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The Solar System
General Characteristics of Solar System

All planets revolve around Sun
counterclockwise

All planets except Venus rotate on axis
counterclockwise

All planets orbits lie in plane of ecliptic

Axes of planets except Uranus
perpendicular to ecliptic

Compositional variation (Inner planets Terrestrial; Outer planets - Gaseous)
Solar System Formation
Planetary
Composition:
Terrestrial vs Jovian
Age of the Solar System
Age of Earth
Oldest Rock: 4.28 Billion Years
The Nuvvuagittuq Belt
on the coast of the
Hudson Bay in
Northern Quebec
Oldest Mineral: 4.4 Billion Years
The Jack Hills of
Western Australia
Radiogenic
Heating of Earth
Differentiation
Origin of the Moon
The Solar System
The Sun
Mass (x Earth)
332,830
Radius (x Earth)
109
Mean Density
1.41
Mean Surface
Temperature
6,000°C
Rotational Period
(Days)
25-36
Composition
Hydrogen
92.1%
Helium 7.8%
Structure of the Sun

Interior
• Core: Fusion of H to He
• Radiative Zone
Energy Transported by
Photons
• Convection Zone
Energy Transported by
Convection

Atmosphere
• Photosphere:
Surface
Visual
• Chromosphere:
Lower
Atmosphere; Faint Red Glow
• Corona:
Outer
Atmosphere; Plasma Cloud;
Over 1,000,000°C
Chromosphere and Corona
during Eclipse
Mercury
Mass (x Earth)
0.05
Radius (x Earth)
0.38
Mean Density
5.42
Mean Surface
Temperature
179°C
Distance from Sun
(AU)
0.39
Rotational Period
(Days)
58.6
Orbital Period (Days)
88.0
Tilt of Axis
0.0
Mercury
Venus
Mass (x Earth)
0.81
Radius (x Earth)
0.95
Mean Density
5.25
Mean Surface
Temperature
482°C
Distance from Sun
(AU)
0.72
Rotational Period
(Days)
243
Orbital Period (Days)
225
Tilt of Axis
177
Venus
Venus
Earth
Mass (x Earth)
1
Radius (x Earth)
1
Mean Density
5.52
Mean Surface
Temperature
15°C
Distance from Sun
(AU)
1
Rotational Period
(Days)
1
Orbital Period (Days)
365
Tilt of Axis
23
Mars
Mass (x Earth)
1.07
Radius (x Earth)
0.53
Mean Density
3.94
Mean Surface
Temperature
-63°C
Distance from Sun
(AU)
1.52
Rotational Period
(Days)
1.02
Orbital Period (Days)
687
Tilt of Axis
25
Mars
Planetary Cores and Magnetic Fields
Mars
Jupiter
Mass (x Earth)
318
Radius (x Earth)
11.2
Mean Density
1.33
Mean Cloud
Temperature
-121°C
Distance from Sun
(AU)
5.2
Rotational Period
(Days)
0.41
Orbital Period (Days)
4333
Tilt of Axis
3
Jupiter
Io
Europa
Saturn
Mass (x Earth)
95.2
Radius (x Earth)
9.45
Mean Density
1.29
Mean Cloud
Temperature
-125°C
Distance from Sun
(AU)
9.54
Rotational Period
(Days)
0.43
Orbital Period (Days)
10,753
Tilt of Axis
25
Saturn
Enceladus
Uranus
Mass (x Earth)
1.45
Radius (x Earth)
4.01
Mean Density
1.29
Mean Cloud
Temperature
-193°C
Distance from Sun
(AU)
19.2
Rotational Period
(Days)
0.75
Orbital Period (Days)
30,664
Tilt of Axis
98
Neptune
Mass (x Earth)
1.71
Radius (x Earth)
3.88
Mean Density
1.64
Mean Cloud
Temperature
-193°C
Distance from Sun
(AU)
30.1
Rotational Period
(Days)
0.67
Orbital Period (Days)
60,152
Tilt of Axis
30
Pluto
Mass (x Earth)
0.022
Radius (x Earth)
0.18
Mean Density
2.05
Mean Cloud
Temperature
Distance from Sun
(AU)
39.5
Rotational Period
(Days)
6.4
Orbital Period (Days)
90,717
Tilt of Axis
123
Pluto and Charon
Definition of a Planet

Set in 2006 by the International
Astronomical Union (IAU) states that in
the Solar System a planet is a celestial
body that:
• is in orbit around the Sun,
• has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic
equilibrium (a nearly round shape), and
• has "cleared the neighbourhood" around its
orbit.
Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud