Transcript solar system

Astronomical Units
• Astronomical Units are units that are used
by astronomers to find differences between
extraterrestrial objects.
• 1 AU or astronomical unit is 93,000,000
miles or the distance from the Earth to the
sun. For example, Jupiter is 5.2 AU away
from the sun. That is 483,600,000,000 miles
away from the sun.
Sun
Our Brightest
Star
• Approximately one
million Earths can fit
inside the Sun.
• The sun is a ball of
extremely hot gas.
• Much different then the
Earth’s, the sun has it’s
own unique atmosphere
• It is the source of heat
and light for all the
planets in the Milky Way
Galaxy.
Our Solar System
• Consists of eight planets.
• 4 terrestrial (land planets) and 4 gas planets
• All revolve around the Sun, which is the main source of light and
heat for these eight planets.
• It is the Sun's strong pull of gravity which keeps the planets in orbit
around it.
The Terrestrial Planets
• The closest Planet to the Sun.
Mercury
Our Fastest Planet
• Only a little larger than our moon.
• It is covered by dust, rocks, and
craters.
• Time it takes to rotate on it’s axis,59
days (DAY and NIGHT).
•
Time it takes to revolve around the
sun, 88 Earth days (YEAR).
• Mercury can reach a high of 800
degrees and a low of about 300
degrees Fahrenheit.
Venus
Our Hottest Planet
• Time it takes to rotatae on it’s axis,
243 Earth Days (DAY/NIGHT)
• Time it takes to revolve around the
sun, 225 Earth days (YEAR)
• On Venus a day is slightly more
than a year.
• About the same size as Earth.
• Has mountains, valleys, and plains.
• The heat is about 450 degrees
Celsius.
• Has no water.
• Life as we know it could not
survive here. Only rocks can
handle the high temperature and
crushing pressure.
Earth
Our Mother Planet
• 70% of its surface is water& the
other 30% is land.
• It’s tilt causes the seasons on the
planet.
• Earth is the only planet in the
universe which is known to
support life.
• Earth is almost five billion years
old.
• The center of the Earth, its core,
is molten.
• Earth is the only planet in the
Solar System known to be
geologically active.
Mars
Our Angry Red
Planet
• The largest volcano in the Solar
System is on Mars, called Olympus
Mons.
• Mars has seasons like Earth. This is
caused by the tilt of the planet's axis,
at a similar angle to the tilt of Earth's
axis
• Rocks from Mars have landed on
Earth from meteorite impacts
blasting debris through space.
• The average temperature on Mars is
about -67 °F.
• Time it takes to rotate on it’s axis,
24.5 Earth hours (D&N)
• Time it takes to revolve around
the sun, 687 Earth days ( YEARS)
• Earth could fit into Jupiter over 1300
times!
• Jupiter is made up almost entirely of
gas.
• Jupiter's famous Red Spot is a great
storm that has raged for at least four
hundred years.
• Jupiter has a thin set of rings, hardly
visible from Earth.
• Jupiter has the strongest pull of
gravity in the Solar System.
• If we were able to stand on the surface
of Jupiter, we would weigh three
times as much as we would on Earth.
• Time it takes to rotate on it’s axis, 9
hrs. 56 mins. Earth hours (D&N)
• Time it takes to revolve around the
sun,4,333 Earth days (YEAR)
Jupiter
Our Largest
Planet
Saturn
Rings of Beauty
• Saturn is the second largest planet.
• The many moons of Saturn are as
different as fire and ice. There are
at least 24 of them.
• Saturn's rings are believed to be the
particles of an old moon orbiting
the planet, smashed apart in a
collision about 50 million years
ago.
• Saturn is twice as far away from
the Sun as Jupiter is.
• Time it takes to rotate on it’s axis,
10.5 Earth hours (D&N)
• Time it takes to revolve around the
sun, 29.5 Earth years (Year)
• (10,767.5 Earth days)
• Uranus is the only planet in our
solar system to rotate on its side.
• Has 11 thin (rock fragment)
rings and over 20 known moons
• Uranus' pale blue color is caused
by the methane in its atmosphere
which filters out red light.
• Time it takes to rotate on it’s
axis, 17 Earth hours and 14
Earth minutes. (D&N)
• Time it takes to revolve around
the sun, 84 Earth years (YEAR)
(30,660 Earth days)
Uranus
Georgian Planet
Neptune
• Neptune sometimes orbits the Sun
further away than Pluto making it the
most distant planet in the Solar
System.
• Blue coloring due to methane in it’s
atmosphere
• Has a 4 faint rings and 13 moons
• Since its discovery in 1846, Neptune
has not yet completed a full orbit.
• Time it takes to rotate on it’s axis, 16
Earth hrs. and 27 Earth mins. (D&N)
• Time it takes to revolve around the
sun, 165 Earth years (60,225 Earth
days)
• Neptune has the strongest winds in
the Solar System, and a dark spot,
similar to Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
• Pluto is a dwarf planet,
composed of rock and ice
• 2/3rds the size of Earth’s
moon.
• Is a dwarf planet – because it
can not move other space
objects in its path
• Pluto has its own moon,
Charon.
• Time it takes to rotate on its
axis, 6 Earth days + 9 Earth
hrs.
• Time it takes to revolve
around the sun, 248 Earth
years (90,520 Earth days)
Pluto
Our Tiniest
Planet
ARE THERE ANY OTHER
PLANETS OUT THERE?
• A plutoid is a dwarf planet that is farther
out in space than the planet Neptune.
• The four known plutoids are Pluto, Eris,
Haumea and Makemake (MAH-kee-MAHkee)
Why is Earth most suitable for
life?
• Earth’s distance from the Sun + Earth’s
greenhouse effect in the atmosphere
– allows us to live in the perfect temperature
• Earth is mostly covered by liquid WATER.
– Liquid Water = most necessary for life
• Earth is composed of rock and water
– terrestrial planet
ANY LIFE OUT THERE?
• Mars ?
– Discovered water
on Mars, supports
evidence that their
may be life there
– Will send humans
next to Mars to try
to find more
evidence of life.
• Moon ?
– Little evidence of
water
– Little evidence of
oxygen.
– No life has been
detected or found.