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Ch. 17: The Solar System. 17-1: What is the Solar System. The Sun contains 99.85% of all the matter in the Solar System. The planets revolve around the Sun in orbits Most planets orbit the sun in a counter-clockwise fashion. Nebula spinning cloud of gas and dust in space
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17-1: What is the Solar System • The Sun contains 99.85% of all the matter in the Solar System. • The planets revolve around the Sun in orbits • Most planets orbit the sun in a counter-clockwise fashion
Nebula spinning cloud of gas and dust in space • One theory to explain how the solar system formed is a nebula • http://www.picturethecosmos.com/
Inner Planets: Small Rocky Worlds • Terrestrial Planets – are small, dense, rocky worlds with less atmosphere than the other type of planet. • They have craters, no rings, very few moons, very small. • Mercury • Venus • Earth • Mars
Outer Planets: Gas Giants • Jovian Planets – are large, gaseous, low density worlds. Thick gaseous mostly hydrogen atmospheres, rings, lots of moons, and very large in comparison to terrestrial planets. • Jupiter • Saturn • Neptune • Uranus
Pluto • Pluto – doesn’t fit either category. Pluto is a small icy world clearly different from either the Jovian and Terrestrial worlds.
Sun’s Family • Sun’s family consists of 8 planets, > 162 moons, & at least 3 dwarf planets
17-2 Orbits • Gravity force of attraction btw 2 objects with mass • Gravity keeps the planets in orbits flying around the Sun • All planets travel in elliptical orbits • Planets travel fastest at perihelion (closest to Sun) & slower at aphelion (farthest from Sun
17-3 Our Moon • American landed on the Moon on July 20,1969 • The Moon’s gravity is 1/6 that of Earth • The Moon has no liquid water • Temp. ranges from 100°C to below -200°C (100°C is boiling)
17-3 Features of Our Moon • Maria smooth, dark areas on the Moon that are broad, flat plains; maria means “seas” • Light areas that are mountains or highlands; some are higher than on Earth • Craters caused by large objects striking the surface or erupting volcanoes
17-4 Other Moons • Satellite an object that orbits another body in space • Moons are natural satellites • All planets except Mercury & Venus have 1 or more moons
Moons of the Inner Planets • Mercury has 0 moons • Venus has 0 moons • Earth has 1 moon • Mars has 2 moons; Deimos & Phobos
Moons of the Outer Planets • Jupiter has at least 63 moons; Ganymede,Callisto, Io, & Europa are the 4 largest • Saturn has 59 moons; Titan is the largest • Uranus has 27 moons; Titania & Oberon are the largest • Neptune has 13 moons; Triton & Nereid are visible
17-5 Mercury • Mercury closest planet to the Sun • Dry • Rocky • No atmosphere • Temp. ranges from 430°C to -170°C • Covered with craters
17-5 Venus • Venus similar to Earth in size, mass, & density Very hostile environment Highest temp. of all planets 90 times more air pressure than Earth Carbon dioxide atmosphere & clouds of sulfuric acid cause a runaway Greenhouse Effect Retrograde rotation (east to west) Has smooth plains, mountains, valleys
17-5 Earth • Third planet from Sun • Only planet with oceans of liquid water • Only planet with life because it has moderate temp., liquid water, & atmosphere w/ O2
17-6 Mars • Fourth planet from Sun • Orbit period687 days; rotation24 hr. 37 min. • ½ diameter of Earth • Has volcanoes, polar icecaps, craters, river channels • Thin CO2 atmosphere • No visible water
17-6 Mars cont. • Cold, dry world; colder than Antarctica in winter, as warm as the Midwest in spring • Winds up to 100 km/h cause dust storms • Volcanoes bigger than Earth Mars has less gravity • Canyon bigger than U.S.
17-7 Asteroids & Meteoroids • Asteroid belt btw. Mars & Jupiter • Asteroids leftover debris from the formation of solar system that orbit the Sun • Pieces of rock and metal
17-7 cont. • Meteoroids small chunks of asteroids that travel in space • Meteor rock or metal that enters a planet’s atmosphere • Meteorite rock that hits a planet’s surface
17-8 Jupiter • Largest planet • 5th planet from Sun and 1st gas giant • Made up mostly of Hydrogen and Helium • Has faint rings of ice and dust • Best known feature is Great Red Spot raging hurricane
17-8 Saturn • 2nd largest planet • 6th planet from Sun & 2nd gas giant • Made mostly of Hydrogen & Helium • Least dense of all planets; would float in water • Best known for its rings
17-9 Uranus • 3rd largest planet • 7th planet from Sun & 3rd gas giant • Made mostly of Hydrogen and Helium • Atmosphere contains methane • Appears to lie on its side • Has faint rings
17-9 Neptune • 4th largest planet • 8th from Sun & last gas giant • Made mostly of Hydrogen & Helium • Upper atmosphere is methane • Has Great Dark Spot similar to Jupiter’s Great Red Spot • Winds blow east to west @1500 km/h
17-9 Dwarf Planets • In 2006 Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet • Dwarf planet small, planetlike object that orbit the Sun, but share their orbits with other objects • Pluto, Ceres, Eris
17-9 Kuiper Belt • Kuiper belt is btw Neptune & outer regions of solar system • 100 million fragments of ice & rock • Includes dwarf planets & their moons
17-10 Comets • Comet lump of ice, frozen gas, & dust • Orbit the Sun in long, ellipses that go beyond Pluto • Has 3 parts: • Nucleus dirty ice ball • Coma cloud of gas surrounds • Tail(s) melting particles that point away from the Sun
17-10 Comets cont. • Comets come from the Oort Cloud • Far beyond Neptune’s orbit • May contain trillions of inactive comets