Transcript Our favorite Solar System

Our favorite Solar System
A solar system is a star and
everything that orbits the star
Our sun is not the only star with
planets: 150+ planetary systems
Two examples:
Upsilon Andromeda- very similar to ours
3 planets
PSR B1620-26- solar system with two stars
1 planet
systems .are small in
space terms so they are
measured using astronomical
units
 Solar
1
AU = the distance from the
Earth to the Sun
 1 AU= 150 million kilometers
Examples of using AU
Where did the solar system come from?
Our Solar System Came From A Nebula
Between 4 and 5 million years ago
Gravity caused the Nebula to Collapse
This Caused the Nebula to Begin
Spinning
The Pressure Causes the Center to Ignite
The Sun is born!!!!
What about the planets?
Gravity pulled the left
over gas and dust from
the nebula together
Gravity pulls things towards the
center
Making all the objects ROUND!!!!
Everything in the solar system is
much smaller than the sun

The sun is 99% of all the mass in the solar
system
The first 4 planets
Terrestrial
planets
Terrestrial planets are small
compared to gas planets
Terrestrial planets are made of rock
Moons
(planetary satelites)
Planet
Mercury
Number of
moons
0
Names
Venus
0
Earth
1
moon
Mars
2
Phobos,
Deimos
Outer planets
Sometimes
called
gas giants
Moons
(planetary satelites)
Planet
Jupiter
Number of
Moons
62
Names
Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Amalthea, Himalia, Elara,
Pasiphae, Sinope, Lysithea, Carme, Ananke, Leda, Metis,
Adrastea, Thebe, Callirrhoe, Themisto, Kalyke, Iocaste, Erinome,
Harpalyke, Isonoe, Praxidike, Megaclite, Taygete, Chaldene,
Autonoe, Thyone, Hermippe, Eurydome, Sponde, Pasithee,
Euanthe, Kale, Orthosie, Euporie, Aitne, plus others yet to
receive names
33
Titan, Rhea, Iapetus, Dione, Tethys, Enceladus, Mimas,
Hyperion, Prometheus, Pandora, Phoebe, Janus,
Epimetheus, Helene, Telesto, Calypso, Atlas, Pan, Ymir,
Paaliaq, Siarnaq, Tarvos, Kiviuq, Ijiraq, Thrym, Skadi,
Mundilfari, Erriapo, Albiorix, Suttung, plus others yet
treceive names
Uranus
27
Cordelia, Ophelia, Bianca, Cressida,
Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Belinda,
Puck, Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon,
Caliban, Sycorax, Prospero, Setebos, Stephano,
Trinculo, plus others yet to receive names
Neptune
13
Triton, Nereid, Naiad, Thalassa, Despina,
Galatea, Larissa, Proteus, plus others to
receive names
Saturn
Rings
Terrestrial planets have no rings
 Though Saturn is famous for its rings all
gas planets have them.

Neptune
Uranus
Objects besides planets
Asteroids
 Asteroids
are giant rocks
orbiting the sun
 They
range in size from about the
size of a classroom to
the largest which is
580 miles long
Asteroids
 Most
asteroids are in the
Asteroid belt between
Mars and Jupiter
Comets
•Comets are made of ice, rock and
dust
•Comets have very elliptical orbits
around the sun
Comets
 Comets
have a tail when they
are close to the sun because
of the melting ice
What keeps the solar system all
moving together?

The solar system started moving when the
nebula started spinning
Gravity keeps all the objects together.
Main points
Solar systems are a star and what orbits
around it
 Solar systems are measured using A.U.
 In our solar system we have:

the sun
gas planets
terrestrial planets
moons (planetary satellites)
asteroids
comets