The Planets and the Sun

1. The Planets and the Sun Chapter 11 Solar system song

2. The Inner Planets are the planets closest to the sun. There are 4. • Inner Planets: • Mercury • Venus • Earth • Mars

3. It is the closet planet to the sun. It is the smallest planet. It is a rocky ball with no significant atmosphere. Mercury

4. Similar size and composition to Earth Large parts of the planet are very flat, while other areas have volcanoes, lava flows, and cracks. Its atmosphere is mostly CO2 Venus

5. http://science.discovery.com/videos/space-school/ Mercury and Venus

6. The only known place to have water in 3 phases. Contains the only life yet discovered in the universe. Our atmosphere is mostly N2 and O2. Earth

7. Often called the red planet due to iron in its surface rocks Thin atmosphere of CO2 Dust storms can cover the whole planet for weeks. Mars

8. Further away from the sun are the outer or Jovian planets. These planets have large gaseous atmospheres and cold temperatures. Jovian Planets (Outer Planets) • Jupiter • Saturn • Uranus • Neptune

9. The largest planet in the solar system It has the shortest day of any of the planets Hydrogen and helium form the planet’s outer layers Jupiter

10. Identified by its rings of ice particles The planet itself is composed mainly of hydrogen and some helium. Saturn

11. http://science.discovery.com/videos/space-school/ Jupiter and Saturn

12. Fourth biggest planet of the solar system. It is similar to Jupiter and Saturn, including a ring system composed of ice and dust. Its blue colour comes from the methane gas in its atmosphere. Uranus

13. The outermost planet. Its composition is similar to that of Uranus. Neptune has a ring system, but it is very faint. Neptune

14. Compare the planets by completing the table below using pages 400 and 401 in your text.

15. Compare the Planets

16. "My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Names.“ • Helps us remember: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

17. Scale of the Solar System

19. http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/age/index.html Age on different planets

20. A dwarf planet is a celestial body orbiting the Sun that is generally smaller than a planet but massive enough for its own gravity to give it a round shape. Pluto, once considered the ninth planet, is the most famous dwarf planet Dwarf Planets

21. Dwarf planets do not have enough mass, and therefore enough gravity, to clear their orbits of small debris left over from the formation of the solar system. Pluto

22. The Sun

23. http://science.discovery.com/videos/space-school/ 5 minute video - sun

24. The Sun is an average-sized star which emits solar radiation (energy emitted by the sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation) • It has given off a steady amount of heat and light for billions of years. This process has allowed life on Earth to flourish. • This star will continue to shine for as long as the hydrogen fuel lasts. The Sun

25. E that is carried or radiated in the form of waves that range in length, ex. Microwaves, radio waves, UV waves • The Earth is located in the “Goldilocks Zone”, not too hot, not too cold, just right!

26. The Huge size of the sun causes pressure to build up at the center of the sun as gravity pulls the mass inward… • Thermonuclear Reactions turn H(hydrogen) He(helium) giving off Heat, Light and UV radiation in the process

27. Sunspots • Sunspots are dark patches on the sun’s surface that are slightly cooler, about 3500ºC, than surrounding areas

28. They increase and decrease in number on an 11-yr cycle. • They may be related to changes in the Earth’s climate • http://www.spaceweather.com/ • http://www.exploratorium.edu/sunspots/history.html Sunspots

29. Eruptions of gas on the suns surface that can last a few hours, temperatures increase up to 11,000,000°C • Creates Solar Winds SOLAR FLARES

30. Sometimes the hot gases in the Sun’s corona, outermost part, get ejected in a sudden burst. • When these high-energy particles rush past Earth, they create an effect called the solar wind. • Exposure to solar wind could be fatal for any organism living on Earth. • Fortunately, Earth’s magnetic field deflects most of the solar wind around the planet. Solar Wind

31. The solar wind can also generate powerful geomagnetic storms, or disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field, which can disable satellites and knock out power transmission lines on Earth. • Intense solar storms can expose astronauts to dangerous if not lethal doses of radiation. To prevent this, shielding is built into space shuttles and the space station • http://videos.howstuffworks.com/nasa/3614-how-solar-winds-work-video.htm

32. Hydrogen gas rising over the sun – image of Earth superimposed.

33. Auroras • Some of the high-energy particles in solar wind enter Earth’s atmosphere at the North and South Poles, where they collide with gases in the atmosphere. • The results are the extraordinary light shows in the sky that we call the auroras, or the northern lights and southern lights.

34. Text page 397 #2,3,5,6

35. Asteroids • Rocky bodies in our solar system

36. Asteroids are believed to be leftover remains of the formation of the solar system. Most asteroids orbit the Sun in a band between Mars and Jupiter Asteroids

37. Comets • Comets are small bodies made up of rock ice and gas (often referred to as “dirty snowballs”), their tail may be visible from Earth. • They travel in a long, elliptical orbit around the Sun • This orbit can be changed through the gravitational attraction of the planets, primarily Jupiter.

38. Information collected by space probes has shown that comets consist of far more rocky material than originally suspected. Halley’s comet is the most famous comet because it is bright enough to see with the naked eye and appears more frequently than other comets. It was the first cometwhose return was predicted Comets

39. The most spectacular feature of a comet is its long dust tail, which can stretch for millions of kilometres. Once a comet feels the effect of sunlight, it begins to melt, releasing its trail of gas and dust streaming away from the Sun Comets

40. "Period" is the amount of time it takes an object in orbit to return to its starting location. Comet types are separated into two categories based on periodicity – short and long period comets – which affects theirorigin and composition. Comets travel in short and long periods around the sun in elliptical orbits. Periodicity of Comets

41. Meteors, are meteoroids that burn up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere at high speed Meteorites are the surviving portions of a meteor that actually reaches Earth. Meteoroids, Meteors and Meteorites

42. A Meteor Shower

43. Meteorites in North America

44. An impact site is the place where a relatively small object (meteorite) has collided with a larger object (planet) to produce a fairly circular depression on the surface of the larger object. The impact site is often referred to as an impact crater due to the circular depression that was formed. Impact Sites

45. The Manicouagan crater in Quebec shows what can happen when a meteorite reaches Earth’s surface. This crater is 70 km wide and is extremely old. Impact Sites

46. The Barringer meteor crater in Arizona was formed only 50 000 years ago when a 50 m diameter meteor hit Earth. Impact Sites