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The Solar System

The Solar System. A Review . Measuring Distance in Space. What does the Astronomical Unit (AU) measure? The Astronomical Unit (au) is a measure of distance that makes it easier to comprehend such large distances. The au covers planetary distances.

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The Solar System

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  1. The Solar System A Review

  2. Measuring Distance in Space • What does the Astronomical Unit (AU) measure? • The Astronomical Unit (au) is a measure of distance that makes it easier to comprehend such large distances. • The au covers planetary distances. • The au is based off of the average distance between the Earth and the sun: • 1 au = 149598000 km (92955887.6 mi.), or approximately 150 million km (93 million miles) • Galactic distances are measured by even larger units • The light year (ly), which is the distance light can travel in one year at the speed of light (which is about 299,792,458 m/s) • One light year is about 9.5 trillion km

  3. A Quick Review of the Parts of our Solar System • One star (the sun) at the center • Eight planets • Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune • Asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter);Kuiper belt • Pluto • Meteoroids, Comets, Asteroids • Moons

  4. The Milky Way and our SS

  5. Terrestrial vs. Jovian Planets • Earth-Like Planets • Include Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars • Called “terrestrial” or inner • Similar in composition (rocks and metals, not a lot of hydrogen and helium) • Similar in size (smallish) • Similar in density (denser than outer planets) • Jupiter-like planets • Include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune • Called “Jovian” • Similar in composition (high percentage of hydrogen and helium) • Similar in size (big) • Similar in density (not very dense!)

  6. Size Pattern

  7. Density=amount of mass per volume Tennis ball vs. baseball vs. lax ball Density Pattern

  8. Does Pluto fit the pattern? • NO – why? (Handout: 2006 National Geographic article) • http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/hew06.sci.ess.eiu.planetdefine/what-is-a-planet/ • Pluto is NOT considered a planet because… • It has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit • Has different orbital habits…very eccentric orbit, orbit very tilted • Other dwarf planets: Ceres (asteroid), Eris • All dwarf planets are rocky/icy

  9. Minor Members of Solar System • Dwarf Planets • Spherical and orbits the Sun but has not cleared orbital path • Rocky/icy composition • Asteroids • Small rocky bodies that orbit the Sun but need not be spherical • Located between Mars and Jupiter although path may cross other planets • Bigger than 10 meters in diameter and orbit in period of 3-6 years • Comets • Rocky metallic ice balls, tail of ionized gasses and dust • Travel in long elliptical orbits from beyond Pluto • Meteoroids • Asteroids, leftover debris/parts of a comet

  10. A Quick Review of the Parts of our Solar System: Asteroid vs. Kuiper Belt http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system?2d#close-modal

  11. The SIZE of the Solar System • Radius: over 5900 million km!! • Diameter? VOLUME? • How can we put this into perspective? • We modeled the solar system after the size of something we are familiar with…..like the WHS practice football field!

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