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Earth’s Place in Space

Earth’s Place in Space. Earth rotates and revolves around the Sun, even though it appears as though the Sun is moving! Rotation – spinning of Earth on its axis, which occurs once every 24 hours Earth moves around the Sun in a regular, curved path called an orbit

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Earth’s Place in Space

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  1. Earth’s Place in Space • Earth rotates and revolves around the Sun, even though it appears as though the Sun is moving! • Rotation – spinning of Earth on its axis, which occurs once every 24 hours • Earth moves around the Sun in a regular, curved path called an orbit • It takes one year for Earth’s revolution around the Sun • SEASONS occur due to Earth’s tilted axis and its revolution around the Sun

  2. Our Solar System • Earth orbits the Sun as the solar system revolves within the Milky Way, which is among billions of galaxies that make up the universe • Introduction to the Solar System – VIDEO CLIP

  3. The Seasons • Change of seasons is a result of the tilt of the Earth’s rotation axis with respect to the plane of the ecliptic • Sun, moon, planets run along the ecliptic

  4. Motion of the Moon • Moon shines not by its own light but by reflected light of Sun • Moon revolves around the Earth • Moon’s period of rotation = 27.3 days • Period of revolution =also 27.3 days • The Moon’s changing shapes are known as phases

  5. Phases of the Moon (THE LUNAR CYCLE) – caused by the position of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun; new to full = waxing; full to new = waning

  6. Phases of the Moon – caused by the position of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun; new to full = waxing; full to new = waning

  7. …and the phases…with oreos!

  8. Eclipses • One celestial object hidden by other or in the shadow of another • Solar eclipse: sun hidden by the Moon, as Moon is between the Sun and Earth and the Moon’s shadow falls on Earth • Lunar eclipse: Earth is between the Moon and the Sun and Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon • Also: eclipses of Jupiter’s moons, etc. • Most spectacular because moon and sun appear to be the same size from earth

  9. Solar Eclipses • Umbra – region of total shadow • Penumbra – region of partial shadow • Totality lasts only a few minutes!

  10. Solar Corona

  11. Lunar Eclipses Moon moves into earth’s shadow…

  12. Free powerpoints at http://www.worldofteaching.com OUR SOLAR SYSTEM THE MILKY WAY

  13. Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto (not classified as a planet any longer!) Our Solar System is filled with eight major planets, the Sun, and other objects that orbit the Sun

  14. Measuring Space • Distances in space are so vast they require different units of measurement than are used to measure things on Earth. • An astronomical unit (AU) is about 150 million km (93,000,000 miles), the mean distance from Earth to the Sun

  15. THE SUN

  16. The Sun • The Sun is one of one-hundred billion stars in our galaxy. • It is the brightest object in the sky. • Its diameter is 1,390,000 km. • The suns mass is 1.989e30 kg. • The temperature is 5800 k on the surface and 15,600,000 k at the core. • The sun is by far the largest object in our solar system.

  17. Inner Planets • Solid, with minerals similar to those on Earth • Include Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars

  18. MERCURY

  19. Mercury • Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and is the smallest planet now that Pluto is deemed a “dwarf planet” • It orbits 57,910,000 km from the sun. • Mercury’s diameter is 4,880 km • The mass of this planet is 3.30e23 kg • Little atmosphere, resulting in extremes of temperature; can reach 430 degrees Celsius during the day and drop to –180 degrees Celsius at night! Mercury Facts

  20. VENUS

  21. Venus • Venus is the third brightest object in the sky. • It is the second closest planet from the sun and is the sixth largest. • It orbits 108,200,000 km from the sun. • Its diameter is 12,103.6 km. • Venus’ mass is 4.869e24 kg. • Heavy cloud layer; clouds trap solar energy, making the planet extremely hot ~ 470 degrees Celsiu! Venus Facts

  22. EARTH

  23. Earth • Earth is the third planet from the sun and is the fifth largest. • It orbits 149,600,000 km from the sun. • Its diameter is12,756.3 km. • Earth’s mass is 5.972e24 kg. • This planet is the densest major body in our solar system. • Atmosphere allows life to flourish; water exists as a solid, liquid, and gas Earth Facts

  24. MARS

  25. Mars • Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and is the seventh largest. • It orbits 227,940,000 km from the sun. • Its diameter is 6,794 km. • Its mass is 6.4219e23. • The first space craft to visit Mars was the Mariner 4 in 1965. • Has seasons and polar ice caps; may have water shaping its surface • Red due to rocks containing iron oxide • Two small moons – Phobos and Deimos Exploring Mars

