Download
1 / 59
E N D
TCAP Review Patrick Phillips
The Planets .The inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars .The outer planes are Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus . Outer Planets (Gas Giants) are large ,cold ,and mostly made of gases . Inner Planets are small ,warm ,and are mostly made of solids
Dwarf Planets . Dwarf Planets are like normal planets but are smaller and has different characteristics . They orbit the Sun ; the Dwarf Planets in our Solar System are called Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, Eris, and Ceres.
Galaxies • A galaxy is a family of stars .There are four main types of Galaxies; These are Spiral Galaxies, Barred Spiral Galaxies, Elliptical Galaxies, and Irregular Galaxies .Spiral Galaxies are swirled shaped .Barred Spiral Galaxies have barbs on the ends .Elliptical Galaxies are flat like pizza .Irregular Galaxies have a undecipherable shape
Nebulae • A nebula (plural = nebulae) is a cloud of dust and gas that exists in space, usually between stars. Nebulae can generally be classified into two categories based on their size and shape—planetary nebulae and diffuse nebulae.
Planetary nebulae A planetary nebula is a relatively small, ball-shaped nebula that surrounds a star. The nebula forms from material ejected from the star's outer layers as the star begins to collapse. The Hubble Space Telescope image below shows a planetary nebula.
Diffuse Nebulae • A diffuse nebula is a larger nebula with an irregular shape. Diffuse nebulae located near stars reflect starlight or give off their own bright light. The image below shows a diffuse nebula.
Spiral Nebulae • "Spiral Nebulae"The term "spiral nebulae" was used by astronomers before the 20th century. This term referred to a class of spiral-shaped objects believed at that time to be nebulae in our own Milky Way Galaxy. Modern astronomers now know that these objects are actually spiral galaxies located far beyond the Milky Way.
Star Clusters • Star ClustersA star cluster is a group of stars bound to each other by gravity. Star clusters can be classified into two general categories—galactic clusters and globular clusters. A galactic cluster is an open cluster of stars that are loosely bound to each other by gravity. A globular cluster is a spherical cluster of stars that are tightly bound to each other by gravity. The images below show an example of each cluster type.
Comets • Comets have the most elliptical orbits of all the objects in the solar system. They move into the inner solar system for only a short amount of time. Once they have passed around the Sun, they move back out into the outer reaches of the solar system again, often well past Pluto, and are not seen again for many years.Comets are smaller than planets, moons or asteroids. They are mostly made up of dust particles, frozen water and frozen gases. They are usually very hard to see, but as they approach the Sun these particles heat up and become much easier to see. It is the heating of these particles that causes a comet to have its distinct tail.
Stars • The Sun is only one of many stars in the universe. Within our galaxy there are billions of stars, and our galaxy is only one of billions in the universe. All the other stars we see appear much dimmer than the Sun because they are much farther away from us than the Sun is. While it takes less than 10 minutes for sunlight to reach the Earth, light from the nearest stars beyond our solar system takes many years to reach the Earth. For stars that are even farther away, it can take billions of years for their light to reach the Earth.
Biomes • The climate of a location determines which types of organisms are able to live there. Climates that are very cold are home to plants and animals that have adapted to the extreme temperatures. The same is true for climates that are extremely hot and dry.The biotic factors of a biome are the plants and animals that live there. For example, deer, maple trees, and lichen are some of the biotic, or living, factors that characterize the deciduous forest biome. The abiotic factors of a biome are nonliving things. For example, very low temperatures and very little precipitation are some of the abiotic, or nonliving, factors that characterize the tundra biome.The major biomes on Earth include: tropical rainforest, temperate rainforest, desert, grassland, deciduous forest, coniferous forest, tundra, estuary, tropical grassland, and taiga.
Rain Forest • The climate of a tropical rainforest is hot and wet. Heavy rainfall (around 150 cm per year) and year-round warm temperatures make it very humid. This climate is found near the equator. A tropical rainforest is very dense with lots of large trees that block out sunlight. Very little sunlight reaches the rainforest floor
Temperate Rainforest • The climate of a temperate rainforest is mild and wet. Temperatures are moderate and change with the seasons. Rainfall amounts are very high. Like tropical rainforests, temperate rainforests have a thick canopy of trees that block most sunlight from hitting the forest floor. However, while tropical rainforest canopies are generally broadleaf trees, temperate rainforest canopies may be broadleaf or coniferous trees. Temperate rainforests are farther from the equator than tropical rainforests and can be found in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, Asia, South America, Europe, and Australia.
Desert • The climate of deserts is very hot and dry. The amount of precipitation in these areas is less than the amount of water that could potentially evaporate. Deserts get less than 25 centimeters of rain every year. Desert plants and animals are adapted to store water and withstand year-round hot temperatures.
Grasslands • Grasslands receive enough rainfall to support grasses, but not enough to support the growth of large trees. Drought and wildfire are common. Temperatures in grasslands are warm in the summer and cold in the winter
Deciduous Forest • The climate of a deciduous forest is temperate with four distinct seasons (spring, summer, fall, and winter). Deciduous forests have warm summers and cold winters. They have moderate precipitation throughout the year. During winter months, however, the precipitation is usually frozen and unavailable to the organisms that live there. Trees in a deciduous forest usually lose their leaves during the winter and have thick bark to conserve water and protect them from the cold
Coniferous Forest • Coniferous forests are located in northern latitudes. The climate in coniferous forests is very cold and dry. Coniferous forests have cold, snowy winters and warm summers. The main types of vegetation located in coniferous forests are conifers, such as pine trees. These trees are evergreens that have needles that stay on them all year long and produce cones. Arctic foxes, wolves, and snowy owls are a few examples of the animals that live in coniferous forests
Tundra • The tundra has very low temperatures and very little precipitation. Winters in the tundra are long and extremely cold; summers are short, mild, and cool. The animals living in tundra ecosystems have adaptations that allow them to stay warm in the very low temperatures. For instance, Arctic foxes, grizzly bears, and ermines (a kind of weasel) all have thick fur that protects them from the cold.
