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Our Solar System.
Astronomical unit is the distance between
the Earth and the Sun 1.496 X 10
The planets are not at a constant distance away
from the sun
Perihelion is when a planet is closest to the sun
Aphelion is when a planet is furthest away from
the sun
June 6th
Jan 6th
The Sun: Our Special Star
The Sun: Activity
Sunspot cycle 11.2 years
The Planets
My
Very
Educated
Mother
Just
Served
Us
Nachos
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Inner or rocky planets
Which ones are inner
planets?
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Have solid, rocky surfaces
Closer to the sun
Mercury
“Faster than a
speeding bullet”
Period of revolution= 88
days
Period of rotation= 58 days
Diameter= 4880 km
More about…
Mercury
Closest planet to the sun
No moons
Essentially it has no atmosphere, what little
atmosphere that does exist is oxygen and sodium
Daytime temperature is about 427oC,
night time temperatures are about -173oC
it has the greatest day-night temperature difference
of all planets
Surface is rocky and cratered, there is evidence that
lava once flowed on the surface
Venus
Diameter= 12,104 km
Period of revolution= 225 days
Period of rotation= 243 days
“Greenhouse in the Sky”
Venus
continued
 2nd planet from the sun
 It is the brightest planet in Earth’s nighttime sky
 No moons
 Atmosphere is CO2
 Has a thick cloud cover which prevents observers
from seeing the surface
 greenhouse effect
 Daytime temperatures are 480oC (hot enough to
melt lead!) Night-time temperatures are -33oC
 Venus has similarities to Earth like diameter,
mass, and density
 No magnetic field
Earth
Diameter= 12,756 km
Period of revolution= 365 days
Period of rotation= 24 hours
Earth
 3rd “rock” from the sun
 Has 1 natural satellite, the moon
 Contains lots of life-supporting water
 Water occurs as gas, liquid, and solid
 Oxygen-rich atmosphere
Atmosphere is made of
oxygen and nitrogen
Mars
Diameter= 6974 km
Period of revolution= 1.88
years
Period of rotation= 24.5
hours
“The Rusty Planet”
More about…
Mars
 4th planet from the sun
 High iron content in the soil is responsible for
its reddish surface color
 2 irregularly shaped moons, Phobos and Deimos
 thin atmosphere
 largest mountain which is a volcano, Olympus
Mons
 Surface has dried river and lake beds which
suggest that liquid water once existed on Mars
 “dry ice” CO2 exists at each pole, which covers
“water” ice
 Low temps= -130 oC, high temps= -31oC
 No magnetic field
The outer planets
are…
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Larger in size
Made of gases or liquids
All gas giants have rings
Also known as “gas giants”
Jupiter
“The planet that
was almost a star”
Diameter=142,700 km
Period of revolution=
11.86 years
Period of rotation= 10
hours
Jupiter continued
5th from the sun
Largest planet
Hydrogen and Helium make up most of the atmospheric
gases
Has the shortest “day” in the solar system
“The Great Red Spot”, a storm, has been rotating around
Jupiter for more than 300 years
16 satellites:
4 major moons
Io (has volcanic activity), Europa, Ganymede, and
Callisto
Scientists believe if Jupiter would have grown larger
during the formation of the solar system it could have
been a star
High temps= 29,700C, low temps= -95C
Saturn
“A world of many rings”
Diameter= 120,000 km
Period of revolution= 29.46 years
Period of rotation= 10.5 hours
More about
…Saturn
 6th planet from the sun
 Atmosphere is mainly Hydrogen and
Helium
 18 known satellites= Titan is a major moon
 Broader and brighter ring system than the
other gas giants
Rings are made of pieces of rock and ice (size
ranges from microscopic to the size of a house)
Uranus
Diameter= 50,800 km
Period of revolution= 84.01
years
Period of rotation= 16.8
hours
“A Planet on its Side”
Uranus… continued
 Atmosphere of hydrogen, helium, and
methane
 The planet seems tipped because its
axis is tilted
 Its rings appear to circle the planet
from top to bottom
 15 moons, 2 are geologically active=
Miranda and Ariel
Neptune
Diameter= 48,600 km
Period of revolution= 164.8
years
Period of rotation= 16 hours
“The
Mathematician’s
Planet”
more about…
Neptune
 Due to Uranus’ unusual orbit, scientists
calculated that there must be another
planet beyond Uranus, Neptune was
discovered exactly where it had been
calculated to be
 Huge clouds of methane float in an
atmosphere of hydrogen and helium
 8 moons, Triton is 4th largest moon in
the solar system
Dwarf Planets
Pluto hit the headlines in 2006 when it was demoted from a planet to
a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union. While most
astronomers agreed with the new classifications, some disagreed
and still refer to Pluto as the ninth planet.
Ceres is located in the asteroid belt between the orbits
of Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered in 1801, well before Pluto and
45 years before Neptune. Ceres was considered a planet for around
50 years before being reclassified as an asteroid and once again in
2006 as a dwarf planet.
Eris was discovered in 2005 and was referred to as the tenth planet
until it was reclassified in 2006. It is the largest of the dwarf planets.
Makemake was discovered in 2005 and the third largest dwarf
planet behind Eris and Pluto.
Haumea was discovered in 2004 and named
a dwarf planet in 2008.
Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud:
Home of Comets
Asteroids
Fragments of rock that
orbit the sun
Millions are found in the
asteroid belt between
Mars and Jupiter
Comets
Small icy bodies that
orbit the sun
Comets can come
from the Kuiper Belt
that is 30-50 AU away
or the Oort Cloud that
is more than 100 AU
away
Meteoroids, Meteors, and
Meteorites
Is there more to
be discovered?