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How the Solar System Formed: Nebula to Planets

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narisse

01/04/2023

Physics

SPACE PHYSICS - topic 8 - AQA GCSE Physics Higher (9-1)

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How the Solar System Formed: Nebula to Planets

The Solar System and Star Life Cycles: From Formation to Expansion

The solar system, a tiny part of the Milky Way galaxy, consists of one star (the Sun), eight planets, dwarf planets, and natural satellites. Formation of the solar system through nebula collapse began with a cloud of dust and gas pulled together by gravity. The Sun, containing 99% of the solar system's mass, formed at the center. The system includes four rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) and four gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune). Star life cycle from birth to death involves several stages, from nebula collapse to potential supernova explosions or white dwarf formation, depending on the star's size.

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01/04/2023

1918

SPACE PHYSICS OUR SOLAR SYSTEM: the Milky way galaxy extremely small -1 Star (the Sun) + 8 planets + dwarf planets + natural Satellites (moo

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Nuclear Fusion and Lifecycle of Stars

Nuclear fusion in stars involves hydrogen nuclei fusing to create larger nuclei, such as helium. The star maintains equilibrium between the inward force of gravity and the outward force from fusion energy.

Vocabulary: Equilibrium refers to a state of balance between opposing forces.

The life cycle of a star depends on its size:

  1. Sun-sized stars: As hydrogen depletes, the star collapses and expands into a red giant. Eventually, it shrinks to form a white dwarf and ultimately a black dwarf.

  2. Much larger stars: These expand into red supergiants and eventually explode in a supernova, producing elements heavier than iron.

Highlight: Elements heavier than iron are only produced in supernovae and are distributed throughout the universe during the explosion.

Supernovae can result in either neutron stars or black holes, the latter having gravity so strong that even light cannot escape.

SPACE PHYSICS OUR SOLAR SYSTEM: the Milky way galaxy extremely small -1 Star (the Sun) + 8 planets + dwarf planets + natural Satellites (moo

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Orbital Motion and Red Shift

Gravity enables planets and satellites to maintain circular orbits. For artificial satellites, changes in speed affect the orbit's radius – increased speed requires a decreased radius to maintain orbit.

Definition: Red shift refers to the increase in wavelength of light from distant galaxies, indicating they are moving away from us.

The degree of red shift correlates with a galaxy's distance and speed of recession. This phenomenon provides evidence for the expanding universe, supporting the Big Bang theory.

Highlight: Recent observations suggest the rate of universe expansion is increasing, possibly due to dark energy – a concept not yet fully understood.

These Space Physics IGCSE notes provide a comprehensive overview of key astrophysical concepts, preparing students for GCSE exam style questions and fostering a deeper understanding of our universe.

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How the Solar System Formed: Nebula to Planets

user profile picture

narisse

@narisse

The Solar System and Star Life Cycles: From Formation to Expansion

The solar system, a tiny part of the Milky Way galaxy, consists of one star (the Sun), eight planets, dwarf planets, and natural satellites. Formation of the solar system... Show more

SPACE PHYSICS OUR SOLAR SYSTEM: the Milky way galaxy extremely small -1 Star (the Sun) + 8 planets + dwarf planets + natural Satellites (moo

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Nuclear Fusion and Lifecycle of Stars

Nuclear fusion in stars involves hydrogen nuclei fusing to create larger nuclei, such as helium. The star maintains equilibrium between the inward force of gravity and the outward force from fusion energy.

Vocabulary: Equilibrium refers to a state of balance between opposing forces.

The life cycle of a star depends on its size:

  1. Sun-sized stars: As hydrogen depletes, the star collapses and expands into a red giant. Eventually, it shrinks to form a white dwarf and ultimately a black dwarf.

  2. Much larger stars: These expand into red supergiants and eventually explode in a supernova, producing elements heavier than iron.

Highlight: Elements heavier than iron are only produced in supernovae and are distributed throughout the universe during the explosion.

Supernovae can result in either neutron stars or black holes, the latter having gravity so strong that even light cannot escape.

SPACE PHYSICS OUR SOLAR SYSTEM: the Milky way galaxy extremely small -1 Star (the Sun) + 8 planets + dwarf planets + natural Satellites (moo

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Orbital Motion and Red Shift

Gravity enables planets and satellites to maintain circular orbits. For artificial satellites, changes in speed affect the orbit's radius – increased speed requires a decreased radius to maintain orbit.

Definition: Red shift refers to the increase in wavelength of light from distant galaxies, indicating they are moving away from us.

The degree of red shift correlates with a galaxy's distance and speed of recession. This phenomenon provides evidence for the expanding universe, supporting the Big Bang theory.

Highlight: Recent observations suggest the rate of universe expansion is increasing, possibly due to dark energy – a concept not yet fully understood.

These Space Physics IGCSE notes provide a comprehensive overview of key astrophysical concepts, preparing students for GCSE exam style questions and fostering a deeper understanding of our universe.

SPACE PHYSICS OUR SOLAR SYSTEM: the Milky way galaxy extremely small -1 Star (the Sun) + 8 planets + dwarf planets + natural Satellites (moo

Sign up to see the contentIt's free!

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Improve your grades

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Our Solar System and Star Formation

The Milky Way galaxy contains our solar system, which consists of one star (the Sun), eight planets, dwarf planets, and natural satellites (moons). The Sun, formed from a nebula, comprises 99% of the solar system's mass.

Definition: A nebula is a cloud of dust and gas in space, primarily composed of hydrogen.

The solar system includes four rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) and four gas planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune). Moons orbit planets, while artificial satellites orbit various objects in space.

Example: The International Space Station (ISS) is an example of an artificial satellite.

Star formation begins with a nebula collapsing due to gravity. As dust particles move faster, temperature rises to millions of degrees Celsius, forming a protostar. If the temperature is high enough, hydrogen nuclei fuse to form helium through nuclear fusion, creating a main sequence star.

Highlight: Nuclear fusion releases enormous amounts of energy, allowing stars to remain in the main sequence for extended periods.

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This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.

Samantha Klich

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Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.

Anna

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Thomas R

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Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.

Basil

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This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.

David K

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Sudenaz Ocak

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Greenlight Bonnie

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very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.

Rohan U

Android user

I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.

Xander S

iOS user

THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮

Elisha

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This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now

Paul T

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