Estuary • An estuary is an area in which fresh water and salty ocean waters mix together. These areas may include bays, mouths of rivers, salt marshes, and lagoons. These brackish (salt mixed with fresh) water ecosystems shelter and feed marine life, birds, and other wildlife with nutrients from the ocean.
Tropical Grassland • A tropical grassland is a dry tropical grassland where trees are present but more widely scattered than in most rainforest ecosystems. The Tropical grassland climate has a temperature range of 68° to 86°F. Tropical grassland receive around 125 centimeters of rain every year, with most of the rain falling during the summer. Zebras, giraffes, lions, and acacia trees are found in the Tropical grassland of Africa
Taiga • The taiga is the largest continental biome. It experiences long, cold winters; short, warm summers; and low precipitation. It is characterized by coniferous forests. Taiga covers most of Canada and Siberia and is not found in the Southern Hemisphere
Temperate Prairie • A temperate prairie biome is found in the dry temperate interiors of continents. This biome is characterized by rich soil; moderate rainfall; a hot, dry climate; tall, thick grasses; isolated trees; and herds of grazing animals.
Marine • The marine biome, or saltwater biome, is the largest on Earth, covering about 75% of the Earth's surface. Because land heats up and cools down much more quickly than water, the marine biome experiences a smaller degree of temperature change than the terrestrial biome. The marine biome has a major impact on the weather and climate patterns of the terrestrial biome.
Chaparral • Chaparral is a shrub land biome that is defined by mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. During the summer, wildfires are common. The plants and animals in chaparral biomes are adapted to fire and drought
Weather • Weather has many features. It can be hot or cold, damp or dry, calm or windy, cloudy or clear. Weather is affected by many things, including heat energy from the Sun, water vapor in the air, the winds, and the air pressure. All these things work together to create our weather and weather patterns.
Clouds • The amount of moisture in the air affects the weather. Moisture in the air is water in the gas form, which is also called water vapor. Water vaporcan condense into clouds. There are several different kinds of clouds. Some kinds hold huge amounts of liquid water that can fall to Earth as rain, hail, snow, or sleet.
Cumulus Clouds • Cumulus clouds are tall and puffy. When sunlight hits these clouds, they are bright white. They are known as "fair-weather clouds."
Stratus Clouds • In stratus clouds, water droplets collect at low altitudes into flat shapes like pancakes. The "pancakes" can be thick or thin. They often bring drizzling rain.
Cirrus Cloud • In cirrus clouds, water droplets collect to form thin curves with no clear shape. Cirrus clouds are found high in the sky (at about 18,000 feet or above). These feathery clouds are often seen on bright, sunny days.
Cumulonimbus Clouds • The cumulonimbus clouds can't hold all their water droplets. These drops can become so heavy that they fall as rain, snow, or hail. These clouds look tall, puffy, and gray. They may bring thunder and lightning. In fact, rain storms most often come from cumulonimbus clouds.
Weather Tools • Meteorologists are scientists who study weather, and they use several different types of tools to measure different characteristics of weather. For example, a thermometer is used to measure temperature. A rain gauge is a tool used for measuring the amount of rain that falls in a given period of time. An anemometer is used to measure wind speed and a wind vane is used to measure wind direction. A barometer is used to measure air pressure.
Thermometer • A thermometer is used to measure temperature in degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius.
Snow Gauge • A snow gauge is used to measure the amount of snow that falls in a given period of time.
Anemometer • An anemometer is used to measure wind speed in one area
Wind Vane • A wind vane is a tool used for measuring wind direction
Rain Gauge • A rain gauge is a piece of equipment designed to measure the amount of rain that falls in a given period of time
Barometer • A barometer is used to measure air pressure
Continental Artic Air Mass • ContinentalArctic CA Form exclusively in the Arctic and Antarctic regions and descend toward the equator. Bitterly cold and extremely dry in the winter, cool and dry during the summer.
Continental Polar Air Mass • ContinentalPolar CPForm over dry lands. Cold and dry during the winter, mild and dry during the summer.
Continental Tropical Air Mass • ContinentalTropical CT Form over deserts and plains. In the United States, a flow into the US out of Mexico often sends a CT air mass northward. Typically hot and dry during the summer and mild and dry during the winter
Maritime Polar Air mass • MaritimePolar MP Marine type humidity with cool or cold weather. Typically provide for miserable, damp, gray days. Mild to cold and humid with low stratus clouds and precipitation is often the rule with Maritime Polar air masses
Cold Fronts • Cold fronts form when cold air masses move under warm air masses and push the warm air up. Cold fronts tend to push the warm air up suddenly and form vertical cumulonimbus clouds. This is why thunderstorms and heavy rain usually accompany cold fronts.
Warms Fronts • Warm fronts form when warm air masses move over cold air masses. The warm air gradually replaces the cold air and forms stratus clouds. This is why a continuous drizzly rain usually accompanies warm fronts.
Occluded Fronts • Occluded fronts form when warm air masses are stuck between two colder air masses. Cooler temperatures and large amounts of rain and snow usually accompany occluded fronts.
