Download Solar System Unit

Model of the Universe
By Diana Brown
By Ms. Brown
The Universe is composed of all observable things…
The Universe is composed of
all observable things…
From Earth we can see
the sun, the moon, and
stars
Falling Stars & Flashes of Light
We can also view comets & supernovas
What else is out there?
Earth is part of a galaxy--a large group of stars.
The galaxy we live in is called The Milky Way.
~The Milky Way~
• Our galaxy contains about 400 billion stars
and measures about 100,000 light-years.
• There are 8 planets in our universe, dwarf
planets, and several moons.
• Astronomers have discovered 30 other
galaxies so far. They believe there are
about 50 to 100 billion other galaxies in
the Universe.
Galaxies can be elliptical, spiral or
irregular shaped. The Milky Way is
spiral.
The Universe
• The universe is a collection of various
objects continuously expanding in all
directions.
– Stars
– Planets
– Asteroids
– Meteors
– Comets
The large majority of the
universe is made up of
literally nothing.
There is a reason that they
call it SPACE!
The Solar System
• The sun together with
the group of celestial
bodies that revolve
around it
• The Sun is the largest
object of our solar
system.
• The nine planets are
satellites to the sun.
• The Sun is a star.
The Sun
•Makes up 99.86% of
all the matter in the
solar system
•Huge ball of gas
•Powered by fusion
•Average middleaged star
Distances in the Solar System
Stars vs. Planets
• Stars are parts of the
universe that are visible
in the night sky
• Stars are orbited by other
objects
• Planets are parts of the
universe that are visible
in the night sky
• Planets can also be
orbited by smaller objects
• Stars generate their own
light energy through
nuclear energy
• Stars are massive
• Planets reflect and
absorb the light given off
by stars
• Planets are comparatively
smaller
Planets
• Basically the planets form from the leftover materials that don’t get pulled into the
core of this swirling hot cloud
• Planets are accreted masses of rock and
ice fragments and/or large collections of
gas
• The stars end up with so much more mass
that their gravity pulls on the planets and
traps them in an orbital path
Mercury
• 8th largest & closest to
the Sun, so it is
extremely hot.
• Similar to the moon;
very old & cratered.
• Very thin atmosphere
and iron
core
• Magnetic field about
1% of Earth’s.
• Ancient volcanic
activity.
• Atmosphere is
constantly relishing
itself.
• Visible with
binoculars.
Venus
• Brightest object
besides the Sun & the
Moon.
• Young surface
• Rotation very slow &
retrogrades.
• Run away
greenhouse effect.
• Least hospitable
place for life
• Once had water, but
has since all boiled
away because of the
Sun’s heat.
• 6th largest planet.
• Earth’s twin
Earth
• Densest major body
in the solar system.
• Young surface.
• Iron/nickel core
• Core may be hotter
than the surface of
the Sun.
• Earth’s atmosphere is
composed of 77%
nitrogen, 21%
oxygen, and traces of
argon, CO2, and
water.
• 71% of Earth’s
surface is covered
with water.
Mars
• Most varied terrain
of all the planets.
• Although smaller
than Earth, it has
about the same
amount of land
surface that Earth
does.
• Evidence that some time
there was liquid on the
planet.
• Atmosphere is very thin
and composed mostly of
CO2.
• The planet is unable to
recycle its CO2, back into
the atmosphere so it is
much cooler. No clouds.
Mars
Olympus Mons is over 75,000 ft high
and is the size of Ohio.
It is believed that
crust shifts along
huge faults formed
these canyons
Convergent Boundaries
Valles Marineris is
the largest of several
canyons on the
Martian surface that
would dwarf our
Grand Canyon
Distances in the Solar System
The Asteroid Belt
The Asteroid Belt
• Located between Mars and Jupiter
• Asteroids are composed of rock material similar
to that which formed the planets
• Over 50,000 have been observed and recorded
• The largest is named Ceres and is about 600
miles across, but the majority are less than a
mile across
• Many of the more recent impact craters formed
on the moon and the Earth were probably from
asteroids
• While most asteroid orbits lie between Mars and
Jupiter, some orbits do come close to Earth
Where did it come from?
• Theory One:
The enormous amount of gravitational force
possessed by the nearby planet of Jupiter
kept these fragments from combining into
a planet
• Theory Two:
These could be the fragments of a broken
up planet or the product of repeated
collisions between larger objects
Jupiter
• 4th brightest body in
the solar system.
• Gas planet.
• Core: rocky material
• Thick clouds and high
winds.
• Atmosphere: 90%
hydrogen & 10%
helium.
• The Great Red Spot
is a weather system.
• Jupiter has rings, but
they are fainter and
smaller than Saturn’s
rings.
• 63 known satellites.
Jupiter
The Great Red spot is
the largest of these
storms.
•It could swallow three
Earths placed side by
side.
•It measures 12,000 km
from top to bottom
Saturn
• Core: rocky
• Two prominent rings
and a faint third one.
• Significant magnetic
field.
• 34 known satellites
• Largest moon is Titan
(larger than Mercury)
• Second largest
• Least dense planet
• Atmosphere similar to
Jupiter: 75%
hydrogen & 25%
helium with traces of
water, methane,
ammonia and rock
• Has storms similar to
Jupiter, but smaller.
Uranus
• Gas planet; 3rd
largest.
• Mostly composed of
rocks and “ices”
• 27 satellites, 6 are
unnamed.
• Uranus has been
visited by only one
spacecraft, Voyager 2
on Jan 24 1986.
• Atmosphere: 83%
hydrogen, 15%
helium and 2%
methane.
