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The Solar System

The Solar System. The Sun. The Sun contains more than 99.8% of the total mass of the Solar System Chemical composition: Hydrogen 92.1% Helium 7.8% A yellow star in the prime of its life. There are 8 planets in the solar system –In 2006, Pluto was disqualified as a normal planet

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The Solar System

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  1. The Solar System

  2. The Sun • The Sun contains more than 99.8% of the total mass of the Solar System • Chemical composition: • Hydrogen 92.1% • Helium 7.8% • A yellow star in the prime of its life

  3. There are 8 planets in the solar system –In 2006, Pluto was disqualified as a normal planet • They are common in: -Orbiting the Sun in the same direction -Orbits in almost the same plane -Nearly circular orbits

  4. Two Categories of Planets Terrestrial planets: the four inner planets resembling the Earth 2. Gas Giants: the four outer planets resembling Jupiter

  5. The two types of planets Differ in Physical properties –Diameter: small versus large –Mass: small versus large –Density: high versus low –State: solid versus gaseous

  6. The Terrestrial Planets •Small in size •Small in mass •High density •Composed of heavy elements: Fe, Ni, Si •Solid Mercury Mars Venus Earth

  7. Mercury • Size and comp. – small, solid(iron core – weak magnetic field), and rocky • Atmosphere – none • Temperature - 425°C– (-170°) C (740° F – (-273)° F) • Surface Features – craters and cliffs (moon like) • Space Probes – Mariner 10, Messenger

  8. Mercury (cont.) • MASS – 3.302 x 10^23 kg • Rotation – 59 Earth days • Revolution – .24 Earth years • http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/index.php

  9. Why are its conditions so extreme?

  10. Venus • Size and comp. – small, solid, and rocky • Atmosphere – dense CO₂ and drops of sulfuric acid (greenhouse effect) • Temperature - 450°C– 475°C (842° F – 887° F) • Surface Features – craters, cracks, and volcanoes • Space Probes – Mariner 2, Venera 7, Magellan • Retrograde rotation

  11. MASS – 4.869 x 10^24 kg • rotation– retrograde 243 Earth days • Revolution - .62 Earth years

  12. Greenhouse effect – trapped heat under dense cloud cover • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE5E_MUAAyc

  13. Earth • Size and comp. – small, solid, and rocky • Atmosphere – Nitrogen, Oxygen, and others • Temperature – H₂O in solid, liquid, and gas • Surface Features – oceans, landmasses, ice caps • Moons – 1

  14. Earth cont. • MASS – 5.975 x 10^24 kg • Rotation – 1 earth day (24 hours) • Revolution – 1 earth year (365 days)

  15. Mars • Size and comp. – small, solid, and rocky • Atmosphere – thin CO₂, Nitrogen, and Argon • Temperature – (-125)°C – 35°C (-193)°F – 95°F • Surface Features- red-yellow rocks. Rifts, craters, polar ice caps • Moons – 2 (Phobos and Deimos) • Space Probes – Mariner 9, Viking 1 and 2, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity

  16. Mars • MASS – 6.42 x 10^23 kg • Rotation – 1.03 earth days • Revolution – 1.9 earth years • Dormant volcanoes and craters • Largest volcano – Olympus Mons

  17. Why is Mars red? • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXy8Z4747uY

  18. The Gas Giants • Large in size • Large in mass • Low density • Composed of light elements: H, He • Gaseous Uranus Neptune Jupiter Saturn

  19. Jupiter • Size and Composition – large and gaseous • Atmosphere– Hydrogen, Helium, Ammonia, Methane and H₂O • Below the atmosphere – ocean of H and He, core of rock • Notable features – Great Red Spot, faint rings • Moons– at least 61 (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) • Space Probes – Voyager 1 and 2, Galileo, Cassini

  20. Jupiter • MASS – 1.8986 x 10^27 kg • Rotation - .41 earth days • Revolution – 12 earth years

  21. Why does Jupiter have so many moons?

  22. Saturn • Size and Composition – large and gaseous • Atmosphere– Hydrogen, Helium, Ammonia, Methane and H₂O • Below the atmosphere – ocean of H and He, core of rock • Notable features – 100s of rings, lowest density • Moons– 47 - Titan • Space Probes – Voyager 1 and 2

  23. Saturn • MASS - 5.68 x 10^26 kg • Rotation - .43 earth days • Revolution – 29 earth years • Rings composed of rock and ice (own orbits around Saturn)

  24. Uranus • Size and Composition – large and gaseous • Atmosphere– Hydrogen, Helium, Methane • Below the atmosphere – H₂O, Methane, Ammonia, rocky core? • Notable features – thin, dark rings, blue-green in color, sideways rotation (90° tilt) • Moons– 27 - Titania • Space Probes – Voyager 1 and 2

  25. Uranus • MASS – 8.68 x 10^25 kg • Rotation - .72 earth days • Revolution – 84 earth years

  26. Neptune • Size and Composition – large and gaseous • Atmosphere– Hydrogen, Helium, Methane • Below the atmosphere – H₂O, Methane, Ammonia, rocky core? • Notable features – Great Dark Spot, deep blue • Moons– at least 13 (Triton!) • Space Probes – Voyager 1 and 2

  27. Neptune • 1.024 x 10^26 kg • (8)Rotation - .67 earth days – 16.1 hours • Revolution – 165 earth years

  28. Asteroids • Small and rocky objects orbiting the Sun • Asteroids belt: most asteroids orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter • There are thousands of kilometer-sized asteroids and millions of meter-sized asteroids • The largest asteroid, Ceres, is about 900 km • They are debris in the inner solar system Eros33 km long and 13 km wide NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft landed on it in March 2000

  29. Trans-Neptune Objects •Trans-Neptunian objects: small and icy objects orbiting the Sun beyond the orbit of Neptune in what is known as the Kuiperbelt •>900 such objects have been found. •Pluto is one of this category. •They are debris in the outer solar system

  30. Comets • Comets are chunks of dirty ice • They have highly elongated orbit. • When close to the Sun, solar radiation vaporizes some of the ice material, forming a bluish tail of gas and a white tail of dust • both tails can extend for tens of millions of kilometers

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