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Download The Planets in our Solar System
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The Planets in our Solar System Solar System Basics • Our solar system is not only made of the Sun, the nine planets and their satellites, but also asteroids and comets. • All celestial bodies revolve around the sun. • The characteristics of each planet were determined by where each planet formed in relation to the Sun. • The various temperatures created different elements. • Heavier elements formed closer to the heat of the Sun, lighter elements formed farther from the Sun. More on planet formation . . . • Temperature and distance from the Sun influenced the condensation of various substances within the evolving solar system. • Eventually, the condensing material merged to form large bodies hundreds of kilometers in diameter. • These bodies were called planetesimals. • The planets began to form from the collision of these planetesimals. To be or not to be . . . • Pluto is weird – Solid surface but low density; the best of both worlds! • Planet: – Yes, solid body orbiting star. – No, orbit too far off and not regular. • Decide for yourself!! The Birth of the Sun • The sun formed from the dense concentration of gas at the center of the solar nebula. • As the gas and dust condensed, the temperature and pressure at the center increased. • The temperature and pressure became so great, nuclear fusion began. The Sun (. . . Continued) • Nuclear fusion causes lighter atoms, like hydrogen, to fuse and become heavier atoms, like helium. • This reaction releases tremendous amounts of energy. • The sun releases this energy in the form of thermal energy and light. Other Objects in the Solar System • Asteroids – Small, rocky bodies that orbit the Sun. • Comet – A small body that revolves around the Sun in an elliptical orbit. – It is a body of ice with a rocky core – When it nears the Sun, the ice melts and is illuminated by the sun, forming the tail. Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites! • Meteoroids – A fragment of an asteroid that enters Earth’s atmosphere. • Meteor – A meteoroid that burns up as it enters Earth’s atmosphere. (Shooting Star) • Meteorite – A meteor that hits the Earth Formation of the Planets • The particles in space surrounding the sun contracted to form the planets of the solar system. • *A planet is a celestial body revolving around a star. • Our solar system has 9 planets revolving around our star – the Sun. Two Types of Planets • The Inner Planets – Terrestrial – Made of heavy, solid elements – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars • *Gas Giant Planet: – The Outer Planets – Gaseous • About 15 times larger than Earth • Composed of hydrogen and helium – Light, very low density – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune Galaxies . . . • The sun is the star of our solar system, but it is only one of millions of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. • A *galaxy is a system containing millions of stars held together by gravity. The Neighborhood . . . • *A Local Group of galaxies is a group of 30 galaxies, of which the Milky Way is a part. • The local group is part of a 10,000 unit supercluster Proxomity • *Astronomical Unit (AU) – The distance between the Earth and the Sun – ~ 93 million miles. • A *light year is the distance light travels in one year. ~ 9.7 trillion km. General Solar System Info . . . • (#1) The two largest planets in our Solar system are Jupiter and Saturn ~ both gaseous planets. • (#2) Venus is the planet closest in size to the Earth. • (#3) The inner, terrestrial planets are much smaller than the outer, gaseous planets. • (#4) According to the ESRT, Jupiter’s diameter is about 11 times greater than Earth’s. • (#5) The sun’s diameter is • (#6) The outer planets 1,394,000 km. If we used are much farther apart the scale 1 mm = 700 km, than the inner planets. the sun would be almost 2000 mm (1.9 m)! • (#7) The planets that are closest to Earth are Mars and Venus. • (#8) Which planet has the longest period of revolution? • Neptune at 165 years. • Why? • Check out the ESRT; It’s the farthest planet from the sun! • (#9) Which planet has the longest period of rotation? • Venus – 243 days – Earth rotates in 24 hours! • (#10) How many moons orbit around Jupiter? • 16, compared to 1 for Earth, 18 for Saturn and 21 for Uranus! Conclusion . . . • All of the planets, including Jupiter, are dwarfed by the size of the sun • The Earth is close to the sun in comparison to other, “nearby” stars and galaxies.