• 11 faint rings
Uranus
• Rotates on a horizontal axis
• Atmosphere is made up of H, He, and CH4
• The methane gives the planet its blue-green
color
• Evidence suggests it may have a liquid mantle
composed of water, methane, and ammonia
surrounding a rocky core
Neptune
• Gas planet with an
atmosphere of
hydrogen, helium,
and some methane.
• Has the fastest
winds of all the solar
system.
• Internal heat
source; twice the
energy of the sun.
• Features: “ices” and
rock material.
• Dark rings surround
it, but their
composition is
unknown.
• 13 known moons.
Poor old Pluto
In August of 2006, Pluto lost its status as a planet.
(1) A "planet" is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has
sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it
assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared
the neighborhood around its orbit.
(2) A "dwarf planet" is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b)
has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it
assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, (c) has not cleared
the neighborhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite.
(3) All other objects except satellites orbiting the Sun shall be referred to
collectively as "Small Solar-System Bodies".
Pluto
• Never been visited
by a spacecraft.
• Has a satellite called
Charon.
• Some think of it as
more like a comet or
asteroid
rather than
a planet.
• Little knowledge of
the atmosphere of
Pluto. More than
likely it is composed
of nitrogen and some
CO2, and methane.
• Just beyond this
dwarf planet is the
Oort Cloud
Constellations & Mythology
Constellations are the patterns
of stars you see in the sky each
night. Constellations have
been around for thousands of
years. The figures have
stories or myths behind them,
and they have been named after
mythological heroes and
animals.
Orion
*One of the earliest uses for the mapping and
tracking stars was navigation
*Today, these constellations are markers that
can be used to find specific stars in the night sky.
What is the moon?
Our Neighbor!
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•
•
•
The moon is our nearest neighbor in space.
The moon is about 240,000 miles away.
Just like the planets, the moon has an orbit.
The moon orbits Earth.
Moon Facts
• No magnetic field
• Only natural satellite
to Earth.
• Heavily cratered and
old highlands make
up the terrain.
• The Moon causes
waves on Earth.
• Second brightest
object in the sky.
• July 20, 1969
Is the Moon
rough
or
smooth?
What do you think?
It’s Rough, of course!
• The moon is made of
rock.
• The moon has no
atmosphere to protect
it from objects in
space.
• Meteoroids have
been slamming into it,
making craters.
Moltke Crater
The Big Question
Why does the moon have so many impact
craters, and the Earth has so few?
Atmosphere
Earth’s watery surface
Weathering and Erosion
The Earth has experienced impacts just like
the Moon for the last few billion years.
Barringer Crater, Arizona
¾ of a mile wide
The rim rises 165 ft
above the surrounding
countryside
<20,000 years old
Over 30 tons of iron
have been removed
from the site
Meteorite was
approximately 150 ft
wide
The Moon’s Shape
Does the moon change
shape?
Moon Phases
• Why does the moon
seem to change shape?
• The moon shows
different phases as it
moves along its orbit
around Earth.
• The phases depend on
how much of the moon
that lit by the sun can be
seen.
The Phases
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•
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1. New Moon
2. Waxing Crescent
3. First Quarter
4. Waxing Gibbous
5. Full Moon
6. Waning Gibbous
7. Third Quarter
8. Waning Crescent
Moon Phases
Waning Gibbous
Waxing Crescent
1st Qtr
Waxing Gibbous
3rd Qtr
Full Moon
Waning Crescent
Moon Phases
Why do moon phases take approximately 1 month to complete a cycle?
Time on Earth
• One rotation of the Earth = 23h 56m = 1 day
• One revolution around the sun = 365 days 6h
9m = 1 year
• The moon revolves around the Earth once
every 27.3 days
• The moon completes one rotation every 27.3
days
The Mayans created a 365 day calendar about 1750 years ago.
They were only off by one day every 6000 years. Our calendar is
based on the same Sun/Earth relationship.
Rotation = Revolution
Earth’s Seasons
• Earth’s seasons are NOT related to our
distance from the Sun
• Season’s occur for two reasons:
The Earth is tilted on it’s axis
The Earth revolves around the sun
• If either of these were not true, we would
not have seasons
Earth’s Seasons
D
L
Earth’s Seasons
D
L
Sunlight
Earth’s Seasons
Tides
• The gravity of the moon causes daily
changes along the coastlines of Earth’s
landmasses.
• Water in the oceans responds to the
Moon’s pull and sea level rises on the side
of Earth facing the Moon and on the
opposite side.
• As Earth rotates, areas move in and out of
the high tide zone causing cycles of ocean
rising and falling.
Tides
Spring Tide vs. Neap tide
•
http://www.solarviews.com/eng/halley.htm Great general information about
comets and some photos were gained from this website.
•
http://whyflies.org/011comets/live.html This site gave descriptive
explanations about what comets are and where they come from
•
http://nineplanets.org/comets.html Useful pictures and information about
orbits and visibility of comets.
.
http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/ Fascinating sight and photos of what a comet
looks like up close.
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•
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http://cometography.com/ I found awesome comet photos here and lots of
information on specific comets.
References
• http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon
/moonphase/
• http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html
• http://www.ioncmaste.ca/homepage/resour
ces/web_resources/CSA_Astro9/files/html/
module3/lessons/lesson4/phasesMoon.ht
ml
~The End~
http://www.nineplanets.org Great photos at this URL with interesting links.
http://library.thinkquest.org/28327/main/cockpit.html Awesome website!! This
site provided a virtual tour of the solar system and provided great
information about the universe.
http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/universe/galaxytour/milkyway.ht
ml This website provided general information.
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/ This source was simple and easy to follow. It also
provided some good photos.
http://www.solarviews.com/eng/homepage.htm Wonderful pictures and
information can be found at this website