the amount of mass present produces such a strong gravitational field that most substances such as rock become very plastic. But, if the planet is too close to its sun, or if a satellite is too close to its parent planet, the shapes can be very out-of-round due to tidal effects.
The above image is of the asteroid Vesta taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. It has a diameter of 525 kilometers and at this size you can see that large objects already have a noticeably round shape to them. The telescope photographed the asteroid while it was rotating and above you can see four of the views from the 'movie'
How do stars keep their spherical shape?
Stars maintain their spherical shape due to the balance between internal pressure pushing outward from nuclear fusion reactions in the core and gravity pulling inward. This equilibrium creates a stable equilibrium that keeps the star from collapsing under its own gravity and helps to maintain its rounded form.
If you weighed 65 kg. on Earth how much would you weigh on Mars?
If your weight on earth (with a gravitational acceleration of approx. 9.8 m/s^2) is 45 kg, then your mass would be 45 / 9.8 = 4.6 - Meaning that on Mars (which has a gravitational acceleration of 3.7 m/s^2), your weight would be 4.6 * 3.7 = 17 kg. To summarize and simplify, the conversion factor from Earth to Mars weight is approx 3.7/9.8=0,38.
How do you pronounce Phobos and Deimos?
Phobos is pronounced as "FOH-buhs" and Deimos is pronounced as "DAY-mohs".
What does it mean if a star has similar size and surface to the sun?
If a star has a similar size and surface to the sun, it means that it is likely a main sequence star like our sun. These stars go through nuclear fusion to generate energy and typically have a stable lifespan of billions of years. They are often classified as G-type stars.
The fact that Earth observers always see the same side of the Moon is explained by?
It is due to a phenomenon called synchronous rotation, where the Moon's rotation period on its axis is the same as its orbital period around Earth. This causes one side of the Moon to constantly face Earth, known as the near side, while the opposite side, the far side, remains hidden from view.
How long does it take the reflected ray of light from the full moon to get to earths surface?
1.28 seconds at the moon's average distance from earth ... same as for a radio signal.
Why is there liquid water on Earth?
Actually it's not.
As best as we can tell the center (a ball of nickel/iron slightly smaller than the moon) is solid. The layer outside it is liquid.
The liquid part is liquid because it's hot (part gravity, part radioactive decay)
The solid part is also hot, but the pressure is great enough to solidify it.
Which star is bigger the alpha centauri or the sun?
Alpha Centauri is a binary star system with two stars ("A" and "B") nearly the same mass as the sun. Alpha Centuri A is 1.1 times the mass of the sun (bigger), while Alpha Centuri B is 0.9 times the mass of the sun (smaller).
if that isn't a therietical question, then you would drink water, because ice has been found on mars, you would just have to find a way to melt it, if you didnt melt it quick enough it would evaporate
Are all stars and planets are about the same age?
All of the planets are in the same atmosphere.
All of the planets are unique.
All of the planets are considered planets.
All of the planets have moons.
All of the planets are named after a mythical person or thing.
How many nickels from earth to the moon?
Assuming US and not Canadian nickels (0.01 difference)
Taking the average distance from the Earth to the Moon, you could reach the Moon from Earth with 18,123,479,491 nickels or just over 18 billion.
Can you turn mars into a green planet?
It would be extremely challenging to turn Mars into a green planet due to its harsh environment lacking in atmosphere, water, and suitable temperatures. It would require significant technological advancements and resources to transform Mars into a habitable environment for plant life.
How can a rocket move in air free space while a jet plane cannot?
Basically a jet can move in air-space. The reason why it doesn't is that jets don't have high enough cold protection on air leakage protection. But if you protect jets enough you can in go in open space. Another question will fuel...
Where does hydrogen fusion occur when there is no hydrogen left in the core of a star?
If there is no hydrogen left at the core of star then hydrogen fusion cannot occur. What happens in the core of a star before that happens is that helium begins to fuse, and then the other elements going up the periodic table until carbon. And then if the star explodes into a supernova, traces of the higher elements are fused as well.
Which planet rotates slowly clockwise?
Both Venus and Uranus rotate clockwise, as normally defined. However, the answer is "Venus", because that's the one that rotates slowly.
Order of planets based on mass?
Mercury (smallest), Mars, Venus, Earth, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and Jupiter (largest). Note that although Neptune has more mass than Uranus, it is smaller in size.
Which planet in the solar system has the shortest orbital path round the sun?
Mercury has the shortest orbital path around the sun in our solar system. It takes just about 88 Earth days for Mercury to complete one orbit.
How does the planet Mercury relate to the element Mercury?
Mercury the element, it seeps into many lakes ponds river soil fish. then when you eat to much of it, you may catch a small heart attack from the poison. some babies get it from their mothers. it is fast acting of seeping into your skin and changing state of matter. that's how it gets its name from the Greek god, Mercury who was known for being fast with his winged feet.