  26. Asteroid Belt • Separates the inner (rocky) and outer (gas giants with lots of moons and rings) planets • Pieces of rock made of minerals similar to those that formed the rocky planets and moon • Jupiter’s huge gravitational force might have prevented a small planet from forming in the area of the asteroid belt

  27. JUPITER

  28. Jupiter • Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun and is by far the largest planet. • It orbits 778,330,000 km from the sun. • Its diameter is 142,984 km. • Its mass is 1.900e27 kg. • Jupiter is the fourth brightest object in the sky. • 28 moons; Giant Red Spot is a giant storm on the planet’s surface Jupiter Facts

  29. SATURN

  30. Saturn • Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and is the second largest. • It orbits 1,429,400,000 km from the sun. • Its diameter is 120,536 km. • The mass of Saturn is 3.68e26 kg. • Saturn is the least dense of all the planets • Has 30 moons; several broad rings of ice and dust. Saturn Facts

  31. URANUS

  32. Uranus • Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun and the third largest. • It orbits 2,870,990,000 km from the sun. • Its diameter is 51,118 km. • The mass is 8.683e25 kg. • Uranus has only been visited one time, by the Voyager 2 in 1986. • Axis makes the planet spin nearly sideways; has rings and 21 moons Exploring Uranus

  33. NEPTUNE

  34. Neptune • Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun and is the fourth largest. • It orbits 4,504,000,000 km from the sun. • Its diameter is 49,532 km. • Its mass is 1.0247e26 kg. • Neptune has 8 moons. • Atmosphere is composed of hydrogen, helium, and methane (make planet blue) Neptune Facts

  35. PLUTO

  36. Pluto • Pluto is the farthest object from the sun and is by far the smallest. • It orbits 5,913,520,000 km from the sun. • Its diameter is 2274 km. • Its mass is 1.27e22 kg. • Pluto is the only dwarf planet that has not been visited by a space craft. Exploring Pluto

  37. All planets move in same plane except Pluto

  38. Pluto’s strange Orbit • Very eccentric orbit: • Perihelion: 30 A.U. (inside the Neptune orbit!) • Aphelion: 50 A.U. • Very far out there: 40 A.U. • Pluto’s year = 248 Earth years • Orbit inclined 17° w.r.t. ecliptic

  39. Is Pluto a planet? • Orbit too weird • Too small • Today Pluto may not be classified as a planet.

  40. Why do all planets move in the same plane? • Reason: Formation process of the Solar System • Condenses from a rotating cloud of gas and dust • Conservation of angular momentum flattens it • Dust helps cool the nebula and acts as seeds for the clumping of matter

  41. Formation of Planets • Orbiting dust – planitesimals • Planitesimals collide • Different elements form in different regions due to temperature • Asteroids • Remaining gas

  42. What’s up in the night sky? The Celestial Sphere • A Geocentric model (Earth Centered Universe) • Axis through Earth’s north and south pole goes through celestial north and south pole • Earth’s equator Celestial equator

  43. The Zodiac throughout the Year(Heliocentric) In Winter sun in Sagittarius, Gemini at night sky In Summer sun in Gemini, Sagittarius at night sky

  44. Constellations of Stars • About 5000 stars visible with naked eye • About 3500 of them from the northern hemisphere • Stars that appear to be close are grouped together into constellations since antiquity • Officially 88 constellations (with strict boundaries for classification of objects) • Names range from • mythological (Perseus, Cassiopeia) • technical (Air Pump, Compass)

  45. Constellations of Stars Orion as seen at night Orion as imagined by men

  46. Constellation Orion Distances Stars in a constellation are not connected by relative distances.

  47. Zodiacal signs vs. Constellations • “Constellation” is a modern, well-defined term • - Some constellations are big, some are small on the celestial sphere • “Zodiacal sign” is the old way of dividing the year and the Sun’s path into 12 equal parts • 3600/12=300 Each zodiacal sign is exactly 30 degrees • 0 degrees: Aries • 30 degrees: Taurus • 60 degrees: Gemini • 90 degrees: Cancer

  48. Comets • Large body of frozen ice and rock that travels toward the center of the solar system • As a comet approaches the Sun, radiation vaporizes some of the material; solar winds blow vaporized gas and dust away from the comet, forming what appears from Earth as a bright, glowing tail • Comets originate in the Oort Cloud beyond the orbit of Pluto; some comets may come from the Kuiper belt

  49. Meteorites • Fragments of space material that land on Earth’s surface • Pieces may be iron, rock, or both • Age (4.5 billion years) provides a clue to the Solar System’s age

  50. Constellations • Groups of stars that form a pattern in the sky; named after animals, objects, and people – real or imaginary

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