Download The Solar System

The Solar System
The solar system
• A solar system is a group of planets orbiting
a central star.
• The solar system contains a sun, 8 planets, 3
dwarf planets, and various moons and
asteroids
• In 2006 the International Astronomical
Union decided to remove Pluto as a planet
and create a new category after the
discovery of an object bigger then Pluto
The Sun
• The Sun is the largest
thing in the solar
system
• Its radius is the same
as twice the distance
from the earth to the
moon
• All the planets are
bound to the sun by
gravity
Revolution and Rotation of the
Planets
• All the planets in the
solar system revolve
around the sun in a
counterclockwise
direction in slightly
elliptical orbits
(revolution)
• All planets also spin
about their axis in a
counterclockwise
direction* (rotation)
Mercury
• Closest planet to the
sun.
• 57.9 million km from
the sun
• Orbital period 88 days
• Made of rock
• Temperature -180 to
426 Celsius
Venus
• 108 million km from
the sun
• Orbital Period 224.7
days
• Clockwise Rotation
• Rocky surface with a
thick atmosphere
• Temp 470 degrees at
surface
Earth
•
•
•
•
Only Planet to support life
150 million km from sun
Orbital Period 365.26 days
Temperature -85 to 58
degrees
• Rocky core nitrogen
oxygen atmosphere
• One moon
Mars
•
•
•
•
228 million km from sun
Orbital period 687 days
Half the size of Earth
Temperature -120 to 30
degrees
• Rocky Surface with a thin
atmosphere
• 2 moons Phobos and
Deimos
Jupiter
• 778 million km from sun
• Orbital Period 11.9 earth
years
• Gas giant made of
hydrogen, helium, and
methane.
• Largest planet in the solar
system
• Temp -160 degrees
• Failed star?
Saturn
• 1427 million km from
sun
• Orbital period 29.5
Earth years
• Gas Giant made of
hydrogen, helium,
methane
• Distinctive dust and
ice rings
• Temp -180 Degrees
Uranus
• Ok we all know the
joke
• 2870 million km from
sun
• 84.1 year orbit
• Tilted on side?
• Rotation opposite to
other planets
• Temperature -210
degrees
Neptune
• 4497 million km from
the sun
• Orbital period 164.8
years
• Gas Giant
• Thin rings
• Temp -220 degrees
Dwarf Planets
• Adopted in 2006
• Dwarf planets are objects that
– orbit the sun
– have enough mass to become round
– not large enough to have an impact on their
area
• There are currently 3 dwarf planets Eris,
Pluto, and Ceres
Eris
• discovered in 2005
• goddess of discord and
strife.
• Mass 1.64×1022kg
(bigger then Pluto)
• Distance 37-97 au
(beyond Pluto
• 556. 7 year orbit
• Moon: Dysnomia
• Highly elipitcal orbit
Pluto
• 5900 million km from
sun
• 247.7 year orbital
period
• Much smaller then
earth
• rocky
• One moon Charon
• Temperature -220
Degrees
Ceres
• Smallest dwarf planet in
the solar system
• Located in the asteroid
belt between mars and
Jupiter
• Distance from sun 2.5-2.9
au
• Mass 9.46×1020 kg
• Only 950 km across,
smaller then the moon
• Dawn mission probe to
Ceres in 2015