Astronomy Study Guide: Characteristics of Terrestrial and Jovian Planets

Astronomy Study Guide 1. Know and be able to list the differences between terrestrial and jovian planets. a. Terrestrial Planets i. Mercury ii. Venus iii. Earth iv. Mars b. Characteristics of Terrestrial Planets v. Small vi. Rocky vii. Very close to the Sun viii. Have few moons ix. Have no rings c. Jovian Planets x. Jupiter xi. Saturn xii. Uranus xiii. Neptune d. Characteristics of Jovian Planets xiv. Large xv. Gaseous xvi. Far from sun xvii. Many moons xviii. Rings xix. All jovian planets have strong winds and storms 2. Be able to describe the different stages in stellar evolution and which star will end their lives in which ways. Included in this is the maximum masses of stars that will become white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes and the maximum masses of white dwarfs and neutron stars. e. Step 1- Becoming a Star xx. As a cloud collapses, the center becomes very, very hot and very dense f. Step 2- Fusion xxi. As the gas cloud collapses, the core becomes hotter and the density inside the core increases xxii. Eventually, the temperature and density reach a point where nuclear fusion can occur g. Step 3- Balance: all main sequence stars are in hydrostatic equilibrium xxiii. Fusion provides radiation that creates an outward pressure h. Protostar to Main Sequence xxiv. A protostar contracts and heats until the core temperature is sufficient for hydrogen fusion i. Upper Limit on a Star’s Mass 3. Understand everythi9ng about the HR diagram and how it can be used j. Identifies a definite relationship between temperature and absolute magnitude k. The smallest stars are the tiny white dwarfs and are found in the lower left corner of the