Download planet - Mr. Gray`s Class

Unit 7
Our Solar System
Planets
*Inner Planets vs. Outer Planets
Dwarf Planets
Smaller Solar System Bodies
Planets
• Vocab Words for “Planets”…
– Planet
– Terrestrial Planet
– Gas Giant
Planets
A planet is an object that….
1) Orbits the sun
2) Has sufficient mass for its gravity to
overcome rigid body forces to maintain
equilibrium (or a nearly round shape)
3) Clears out the neighborhood of its orbit
Planets
•
The 8 Planets in our Solar System are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Planets
Planets
Planets
• Mercury
– Closest planet to the
sun!
– Full of craters
– Smallest Planet
Planets
• Venus
– 2nd Planet from the
sun!
– Earth’s twin
• Similar surface
features, but too hot for
water
– Very large atmosphere
and Greenhouse effect
– Very, Very Hot
Planets
• Earth
– 3rd Planet from the
Sun!
– Only planet with liquid
water, so only planet
with known life.
Planets
• Mars
– 4th Planet from the Sun!
– Ice covered North pole
• This is where they search
for life!
– Surface similar to Earth,
but has a thin atmosphere
• This is why we haven’t
found life there!
– The Red Planet
– 2 Moons
• Phobos & Deimos
Planets
• Jupiter
–
–
–
–
5th Planet from the Sun!
Most moons in the Solar System
Largest Planet!
Has the Great Red Spot
• A large atmospheric storm
Planets
• Saturn
– 6th Planet from the Sun!
– Has 2nd largest moon in the Solar System
• Titan
– Most rings
• In between ring sets is the Cassini Division
Planets
• Uranus
– 7th Planet from the Sun!
– Blue-Green Planet
• Methane consistency
– Rotates almost on its side!
Planets
• Neptune
– 8th Planet from the Sun!
– Also orbits on it side, but not as extreme as Uranus
– Has the Great Dark Spot
• Similar to Great Red Spot on Jupiter
– Blue Planet
• Again, there is a methane in its atmosphere
Planets
•
Inner Planets are called Terrestrial Planets
–
–
•
Outer Planets are called Gas Giants
–
–
•
Terrestrial Planets are the smaller, solid, inner
planets in our Solar System
They are Mercury, Venus, Earth & Mars
Gas Giants are the larger, gaseous, outer planets
in our Solar System
They are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus & Neptune
The Asteroid Belt separates them!
Planets
Characteristics of Terrestrial Planets vs. Gas Giants
Terrestrial Planet
*Inner Planets
Gas Giants
*Outer Planets
Smaller in Size
Larger in Size
Closer together
Spread apart
Less moons
More moons
No rings
Rings around all planets
Solid
Gas
Planets
• Moons of the Solar System
– There are 163 total known moons that orbit
planets in our Solar System
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mercury & Venus have no moons orbiting them
1 orbits Earth
2 orbit Mars
63 orbit Jupiter
57 orbit Saturn
27 orbit Uranus
13 orbit Neptune
Planets
• Some
of the
Solar
System
Moons
relative
to Earth
Planets
Largest Moons of the Solar System and Pluto
Planets
• Largest Moons of
Jupiter
Planets
Saturn’s Moons
Planets
• Uranus’s Moons
– You can see how
Uranus is tilted almost
on its side in this
picture
Planets
• Neptune’s
Moon
Triton
compared
to Earth’s
Moon and
Saturn’s
Moon,
Titan
Dwarf Planets
• Vocab Word for “Dwarf Planets”
– Dwarf Planet
Dwarf Planets
A dwarf planet is an object that…
1) Orbits the sun
2) Has sufficient mass for its gravity to
overcome rigid body forces to maintain
equilibrium (or a nearly round shape)
3) Does not clear out the neighborhood of its
orbit
Dwarf Planets
• Pluto
– In 2006 astronomer’s discovered the Dwarf
Planet, Ceres, was larger than the Planet
Pluto.
– This forced them to call a meeting and reevaluate planets and dwarf planets.
– They came up with the new definition, and
since Pluto is in the middle of the Kuiper Belt
and does not clear out its neighborhood, it is
no longer a planet.
Dwarf Planets
• Pluto relative to the Earth
Dwarf Planets
• Pluto and its moon, Charon
– They behave as almost a double planet system!
Dwarf Planets
• Other Dwarf Planets may include Ceres & UB 313
Dwarf Planets
• Other objects in the Kuiper Belt with Pluto
Smaller Solar System Bodies
• Vocab Words for “Smaller Solar System Bodes”
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Comets
Ion Tail
Dust Tail
Coma
Kuiper Belt
Oort Cloud
Asteroids
Asteroid Belt
Meteoroids
Meteor
Meteortie
Smaller Solar System Bodies
• Asteroids
– Asteroids are smaller,
planet-like rocks in
orbit around the sun.
– Most lie in the belt
between Mars &
Jupiter
Smaller Solar System Bodies
Asteroid Belt
Smaller Solar System Bodies
• Meteoroids are small, planet-like rocks, that
were in orbit around the sun and have gotten
pulled into a planet or satellite's orbit.
– As a meteoroid travels through the atmosphere of a
planet or satellite, it begins to burn up.
• The Meteor is light displayed from a meteoroid burning in the
atmosphere.
• The Meteorite is the rock left over after a meteoroid strikes
the surface of a planet or satellite.
Smaller Solar System Bodies
Smaller Solar System Bodies
A Meteor and a
Meteor Shower
Smaller Solar System Bodies
Example of a Meteorite
Smaller Solar System Bodies
•A comet is a large, icy body in orbit around the sun.
– Eventually comets get pulled closer to
the sun
– As they travel closer to the sun, they
display a coma and tail
• The coma is the gaseous atmosphere
surrounding the head or nucleus of a
comet.
• The Ion Tail is the part of the comet’s
tail that is lit up because it contains
electrically charged particles
• The Dust Tail is the part of the
comet’s tail that is lit up because it
contains particles that reflect the sun’s
light
• Haley’s Comet is most famous
– Last seen in 1985/1986, so it will
return around 2061
Smaller Solar System Bodies
• There is a belt of comets called the Kuiper Belt.
– The Kuiper Belt is the region beyond Neptune that
contains hundreds of thousands of comets that will
eventually get pulled toward the sun
Smaller Solar System Bodies
• Beyond the Kuiper
Belt is the Oort Cloud
– The Oort Cloud is the
spherical region
surrounding the entire
solar system that
contains millions of
comets that will
eventually get pulled
into the Kuiper Belt.