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The Solar System
Chapter 2
Models of the Solar System
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In the geocentric
model, Earth is at the
center of the revolving
planets.
Aristotle stated that the
earth was in the center
of the solar system.
Ptolemy stated that the
earth was in the center
of the universe. He
thought that the
planets moved in small
circles as they moved
around the sun.
Models of the Solar System
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In the heliocentric
model, Earth and
the other planets
revolve around the
sun.
This model was
developed by
Nicolaus
Copernicus.
Galileo
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Used a telescope
to view the solar
system.
Observed the four
larger moons that
orbited Jupiter.
Observed the
phases of Venus
Brahe & Kepler
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Brahe carefully
observed the
positions of the
planets.
Kepler had wrote
laws that explained
the behavior of
planets orbiting the
sun.
Kepler’s Laws of Motion
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LAW 1: The orbit of
a planet/comet
about the Sun is an
ellipse with the
Sun's center of
mass at one focus
Kepler’s Laws of Motion
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LAW 2: A line
joining a
planet/comet and
the Sun sweeps out
equal areas in
equal intervals of
time
Kepler’s Laws of Motion
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LAW 3: The farther
a planet is from the
sun, the longer the
orbital period.
Forces that Keeps Planets in
Orbit Around the Sun
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Newton concluded
that two factors,
inertia & gravity,
combine to keep the
planets in orbit.
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Inertia is
tendency of an
object to resist a
change in motion.
Gravity is the
force that attract
all objects toward
each other.
The Sun
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The sun produces its energy
from nuclear fusion (core
must reach 15 million degree
Celsius).
Sun’s Atmosphere:
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The photosphere is the
inner layer of the sun
that makes light.
The chromosphere is
the middle layer and
produces color.
The corona is the outer
layer of the sun and
produces ultraviolet
radiation.
Solar Features
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Solar winds are a stream
of electrically charged
particles coming from the
corona.
Sunspots are areas of gas
on the sun that are cooler
than the gases around
them.
Prominences are reddish
loops of gas.
Solar flares are large
explosions of gas on
photosphere.
Inner Planets
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Total of eight
planets in our solar
system.
The inner planets
are also called the
terrestrial planets.
Small in Size.
Have rocky
surfaces.
Mercury
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Mercury is 0.4 AU
from the sun.
Diameter is 4,878 km.
Rotates every 59
days.
Revolves around the
sun every 88 days.
Very thin atmosphere.
0 moons.
Temperature between
-170oC to 430oC.
Very heavily cratered.
Venus
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Venus is 0.7 AU from the
sun.
Diameter is 12,104 km.
Rotates every 243 days
(retrograde).
Revolves around the sun
every 225 days.
Very thick atmosphere of
CO2.
0 moons.
Temperature 460oC
(Greenhouse Effect).
Sulfuric acid rain.
Earth
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Earth is 1.0 AU from the
sun.
Diameter is 12,756 km.
Rotates every 24 hours.
Revolves around the sun
every 365.25 days.
Atmosphere of 78%
nitrogen and 21 %
oxygen.
1 moons.
Temperature ?oC.
70% of Earth’s surface is
covered by water.
Mars
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Mars is 1.5 AU from the
sun.
Diameter is 6794 km.
Rotates every 24 hours.
Revolves around the sun
every 687 days.
Thin atmosphere of CO2.
2 moons(Phobos &
Deimos).
Temperature -153oC to
20oC.
Polar caps of dry ice.
Olympus mons is the
largest volcano in the
solar system.
Asteriod Belt
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Asteroids are objects
revolving around the sun
that are too small and too
numerous to be
considered planets.
The asteroid belt is
located between Mars
and Jupiter.
Asteroids include Ceres,
Pallas, Juno and Vesta.
Over 300 asteroids have
been identified.
Outer Planets (Jovian
Planets)
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Found outside the
asteroid belt between the
asteroids and the Kuiper
Belt.
These planets are large
and made of gas.
Jupiter
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Jupiter is 5.2 AU from the
sun.
Diameter is 142,984 km.
Rotates every 9.9 hours.
Revolves around the sun
every 11.9 years.
Thick atmosphere of
hydrogen & Helium.
63 moons (Io, Europa,
Callisto & Ganymede).
Temperature -110oC.
Great Red spot is a large
storm.
Has a ring system.
Saturn
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Saturn is 9.6 AU from the
sun.
Diameter is 120,536 km.
Rotates every 10.7 hours.
Revolves around the sun
every 29.4 years.
Thick atmosphere of
hydrogen & helium.
60 moons (Titan).
Temperature -140oC.
Has an extensive ring
system.
Uranus
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Uranus is 19.1 AU from
the sun.
Diameter is 51,200 km.
Rotates every 17.3 hours.
Revolves around the sun
every 84 years.
Thick atmosphere of
hydrogen & helium, with
traces of methane.
27 moons.
Temperature -195oC.
Has a ring system.
Axis is tilted 90o.
Neptune
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Neptune is 30 AU from
the sun.
Diameter is 49,500 km.
Rotates every 16.1 hours.
Revolves around the sun
every 165 years.
Thick atmosphere of
hydrogen & helium.
13 moons (Triton).
Temperature -200oC.
Has an ring system.
Had a Great Dark Spot
that has since
disappeared.
Kuiper Belt
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The region of the Solar
System beyond the
planets extending from
the orbit of Neptune (at
30 AU) to approximately
55 AU from the Sun.
Oort Cloud & Comets
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The Oort cloud is where
the comets are found.
Comets are dirty
snowballs that orbit the
sun.
A comet has a head and
tail, the head is made of
the nucleus and coma.
The tail of the comet
always points away from
the sun because of the
solar winds.
Halley’s comet appears
every 76 years.
Meteoroids, Meteors &
Meteorites
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Meteoroids are pieces of
rocks flying through
space.
Meteors are meteoroids
that have entered the
earth’s atmosphere,
burning up because of
friction.
Meteorites are meteors
that reach the surface of
earth.
Life Beyond Earth
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“Goldilock’s condtions”
 Liquid water.
 Suitable temperature.
 Atmosphere.
The Drake Equation:
 R=The number of
suitable stars.
 Fp=The fraction of
these stars that have
planets.
 Ne=The number of
Earth-like planets.
 Fl=The fraction of
Earth-like planets
where life develops.
Drake Equation(continue)
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Fi=The fraction of life
sites where intelligent
life develops.
Fc=The fraction of
intelligent life sites
where communication
develops.
L="The "lifetime" (in
years) of a
communicative
civilization.
N=The number of
communicative
civilizations within the
Milky Way today.