Download Our Solar System

Our Solar
System
Our Solar System includes:
1. The Sun (our one star)
2. Eight planets and their natural satellites
a)Mercury
b)Venus
c)Earth
d)Mars
e) Jupiter
f) Saturn
g) Uranus
h) Neptune
3. Asteroids
4. Comets
5. Meteors, Meteoroids
6. Dwarf Planets
Mrs. Degl
1
There are two main groups of planets in our Solar System:
1. Terrestrial Planets
2. Jovian Planets
Terrestrial Planets – Earth like
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The first 4 planets from the Sun
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
These are the smaller planets
These planets are more dense
These planets are made of solid
rock. (You can stand on them)
Jovian Planets – Gas Giants
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The next 4 planets
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Does not include Pluto
These are very LARGE planets
These are low density planets
These planets are made of GAS
You cannot stand on them
These planets have very thick
atmospheres
Pluto is not in either group.
Mrs. Degl
2
Mercury
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
The innermost planet
The smallest planet
Has no atmosphere
Has a lot of craters
Is very dense
Rotates slowly
Revolves quickly
Day temps are @ 800ºF
Night temps are @ -280ºF
Mrs. Degl
3
Venus
1.
2.
3.
4.
Very similar to the Earth as far as size and density.
Has a very thick atmosphere of over 97% carbon dioxide.
Surface temperature is 90 times hotter than Earth.
Has a runaway greenhouse effect because of the high amount of
CO2.
5. The surface was mapped and showed that 80% of the surface was
once volcanic.
6. There are very few impact craters. Why? _________________
Mrs. Degl
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Mars
The Red Planet
The atmosphere is 1% as dense as the Earths.
The small atmosphere is mostly CO2.
Has visible polar caps of frozen water and CO2.
Very dry planet with many large dust storms.
Numerous extinct volcanoes (Olympus Mons-largest in our Solar System)
The tectonic plates are not moving like Earth’s are.
No running water (only frozen on the caps)
There are stream drainage patterns found on the planet from
running water at some point long ago.
Mrs. Degl
5
Jupiter
1. Largest planet.
2. 2.5 times greater mass than all of the other items on our solar
system combined.
3. If it grew only 10x larger, it would have become a star (we will
learn about this when we discuss stars)
4. Rotates in 10 hours.
5. Multicolored atmosphere caused by the thick gasses swirling
around.
6. Has the Great Red Spot, the largest storm in our Solar System.
7. Surface may be an ocean of liquid hydrogen (not rocky)
8. Has a ring system.
9. Has many moons, but two are promising for life.
a) Europa – Has a cracked icy surface, which means that it may
have life in a warmer ocean underneath
b) Io – Very volcanically active (cooling lava creates steam,
which can create water, which can hold life)
Mrs. Degl
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Io
Mrs. Degl
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Saturn
1.
2.
Very similar to Jupiter as far as atmospheric conditions.
Most prominent ring system (about 1000 rings)
a) the total ring thickness is 40,000 km
b) each ring is about 100 m thick
c) particles in the ring are mostly icy particles, the size of buses.
3. Rings were discovered by Galileo in 1610.
4. The Cassini spacecraft traveled through the rings
in July 2004.
5. Has at least 21 moons (Titan is the largest moon in our Solar
System)
6. Enceladus, another Moon, is geologically active.
It is spraying water vapor and ice into space.
This was discovered in December 2005.
Enceladus
Mrs. Degl
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Uranus and Neptune are considered the twin planets
Neptune
Uranus
1. Rotates on it’s side (it is
tipped over)
2. Also has a ring system
3. Many large moons
4. Very thick atmosphere
1. Very thick atmosphere
2. Has the Great Dark Spot, which
is a large storm
3. One Moon (Triton) revolves
opposite to rest of our Solar
System members. It also has the
lowest temp. in the Solar System.
Mrs. Degl
9
What is Pluto now?
Pluto
1. Is not visible to the naked eye.
2. Highly elliptical orbit, which causes
it to travel into the orbital path of
Charon
Neptune.
3. Pluto is now classified as a "dwarf planet"
4. Pluto might be a captured old comet or a previous moon of
Neptune.
5. The average temp. on Pluto is -210ºF
6. Pluto’s main moon Charon is almost the same size as itself.
Click here to
learn about the
future mission to Pluto
Mrs. Degl
10
Ceres? Charon? Eris (2003 UB13)?
