Download SCI-11 EXPLORATION OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM Logistic

University of Alaska Fairbanks OLLI Session II
SCI-11 EXPLORATION
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
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Logistic Information
⦿
Emma Marcucci
● [email protected]
● UAF West Ridge Research Building 108F
● 907-474-7676
⦿
PDFs of lectures at http://www.uaf.edu/olli/
classes-and-lectures/reference-materials-for-s/
⦿
May 1 class in the UPark Gym
● Will be spent in the traveling planetarium
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General Schedule
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April 10th (Today)
● Birth and Anatomy of the Solar System
● Outer Solar System Planets
⦿
April 17th
● 4 Geological Processes
● Planetary Geology of the Inner Solar System
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April 24th
● Other Planetary Objects
● Astorbiology
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May 1st
● Planetarium Day
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FORMATION OF THE
SOLAR SYSTEM
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Let’s describe our solar system
solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets
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Inner Planets
Inner Planets
-Smaller
-Hard surface
-Small/few moons
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Outer Planets
Inner Planets
-Smaller
-Hard surface
-Small/few moons
Outer Planets
-Large
-Gaseous
-Moons/Rings
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Asteroid/Kuiper Belt, Oort Cloud
Outer Planets
-Large
-Gaseous
-Moons/Rings
Inner Planets
-Smaller
-Hard surface
-Small/few moons
Discrete areas of debris
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Orderly Motion
Outer Planets
-Large
-Gaseous
-Moons/Rings
Inner Planets
-Smaller
-Hard surface
-Small/few moons
Discrete areas of debris
Orderly Motion
Free Art License: WilyD
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Orderly Motion
Outer Planets
-Large
-Gaseous
-Moons/Rings
Inner Planets
-Smaller
-Hard surface
-Small/few moons
Discrete areas of debris
Creative Commons: Tfr000
Exceptions: Earth’s big moon,
Venus and Neptune’s rotation
Orderly Motion
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Solar System Summary
Orderly Motion
Inner Planets
-Smaller
-Hard surface
-Small/few moons
Outer Planets
-Large
-Gaseous
-Moons/Rings
Discrete areas of debris
Exceptions: Earth’s big moon, Venus and Neptune’s rotation
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What formation model describes these?
⦿
The Nebular Theory
Step 1. Molecular Cloud
to Solar Nebula
● Recycling
● Collapse trigger
HST and SST images
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What formation model describes these?
Step 2. Solar Nebula Disk
● Heating
● Spinning
● Flattening
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HST and SST images
What formation model describes these?
Step 3. Planetary Accretion
● Electrostatic then
Gravitational Forces
● Two kinds of planets
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What formation model describes these?
Step 4. Debris Clearing
● Strong solar radiation and
wind
● Orbits settled
● Slowed sun rotation
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Explaining the Solar System Features
Why do we have two kinds of planets?
What happens to the leftover material?
Are there outliers with this model/how
do we explain the the exceptions?
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Why do we have two kinds of planets?
⦿
⦿
Temperature
Starting Material
From the Essential Cosmic Perspective, Bennett et al.
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Why do we have two kinds of planets?
⦿
⦿
Temperature
Starting Material
From the Essential Cosmic Perspective, Bennett et al.
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Why do we have two kinds of planets?
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⦿
Temperature
Starting Material
From the Essential Cosmic Perspective, Bennett et al.
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Explaining the Solar System Features
Why do we have two kinds of planets?
What happens to the leftover material?
Are there outliers with this model/how
do we explain the the exceptions?
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What happens to the leftover material?
⦿
Asteroids
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What happens to the leftover material?
Asteroids
Kuiper Belt
⦿ Oort Cloud
⦿
⦿
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Explaining the Solar System Features
Why do we have two kinds of planets?
What happens to the leftover material?
Are there outliers with this model/how
do we explain the the exceptions?
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Are there outliers with this model/how
do we explain the the exceptions?
⦿
Heavy Bombardment
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Are there outliers with this model/how
do we explain the the exceptions?
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Giant Impactor
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Fate of the Solar System
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Red Giant into a
White Dwarf and
Planetary Nebula
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OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM
PLANETS
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How are these planets different
from the inner solar system?
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From the Essential Cosmic Perspective, Bennett et al.
How are these planets different from the inner solar system?
Radius=71,492 km
Radius=60,268 km
Radius=25,559 km
Radius=24,764 km
Universally larger and less dense than inner solar system
because they form differently
From the Essential Cosmic Perspective, Bennett et al.
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How are these planets different from the inner solar system?
Icy-rocky planetesimals become cores to attract gas
Growth stops at the same time
Layers come from phase changes
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Why is Saturn less dense than Jupiter if they
have the same composition?
Radius=71,492 km
Radius=60,268 km
Radius=25,559 km
Radius=24,764 km
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Why is Saturn less dense than Jupiter if they have the same composition?
Gravity affects the gas by
compressing it
From the Essential Cosmic Perspective, Bennett et al.
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What causes the colors of the gas giants?
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What causes the color of the gas giants?
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From the Essential Cosmic Perspective, Bennett et al.
What causes the color of the gas giants?
Chemistry
of the
clouds
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From the Essential Cosmic Perspective, Bennett et al.
What causes the color of the gas giants?
Methane
chemistry of
clouds
From the Essential Cosmic Perspective, Bennett et al.
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Are there aurora on other planets?
https://www.nasa.gov/topics/shuttle_station/features/20110917-aurora.html
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Are there aurora on other planets?
Interaction of
magnetosphere and
charged particles
Magnetosphere ingredients
1. Electrically conducting interior
2. Convection
3. Fast rotation
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Are there aurora on other planets?
Irregular fields at Uranus and Neptune
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Is Pluto a planet???
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Is Pluto a planet???
Definition of a planet (IAU)
1. Orbit the Sun
2. Large enough to be a
sphere
3. Clear it’s neighborhood
Other considerations
1. Orbital Inclination
2. Barycenter
3. Size (largest of area)
4. Nuclear fission
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A few details of current and future missions
New Horizons
1. Launched in 2006,
arrives this summer
2. Mission to outer
reaches of solar system
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A few details of current and future missions
New Horizons
Science
1. Alice-UV
spectrometer for
atmosphere
2. Ralph-MS visible
camera for maps
3. REX-‘freebie’ radio
science
4. LORRI-high
resolution camera
5. SWAP-solar wind
6. PEPSSI-atmosphere escape
7. Student Dust Counter
Submit names! http://www.ourpluto.org
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A few details of current and future missions
Juno
1. Launched 2011
2. Will orbit Jupiter
July 2016
3. Studying the
formation of
Jupiter
4. 20 meter solar
panel span
5. Radiation
mitigation
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A few details of current and future missions
Cassini (Huygens)
1. Launched 1997,
orbital insertion
2004, Huygens
probe 2005
2. Enceladus
plumes, dynamics
of rings and
moons, Titan
3. Extended mission
4. New season
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