The Universe and Earth

1. The Universe and Earth

2. Our star Average size About 150 million km or 93 million miles away Could hold over a million Earths inside Gives off energy, light and solar wind The Sun’s energy comes from the fusion of hydrogen atoms that form helium The Sun

3. Parts of the Sun Photosphere- emits radiation. Energy travels in units called photons.

4. A solar flare is a tremendous explosion on the surface and in the atmosphere of the Sun that results in a bright cloud of gas leaping from the Suns surface, emitting an extreme amount of ultraviolet and X-ray radiation. Solar Flares

5. They last about 5 minute and release as much energy as 10 million hydrogen bombs.

6. Sunspots are dark spots that seem to move slowly from east to west on the Sun’s surface. The spots look dark because they are cooler than the surface. Sunspots

7. Sunspots are areas where a concentration of magnetic fields can be found, and are evidence that there are magnetic storms within the sun. These magnetic storms send out electrified particles, called solar wind. Solar Wind

8. When solar winds strike the Earth’s atmosphere, they interfere with radio, television, and telecommunication signals.

9. At the poles, solar winds produce brilliant colored lights in the sky (aurora borealis in the north pole and aurora australis in the south pole). Northern and Southern Lights

10. ISS Aurora Australis Southern Lights

11. The Sun provides the energy that drives all weather systems. The Sun and Weather

12. Because the Sun’s rays heat only about one-half of the Earth at one time (daylight hours), the Sun gives us a daily heating and cooling cycle. Weather

13. This unequal heating and cooling causes great air movement.

14. Cold air starts at the poles Warm air starts at the equator

15. The warm air moves to the poles and the cold air moves towards the equator

16. The Sun’s heat also causes water to evaporate into gas (water vapor) Water Vapor

17. When warm and cool air meet, water vapor condenses and falls down as precipitation Rain

18. The combination of moving air masses, differences in air pressure, and changing amounts of water vapor in the air – all caused by the Sun- are responsible for the different kinds of weather and changes in weather on Earth.

19. The Sun Causes the Season’s on Earth. Because the Earth is tilted on it’s axis 23.5 degrees and revolves around the Sun, we have different seasons. Seasons

20. Seasons

21. June 21 Northern Hemisphere gets more daylight than darkness, days are longer When it is summer in the northern hemisphere, the North Pole has daylight for 24 hours (all day, all summer) Summer Solstice

22. December 22 Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun. Nights are longer Winter Solstice

23. Days and nights are equal length Autumn Equinox this year is September 23rd Spring (vernal) Equinox is March 21 Equinox

24. Evidence shows that matter, energy, space and time began in a violent explosion, called the Big Bang 10-15 billion years ago The Sun’s Life Span

25. The Sun resulted from the emergence of hydrogen and helium

26. Stars that burn hydrogen last about 10 billion years Scientists believe our Sun has been around for about 5 billion years

27. When about 15% of its hydrogen is used up, the nuclear reaction inside will speed up The inside of the Sun will get hotter The Sun will expand 100x its size It will begin to cool, turn orange and the red Sun will then collapse and become a white dwarf It will continue to cool until there is no light at all Death of a Star

28. The Sun

29. Gizmo

30. Our Solar System is a group of bodies, called satellites, that move around our Sun. Eight planets move around the Sun. The Solar System

32. Billions of fast moving rocks of all sizes, called asteroids, also move around the Sun. Between Mars and Jupiter is a belt of asteroids. Asteroids

33. The difference between a meteoroid and an asteroid is only in size. An asteroid is bigger than a meteoroid. (Anything larger than 100 meters in diameter is an asteroid.) A meteor is a streak of light caused by an incoming asteroid, comet or meteroid. When a meteoroid hits the Earth, it is called a meteorite. Meteoroid

34. Swarms of meteors are called meteor showers Meteor Showers

35. The planets travel in a counterclockwise elliptical path around the Sun. Inertia and the Sun’s gravitational pull keep the planets in its orbit. Elliptical

36. Mercury • Closest to the sun • Revolution – 88 days • Heavy cratered • No atmosphere • No water • Magnetic field • Dense iron core

37. Venus • Second closest to the Sun • Revolution – 224.7 Earth Days • It rotates on its axis only once every 243 Earth days (so its day is longer than its year)

38. No magnetic field even though its core is iron because its rotation is so slow • HOT! • No seasons • Evidence of active volcanoes Venus

39. Earth • Third Planet • Revolution 365 ¼ days • Temperature stability 4 billion years • Almost 8,000 miles in diameter (12,600 km)

40. Mars • 4th Planet from the Sun • Half the diameter of Earth (only about 4,000 miles, 6,700 km) • Revolution – 687 days, year is almost twice Earth’s.

41. During the day the temperature near the Martian equator may reach 68° F (20° C) • At night it drops to -294° F (-270° C) Mars

42. When Mars is closest to the Sun, its surface gets as warm as 0° C (32°F) • The sky turns pink • Dust fills the atmosphere Mars

43. A year later: • Dust is swept away • Temperature decreases sharply • Brilliant white ice clouds • Dark blue sky Mars

44. 2 small moons • Phobos (Fear) • Deimos (Panic) • Mars has seasons • Water/ice is believed to be present Mars

45. Has thin atmosphere (mostly carbon dioxide, small traces of oxygen and water vapor) • Scientists believe that 4.5 billion years ago, both Earth and Mars were warm and wet. Mars cooled. Mars

46. Scientist wonder if life exists below the surface. • Largest volcanoes in the Solar System • Volcanoes are extinct • Evidence that may be geologically active Mars

47. Mars Rovers Mars Mission

48. Dr. Kaku on Jump starting Mars Mars

49. Asteroids are like small planets. Thousands of them can be found in a belt located between Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids are irregular lumps of rock, perhaps mixed with metal such as iron, that differ in size and brightness. Asteroid belt

50. The largest asteroid discovered 588 miles (949 km) in diameter It is ¼ the size of Earth’s moon Could be result of 2 planets crashing Could be from planet that exploded Could be they never got big enough to be a planet Ceres