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This Week in Astronomy HUGE NEWS – Discovery of Gravitational Waves! Washington site Louisiana site Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) This Week in Astronomy HUGE NEWS – Discovery of Gravitational Waves! E = mc2 Washington site Louisiana site Energy released as gravitational waves equal to mass-energy of 3 solar masses (about 1031 kg) Recall: Converting 0.1 kg to energy gives you this: Exam #1 Average: 68.2% Scores available on Blackboard High: 100% Exam #1 likely to be most difficult exam. You can see your exam by visiting office hours. Exam #1 A hot solid (like a piece of metal or rock) gives off a light spectrum like… – see images below – A, B, C from top to bottom: Blackbody (thermal) radiation Moon Myths The Moon does not rotate. - Wrong! The Moon rotates once every month (29.5 days). The unseen far side of the Moon is always dark. - Wrong! Far side of the Moon gets as much sunlight as the side facing us over the course of a month. You can’t see the Moon during the day. - Wrong! The Moon is often up during the day. The Moon phases are caused by the Earth’s shadow. - Wrong! No phase is caused by Earth’s shadow. The phases are caused by different illuminations of the side of the Moon facing Earth. Phases of the Moon Half of Moon is illuminated by Sun and half is dark at all times. The phase of the Moon depends on what fraction of the lit half is visible from Earth. There is no “dark side of the Moon” – this is a misnomer There is a “back side of the Moon” which never faces Earth Earth’s shadow does not cause Moon phases! Movement of Sun It takes the Sun ~30 days to move through one zodiac constellation. But all stars plus Sun rise and set each day because of Earth’s rotation. STARS ARE NOT “FIXED” IN THE NIGHT SKY! The angular momentum of a planet around the Sun A) is greatest when the planet is nearest the Sun. B) is greatest when the planet is farthest from the Sun. C) is always the same regardless of where the planet is in its orbit. D) is proportional to the square of the period of the planet around the Sun. Angular momentum (m *v *r) is conserved it is always a constant value Chapter 6 Formation of the Solar System Comparative Planetology • We can learn more about a world like our Earth by studying it in context with other worlds in the solar system. • Stay focused on processes common to multiple worlds instead of individual facts or trivia specific to a particular world. • In general, we want to answer the question “why” rather than “how many” or “how far”. There currently are eight major planets (sorry, Pluto, Planet 9) with nearly circular orbits orbiting the Sun in the same direction. Pluto and Eris and other “dwarf planets” are smaller than the major planets and have more elliptical orbits. What are the major features of the Sun and planets? Sun and planet sizes to scale, but distances are not Planets are very tiny compared to distances between them. Again, the Sun is the size of a grapefruit. Jupiter is the size of a marble, Earth is the tip of a ball-point pen Sun • Over 99.9% of solar system’s mass • Made mostly of hydrogen/helium gas + 1% heavier elements • Converts 4 million tons of mass into energy each second via E = mc2 by the fusion process Radius of Sun = 109 REarth = ~2 Earth-Moon The Terrestrial (Rocky/Metal) Planets Mercury Venus Earth Mars Mercury • Made of metal and rock; large iron core • Desolate, cratered; long, tall, steep cliffs • Extremely tenuous, almost non-existent atmosphere Largest day/night swing in temperature in the Solar System : 520 K Surface similar in appearance to Earth’s Moon. Venus • Nearly identical in size to Earth; surface hidden by clouds • Hellish conditions due to an extreme greenhouse effect • Even hotter than Mercury: 733 K, day and night A Venusian day lasts longer than a Venusian year! Rotation speed only 6.5 km/hr – a moderate walking pace Actual view of Venus’s surface by Soviet lander Venera 13 before it was crushed after 127 minutes by the 89 Earth atmosphere pressure. Thunder and lightning was detected. Earth • An oasis of life Earth and Moon with sizes shown to scale (Moon about ¼ diameter of Earth) • The only surface liquid water in the solar system • A surprisingly large moon Mars • Looks almost Earth-like on surface, but thinner atmosphere. • Giant volcanoes, a huge canyon, polar caps, more • Water flowed in distant past; could there have been life? More comfortable than Tuscaloosa in summer, not so nice in Mount Olympus – 3 times higher than Mt. Everest, 600 km across. The largest volcano known in the Solar System. Viking - 1977 Mars Global Surveyor - 2001 Viking - 1977 Galle crater on Mars Moons of Mars gravitationally locked in a 1:1 resonance Densities 1.76 g/cm3 and 1.9 g/cm3, like asteroids – captured? A view from Viking 1 A view from Pathfinder Sunset on Mars Which of the following is not a common characteristic of the terrestrial planets? A) they have few/no Moons B) they have similar composition as the Sun C) they all orbit in the same direction around the Sun D) they all have nearly circular orbits Which of the following is not a common characteristic of the terrestrial planets? A) they have few/no Moons B) they have similar composition as the Sun C) they all orbit in the same direction around the Sun D) they all have nearly circular orbits Sun is 99% hydrogen/helium, planets made nearly all of heavier elements (C, O, Si, Fe, etc.) The Gas Giant (Jovian) Planets Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Jupiter • Much farther from Sun than inner planets • Mostly hydrogen/heli um; no solid surface • 300 times more massive than Earth • Many moons, rings Much less dense than inner rocky planets (because it is mostly gas). Jupiter harbors many moons, including four large “Galilean” moons shown here. Saturn • Giant and gaseous like Jupiter • Spectacular rings • Many moons, including cloudy Titan Only 2/3 as dense as water! Rings are NOT solid; they are made of countless small chunks of ice and rock, each orbiting like a tiny moon. Artist’s conception Uranus • Smaller than Jupiter/Saturn; much larger than Earth • Made of H/He gas and hydrogen compounds (molecules - H2O, NH3, CH4) • Extreme axis tilt • Many moons and a faint ring system • Excess methane gives bluish color Uranus spins on its side – rotational axis points toward Sun ~42 years of continuous daylight followed by ~42 years of continuous night at the poles. Neptune • Similar to Uranus (except for axis tilt) • Many moons (including Triton) and a faint ring system How do gas giant (Jovian) planets differ from the terrestrial (rocky/metal) planets? A) gas giants have many moons B) gas giants are made mostly of H/He and hydrogen compounds C) gas giants have rings D) all of the above How do gas giant (Jovian) planets differ from the terrestrial (rocky/metal) planets? A) gas giants have many moons B) gas giants are made mostly of H/He and hydrogen compounds C) gas giants have rings D) all of the above