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Our Solar System. . .
. . .Located in the Milky Way Galaxy
It is just one of the billions of galaxies in
our universe
EQ: What are our planets?
SOLAR SYSTEM
• The Sun
• Nine Planets
• Satellites of the planets
• Many Comets and asteroids
11/15/99
Norm Herr (sample file)
SUN
• Light source for all bright obj. in our solar system.
• 75% hydrogen and 25% helium by mass
• Sun converts hydrogen to helium in its core during
an energy producing process called nuclear fusion.
• The sun’s core temperature is about 15,000,000
degrees Celsius.
• Features on or just above the sun’s surface include
sunspots, prominences, and solar flares.
 Sunspots are areas of gas that are cooler that surrounding gas.
 Prominences are reddish loops of gas that link different sun spots together.
11/15/99
Norm Herr (sample file)
 Solar flares are an eruption of gases emerging from sunspots.
 Our Solar System
What is a PLANET?
• A planet is a large, round body that
orbits a star and shines with light
reflected from the star.
• We know of nine planets that orbit the
sun in our solar system.
11/15/99
Norm Herr (sample file)
What are the nine planets?
HINT: My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Norm Herr (sample file)
What are Terrestrial Planets?
These are rocky and closest to the sun
•Mercury,
Venus, Earth,
Mars
MERCURY
• The second smallest planet in the solar
system and the one nearest to the sun.
• Appears to travel fastest. Its orbit about
the sun takes 88 days to complete,
Mercury goes around the sun about four
times while the earth is going around
once.
• Mercury has no moons, but lots of
craters..
• Its lack of atmosphere causes extreme
temperatures, freezing on one side and
boiling
on the other.
Norm Herr (sample file)
VENUS
• Earth’s “Sister Planet”
• Density and internal structure is very similar to Earth.
• 2nd from Sun, 6th largest.
• Hottest surface of any planet-average temp. 460 degrees Celsius.
• Thick clouds with acid rain.
• Venus is the brightest planet in the solar system and the one that
comes closest to the earth.
• Has no moons
11/15/99
Norm Herr (sample file)
EARTH
• Age: At least 4 1/2 billion years
• Mass: 6,600,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons
• 3rd from the Sun
• Moon is 1/6 mass of earth
• period of rotation: 24 hours
• period of orbit 365.25 days
• Only planet with water at its
surface.
11/15/99
Norm Herr (sample file)
MARS
•
•
•
•
•
Mars is the 4th Planet from the Sun
Solid carbon dioxide is found at the poles
Mars is known as the Red Planet
Has largest mountain in our solar system
Two known moons.
11/15/99
Norm Herr (sample file)
What is the Asteroid Belt?
• Rocky objects that revolve
around the sun in circular
orbits between Mars and
Jupiter.
• This area is often called the
asteroid belt.
11/15/99
Norm Herr (sample file)
What are the Gas Giants?
Furthest group from sun, full of gas
and huge!
Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, Neptune
JUPITER
• It would take more than 1,000 Earths to fill up the volume of
the giant planet.
• Very Cold temperatures
• Unlike the inner planets, Jupiter is not a solid body, but instead
is a ball of gas and liquid (mostly hydrogen and helium).
• When viewed from Earth, Jupiter appears brighter than most
stars. It is usually the second brightest planet—after Venus.
• Has 63+ known moons.
• Has an ongoing storm, known as the “Giant Red Spot”
11/15/99
Norm Herr (sample file)
• Saturn:
SATURN
– Saturn is a gas giant.
– It has strong surface winds (500 m/sec).
– Saturn is less dense than water. If we could
find a pool big enough, Saturn would float in
the pool!
– Known for its spectacular rings made from ice
and rock.
• Saturn’s Moons: 60 known moons
– Titan is the big one, and is larger than planet
11/15/99 Mercury!
Norm Herr (sample file)
URANUS
• Uranus has 27 moons.
• One of the larger planets in the solar system and the
seventh in distance from the sun, 4x the diameter of
Earth.
• Looks blue-green because methane gas in its
atmosphere.
• Surrounded by a group of thin, flat rings.
• Only planet to rotate 90 degrees from verticle.
11/15/99
Norm Herr (sample file)
NEPTUNE
• Similar in size and color to Uranus.
• The blue coloration of Neptune is probably due to the
presence of methane
• Contains at least 13 moons.
Note the apparent storms
11/15/99
Norm Herr (sample file)
What are the dwarf planets?
• Pluto!!!!!
• Smallest and furthest from the
sun.
PLUTO
• Contains a solid surface, more like the inner planets
than the outer planets.
• Pluto is very small as planets go, only 0.002 Earth mass.
• Pluto’s orbit is elliptical : it varies from 29 to 49 A.U.
from the Sun, crossing inside of Neptune's orbit.
• Pluto's orbit is inclined 17deg to the ecliptic, so it goes
farther above and below the plane in which the other
planets formed than any other planet.
• 3 known moons.
• No longer considered a planet, but a dwarf planet, like
many others out near it.
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Norm Herr (sample file)
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Norm Herr (sample file)
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Norm Herr (sample file)
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Norm Herr (sample file)
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Norm Herr (sample file)
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Norm Herr (sample file)
What is an Astronomical Unit (A.U.)?
• 1 Astronomical Unit is equal to the average distance
between Earth and the sun ( 150 million kilometers).
• A.U.’s are unit when describing the distance between
planets within our solar system.
11/15/99
PLANET
AVERAGE DISTANCE
FROM THE SUN (A.U.)
MERCURY
0.39
VENUS
0.72
EARTH
1.0
MARS
1.5
JUPITER
5.2
SATURN
9.6
URANUS
19.2
NEPTUNE
Norm Herr (sample file)
30.0
PLUTO
39.2
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