Download Solar System

Solar System
Nebular Theory
• Nebula: a cloud of dust
and gas in space
• Nebular Theory: the Sun
and planets formed from
a rotating nebula
Formation of the Solar System
1. The sun formed in the nebula
2. The nebula was disturbed by a supernova explosion
3. The gases and debris condensed and clumped
together
Formation of the solar system
4. Planetesimals were formed from the colliding matter
5. The planetesimals gained enough matter to become
spherical
6. The rocky planets formed close to the sun - they could
take the heat
7. The gas giants formed further away from the sun where it
is colder
• Where did the moon come from?
• Birth of the moon
The Moon
• The moon: Earth’s
only satellite
• 240,000 miles away
Tidal Lock
• Tidal lock: We always
see the same side of
the Moon
Tides
• Tides: The distortion of the Earth’s surface due to the
moon’s gravity
Solar Eclipse
• Solar Eclipse: when the Moon passes between the earth
and the sun
Lunar Eclipse
• Lunar Eclipse: When the earth’s shadow gets cast on a
full moon
Phases of the Moon
• Phases of the Moon: we only see the part of the moon
that the sunlight hits
• Waxing: getting larger
• Waning: getting smaller
• What if there was no moon?
Comets
• Comet: An icy ball that orbits the Sun in the Kuiper Belt
Comets
• Nucleus: A loosely packed clump
of dirt and ice
• Tail: produced when the comet
is closer to the sun
Comet 65 – P Gunn
Asteroids
• Asteroids: Rocky objects that orbit the Sun in the asteroid
belt
• Asteroid Belt: Between Mars and Jupiter
• Where asteroids and dwarf planets are found
Meteors
• Meteors: space debris made of metal
and rock
• Meteorite: The portion of the meteor
reaches Earth’s surface
Kuiper Belt
• Kuiper Belt: a region of the solar system past Pluto
where comets, asteroids, meteors and dwarf planets
orbit the sun
Dwarf Planet
• Dwarf Planet: a spherical object that orbits the sun,
but has not yet cleared the space around it
Kuiper Belt Dwarf Planets
• Pluto
• Eris
• Haumea
• Makemake
Asteroid Belt Dwarf Planets
• Ceres
Order of the Planets
• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune
Terrestrial Planets
• Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Jovian Planets
• Gas Giants: Jupiter and
Saturn
• Gas/Ice Giants: Uranus
and Neptune