Download The Solar System

The Solar System
The Solar System
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Our tiny corner of Universe is dominated by a
star we call the Sun.
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Trapped in the gravity of the Sun is a huge
family of bodies – planets, moons, asteroids,
comets which hurtle with it through space.
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This family is our Solar System.
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The effects of the Sun, its heat, gravity and
light extend far beyond the farthest planet,
Pluto, to about a quarter of the way to the
next nearest star, Proxima Centauri.
The Planets
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Nine planets orbit the Sun at different distances.
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The four inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth
and Mars) are balls of rock and metal.
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The outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and
Neptune) are giant balls of gas and liquid. Pluto,
the furthest planet is made from ice and rock.
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The time it takes a planet to orbit the Sun is its
orbital period (its year). Planets also rotate as
they travel. The time it takes for a planet to rotate
once is its rotation period (its day).
The Sun
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Size: Diameter of 1,390,000 km
Mass: 1.99 x 1030 kg
Distance from Earth: 149.6 million km
Composition: 70% Hydrogen, 28% Helium,
2% other elements
• Temperature: Surface: 5,800oC
Core: 15,600,000oC
• Planets: 9
• Colour: Orange
The Sun
• The Sun is a 1.4 million km
ball of burning gas.
• Variations in the Sun’s
magnetic field cause huge
solar flares to shoot into
space.
• Solar flares can be
accompanied by dense
clouds of electrically
charged solar wind.
• Solar wind can disrupt
communication satellites.
Mercury
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Size: Diameter of 4,880 km
Mass: 3.30 x 1023 kg
Distance from Sun: 57.91 million km
Distance from Earth: Max 207.9 million km
Min 92 million km
Atmosphere: Negligible atmosphere
Temperature: 450oC Day; -170oC Night
Length of Year: 88 Earth days
Length of Day: 59 Earth days
Moons: None
Colour: Dark Grey
Core: Iron rich core about 3600 km in diameter
Mercury
• The most conspicuous
feature on the planet is
the huge Caloris Basin
(1300 km across).
• The Caloris Basin was
formed by a collision
between Mercury and
another rocky body.
• Mercury has the widest
temperature range on
any planet in the Solar
System.
Venus
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Size: Diameter of 12,104 km
Mass: 4.87 x 1024 kg
Distance from Sun: 108.21 million km
Distance from Earth: Max 258 million km
Min 41 million km
Atmosphere: Mainly carbon dioxide
90 times Earth pressure
Temperature: Average 480oC
Length of Year: 225 Earth days
Length of Day: 243 Earth days
Moons: None
Colour: White cloud tops
Core: Iron/Nickel core
Venus
• Venus has the longest
day of any planet in the
Solar System (243 days).
• It’s the only planet where
the sun rises in the west
and sets in the east.
• Venus has a poisonous
atmosphere – it is full of
sulphuric acid.
• It’s thick carbon dioxide
atmosphere creates a
strong greenhouse effect.
Earth
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Size: Diameter of 12,756 km
Mass: 5.97 x 1024 kg
Distance from Sun: 149.6 million km
Atmosphere: Mainly nitrogen with oxygen and
carbon dioxide
Temperature: Average 22oC
Length of Year: 365.26 Earth days
Length of Day: 24 Earth hours
Moons: 1 (The Moon)
Colour: Blue and green
Core: Iron/Nickel core
Earth
• The only planet in the
Solar System where life
has been confirmed.
• The planet is the correct
distance from the Sun for
water to exist as a liquid.
• Earth’s oceans help
regulate the planet’s
temperature.
• The Earth’s atmosphere
and magnetic field shield
the planet from most of
the solar radiation.
Mars
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Size: Diameter of 6,792 km
Mass: 6.42 x 1023 kg
Distance from Sun: 228 million km
Distance from Earth: Max 378 million km
Min 78 million km
Atmosphere: Thin carbon dioxide atmosphere
Temperature: Average -55oC
Length of Year: 687 Earth days
Length of Day: 24 Earth hours 37 minutes
Moons: 2 (Deimos and Phobos)
Colour: Red
Core: Small iron core
Mars
• The temperature of Mars is
closer to Earth than any other
planet in the Solar System
(27oC in summer).
• Valles Marineres is the
longest ever canyon system.
It measures over 5,000 km
along the equator with an
average depth of 6 km.
• Olympus Mons is the largest
volcano in the Solar System.
It measures 700 km wide and
reaches 27 km high.