Now Charon will continue to be considered Pluto's satellite, and the three other
worlds will be dubbed "dwarf planets" rather than full-fledged planets. The
planets are drawn to scale, but without correct relative distances.
Mrs. Degl
11
The 2006 definition of "planet" by the International Astronomical Union
(IAU) states that, in the solar system, a planet is a celestial body that:
1. is in orbit around the Sun
2. has sufficient mass so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium
(nearly round) shape
3. has "cleared the neighborhood" around its orbit
A non-satellite body fulfilling only the first two of these criteria is classified as a
"dwarf planet", whilst a non-satellite body fulfilling only the first criterion
is termed a "small solar system body" (SSSB). The definition was a
controversial one, and has drawn both support and criticism from different
astronomers.
According to the definition there are currently eight planets and three dwarf
planets known in the solar system.
Mrs. Degl
12
UB313 (ERIS) - an icy body
that lies beyond the planet
Neptune. It is about three
times as far from the Sun as is
Pluto.
Scientists determined 2003
UB313's diameter is about
1,864 miles (3,000
kilometers), which is 435
miles (700 kilometers) larger
than Pluto.
Eris is now considered a ‘Dwarf Planet”
Mrs. Degl
13
Quaoar – a cold new world
It was once believed that another planet, called Planet X, resided
out there. But that has been disproved. However, there is an
object orbiting around the Sun in a nearly perfect circular orbit,
called Quaoar. It is more than 1 billion miles past Pluto. It is
1300 km (800 miles)in diameter and definitely part of out solar
system
Mrs. Degl
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Kuiper Belt
The Kuiper Belt is an area in our Solar System that is similar to
the Asteroid Belt. It is very far away and yet is hold many larger
objects. Some of these objects are not much smaller than the size
of Pluto. The Kuiper Belt is a disk-shaped region past the orbit
of Neptune extending roughly from 30 to 50 AU from the Sun
containing many small icy bodies. It is now considered to be the
source of the short-period comets.
Mrs. Degl
15
Asteroids
The Asteroid Belt, which is where most of the asteroids are,
lies between Mars and Jupiter.
One of the largest in our Solar System is 620 miles in diameter.
Asteroids tend to have very eccentric orbits and irregular shapes.
Asteroids have always collided with the Earth. This does
not happen very often, because most are very far away.
Every once in while, the orbit of an asteroid comes pretty
close to the Earth’s orbit. (The closest has been double the
distance to the Moon from Earth… that is pretty close)
It is believed that the extinction of the dinosaurs and many other
species was caused by an asteroid impact of some sort, 65
million years ago. A huge undersea crater off of Mexico is
believed to the the impact site. A great deal of an element called
Iridium was found around it. Iridium is found on the surface of
the Earth. It is found in space rocks.
Mrs. Degl
16
Comets
Comets are sort of like“large dirty snowballs”
Comets are composed of frozen gases that cover rocky materials.
Comets tend to have very eccentric orbits.
Comets develop a tail that points away from the Sun. This is
caused by blowing solar winds and/or partial melting when the
comet gets closer to the Sun.
The most famous comet is “Halley’s Comet”. It has an orbital
period of 76 years. It was last here in 1985. It will return in 2061.
Another famous comet is “Hale Bopp” (It was here in 1997).
Mrs. Degl
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Meteors and Meteoroids
Meteors are pieces of space rock that enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
Meteoriods are pieces of space rock that make it to the ground.
When you see a shooting star, you are looking at a meteor that has
entered the Earth’s atmosphere as it burns up.
Meteor showers occur when the Earth enters the path of a comet
or other space debris, during it’s orbit around the Sun.
The Leonid Meteor Shower is very popular and a great time to go
out at night and look for shooting stars. This happens every
November.
Shooting stars are really the size of a nickel, give
or take a few centimeters.
Most meteors are made of iron and nickel. Others are made of
carbon. This helps us determine what is inside the Earth’s core and
what is in the rest of our Solar System.
Mrs. Degl
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Meteor Crater Arizona
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Mrs. Degl
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Oort Cloud
The Oort cloud is an
immense spherical cloud
surrounding the
planetary system and
extending approximately
3 light years, about 30
trillion kilometers from
the Sun. This vast
distance is considered
the edge of the Sun's orb
of physical,
gravitational, or
dynamical influence.
The statistics imply that it may contain as
many as a trillion comets. Unfortunately,
since the individual comets are so small
and at such large distances, we have no
direct evidence about the Oort Cloud.
Mrs. Degl
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