The Solar System

INDEX 641

Meteors, 404 –405

composition of, 552–556

misconception about, 558

orbits of, 556–558

origin of, 558–559

radiant and, 556

sporadic, 557

Meteor showers, 556 –558

Metric system, 2

Microlensing, 418

Micrometeorites, 444, 447

Midocean rises, 432, 434

Milankovitch, Milutin, 26

Milankovitch hypothesis, 26 –27, 438

Milky Way, 6 , 176

Milky Way Galaxy, 6 , 176

collisions of, 180

in fi eld of view, 5–6

origins, 176–177

spiral arms of, 6

Miller, Stanley, 587

Miller experiment, 587 –588

Miranda, 537–538

Misconceptions, common

asteroid, 401, 562

aurora, 160

comet, 565

Earth atmosphere, 436, 437, 438

Earth size, 54

eclipses, 42

galaxy/solar system/universe, 6

Galileo, 67

global warming, 438

gravity, 82, 87

Jovian planet, 495, 531

lava, 452

life, 589

LY, 4–5

matter, 124

meteor, 558

moon, 32, 39, 87

natural selection, 586

nuclear fusion, 152

radiation, 99

radio wave, 100

seasons, 22

skepticism, 419

solar nebula, 408

star brightness, 19

star size, 5

theory, 66

universe, 6

Model(s)

atomic, 123–124

Babcock, 158–159

Copernicus’, 58

mathematical, 172

planetary nebulae, 172, 174

scientifi c, 19

stellar, 173

Momentum, 79

Moon

age of, 406–407, 450–451

angular diameter of, 38–39

Apollo missions to, 445, 448–450

atmosphere regarding, 443–444

cooling of, 454

cratering of, 444, 446–447, 451, 452

cycle/phases of, 32–33, 34–35

Earth view of, 443–445, 446–447

fl ooding and, 452–453

history of, 444–445, 451–454

jumbled terrain on, 453

late heavy bombardment of, 452

life regarding, 593

lunar eclipses and, 33, 36–37

magma ocean and, 451–452

Mercury compared with, 455–456,

458–459, 461

misconceptions about, 32, 39, 87

motion of, 32, 35

origin of, 454–455

predicting eclipses and, 43–46

profi le, 443

rocks of, 450–451

solar eclipse and, 39–40

terrain of, 444

tides and, 87–88

Moons

Galilean, 68, 509–510

of Jupiter, 68, 503–510

of Mars, 489–490

of Neptune, 533, 536, 542–543

of Saturn, 517–522

of Uranus, 533, 536–538

Morning star, 22

Motion

Galileo and, 76–78

Kepler’s laws of, 64–65, 67, 83, 86–87

moon’s, 32, 35

natural/violent, 77

Newton’s laws of, 79–80

planet, 22, 55–57, 59–70

retrograde, 55, 56, 59

sun’s annual, 20–21

uniform circular, 53, 55, 56, 59–61

of Uranus, 528

Mrkos, Comet, 568

M-type asteroids, 564 –565

Multicellular, 589

Multiringed basins, 444, 447

Mutants, 586

Neptune, 540
Saturn, 511
star death regarding, 173
sun, 144
Uranus, 529
Venus, 465
Mathematical Discourses and Demonstrations
Concerning Two New Sciences, Relating
to Mechanics and to Local Motion
(Galilei), 78
Mathematical models, 172
Mathematical Principles of Natural Philoso-
phy (Newton), 88–89
Matter
atom excitation and, 126–127
misconceptions about, 124
origins of, 182–184
Maunder butterfl y diagram, 155, 156 ,
158–159
Maunder minimum, 155, 157
Maxwell, James Clerk
rings of Saturn and, 512–513
Venus and, 468
Mayans, 52
McNaught, Comet, 565–566
Mendel, Gregor, 8
Mercury
Caloris Basin on, 458, 459
cratering on, 461
history of, 460–461
interior of, 459–460
life regarding, 593
moon compared with, 455–456,
458–459, 461
orbit, 4, 455
plains of, 458–459
profi le of, 455
surface of, 457–458
temperatures on, 457
tidal coupling of, 456–457
Meteorites, 405
achondrites, 553, 556
Antarctica and, 552
Barringer Crater and, 574
CAIs and, 555
carbonaceous chondrite, 552, 554–556
categories of, 552–556
chondrites, 553–556
chondrules, 553–554
impacts of, 574–578
iron, 552–553
stony, 552, 553–556, 575
stony-iron, 552, 553
Tunguska event and, 574–575
ureilite, 565
Meteoroid, 405