Solar System Study Guide

1. Know the nine planets in order of distance from the Sun.

2. Identify planets of most extreme (i.e. greatest or least) mass, diameter, and bulk density. 

3. List general characteristics of each planet – especially those characteristics that make each planet unique.

4. Compare and contrast terrestrial and jovian planets.

5. Describe the general properties of moons in the solar system.

6. Describe and identify unique characteristics of the Galilean moons.

7. Describe the general properties of the planets’ orbits, making note of similarities and exceptions of characteristics such as eccentricity, orbital inclination, axial tilt, etc.

8. Know location and makeup of asteroid belt, Kuiper belt, and Oort cloud.

9. Describe the general makeup and characteristics of asteroids and comets.

10. Describe the general characteristics of the orbits of asteroids and comets.

11. Explain the cause and effects of tidal force.

12. Explain the meaning and significance of the Roche limit.

13. Explain the cause and effect of synchronous orbits and spin-orbit resonances.

14. Explain the roles of gravity and temperature in relation to the interior structure of planets.

15. Explain the role of gravity and temperature in relation to the presence and composition of a planet’s atmosphere.

16. Describe the cause and effect of the “greenhouse effect”.

17. Explain the dynamo theory of planetary magnetic fields.

18. Explain the relation between surface craters and the age of that surface.