Jupiter
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Size: Diameter of 142,984 km
Mass: 1.90 x 1027 kg
Distance from Sun: 778.3 million km
Distance from Earth: Max 928 million km
Min 628 million km
Atmosphere: Mainly hydrogen and helium
Temperature: -123oC at the surface
20,000oC at the core
Length of Year: 4,333 Earth days
Length of Day: 10 Earth hours 40 minutes
Moons: 58+ (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto)
Colour: Yellow/orange
Core: Rocky iron core
Jupiter
• Jupiter is one of the four ‘gas
giant’ planets. It is composed
of a swirling ball of gas with a
small rocky core.
• The Great Red Spot is a vast
thunderstorm that has raged
on Jupiter for over 400 years.
• The Great Red Spot is over
twice the size of Earth and is
the largest thunderstorm in
the Solar System.
Saturn
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Size: Diameter of 120,536 km
Mass: 5.68 x 1026 kg
Distance from Sun: 1,429.4 million km
Distance from Earth: Max 1,579 million km
Min 1,279 million km
Atmosphere: Mainly hydrogen and helium
Temperature: -180oC at the surface
12,000oC at the core
Length of Year: 10,750 Earth days
Length of Day: 10 Earth hours 14 minutes
Moons: 31+ (Titan, Iapetus, Dione, Encelaus, Mimas)
Colour: Beige
Core: Rocky iron core
Saturn
• Saturn is a ‘gas giant’, like
its larger neighbour Jupiter.
• Saturn ring system is the
most spectacular in all the
Solar System.
• These rings are made up of
billions of rock particles
ranging from a few microns
to a few meters in length.
• The planet’s density is so
small that it could float on
water.
Uranus
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Size: Diameter of 51,118 km
Mass: 8.68 x 1025 kg
Distance from Sun: 2,875 million km
Distance from Earth: Max 3,025 million km
Min 2,725 million km
Atmosphere: Hydrogen, helium, methane
Temperature: -214oC
Length of Year: 30,707 Earth days
Length of Day: 17 Earth hours 12 minutes
Moons: 21+ (Oberon, Titania, Umbriel, Ariel, Miranda)
Colour: Blue/green
Core: Rocky ice core
Uranus
• Like Jupiter, Saturn & Neptune
Uranus is a planet made
almost entirely of hydrogen,
helium and methane gas.
• Uranus appears blue due to its
atmospheric methane that
absorbs red light from the Sun.
• Uranus is a featureless planet.
Enhanced imaging shows
seasonal atmospheric changes
• Uranus is the only planet to
spin on its side.
Neptune
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Size: Diameter of 49,532 km
Mass: 1.02 x 1026 kg
Distance from Sun: 4,504 million km
Distance from Earth: Max 4,564 million km
Min 4,354 million km
Atmosphere: Hydrogen, helium and methane
Temperature: -220oC
Length of Year: 60,202 Earth days
Length of Day: 16 Earth hours 7 minutes
Moons: 11+ (Triton)
Colour: Deep blue
Core: Rocky ice core
Neptune
• Neptune is one of the four
‘gas giant’ planets, composed
almost entirely of gas.
• Voyager 2 spotted a small
white cloud shooting around
Neptune’s upper atmosphere
every 16 hours.
• Neptune has the wildest
weather in the Solar System,
with winds of up to 2,000 km/h
• During certain points in its orbit
Neptune becomes the furthest
planet from the sun.
Pluto
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Size: Diameter of 2,300 km
Mass: 1.27 x 1022 kg
Distance from Sun: 5,915 million km
Distance from Earth: Max 7,525 million km
Min 4,275 million km
Atmosphere: Thin nitrogen atmosphere with
carbon dioxide and methane
Temperature: -223oC
Length of Year: 90,803 Earth days
Length of Day: 6.39 Earth days
Moons: 1 (Charon)
Colour: Unknown
Core: Unknown
Pluto
• Pluto is the furthest planet
from the Sun, except for a
20 year period in its 248 year
orbit when it comes closer to
the Sun than Neptune.
• Hubble telescope images
show light and dark regions
• Lighter areas are probably
ices of nitrogen, methane,
ethane and carbon dioxide.
• Darker areas may be a result
of chemical reactions driven
by cosmic rays.
Asteroids
• Asteroids are lumps of
rocky debris that float
around in the Solar
System.
• Most are found in the
asteroid belt between
Jupiter and Mars.
• They range in size from
tiny dust particles to
nearly 1,000 km across.
• Class C: silicates
Class M: nickel + iron
Class S: nickel + iron +
silicates
Comets
• Comets are icy chunks of
water and dust that originate
in the outer Solar System.
• When comets approach the
Sun they vapourise, hence
developing a bright tail.
• Comets originate from two
regions, the Kuiper Belt and
the Oort Cloud.
• The Kuiper Belt extends from
Neptune out past Pluto.
• The Oort Cloud surrounds the
entire Solar System.