Transcript OurSolarSystem_part1

Intro to Space:
Our Solar System
The Basic Concepts

Our solar system consists of 4 basic parts.
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The Sun

Tiny interior rocky planets
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Larger exterior gas planets and their icy
moons

Oort Cloud of “ice balls”
Mass of the Solar System
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
Sun
Jupiter
Rest of Planets
Oort Cloud
The Sun is virtually
all all of the mass.
The rest is about
equal parts Jupiter,
the other planets,
and the Oort cloud
The Sun
solar flare
sun spots
solar wind
MERCURY
Mercury, the planet nearest the Sun, is the smallest planet in our solar system.
It is only slightly larger than the Earth's moon. The surface is covered with craters.
This tiny planet does not have any rings or moons.
evidence of
craters
VENUS
impact craters
lava flows
Venus is one of the brightest objects in our sky,
so it is clearly visible to the naked eye.
It can be tricky to spot because it is always
near the Sun.
It rises and sets with the Sun each day.
Ancient civilizations believed Venus was
actually two different objects,
so they called the one that rose the
Morning Star, and the one that set
the Evening Star.
EARTH and MOON
What similarities and
differences do you notice
between the Earth and the
Moon?
Why do they have such
different surface features?
MARS
Mars is very bright, which makes it easy to spot in the night sky. It was named after
the Roman god of war because its reddish color reminded the people of blood.
Olympus Mons
is the largest
volcano in our
solar system!
Although people have
never landed on Mars,
we have sent robotic
explorers there.
Martian crater
ASTEROID BELT
Most asteroids can be found in the Asteroid Belt, which is located between
Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids are rocky and metallic objects that orbit the Sun,
but are too small to be considered planets. They are known as minor planets.
Asteroids range in size from Ceres, which has a diameter of about 1000 km,
down to the size of pebbles.
JUPITER
Jupiter, the fifth planet from the Sun, is the largest planet in our solar system.
Jupiter is so big that over 1,000 planets the size of Earth could fit into it.
It has over 60 moons and 2 rings. Can life exist on Jupiter's moon, Europa?
The “Great Red Spot”
Is actually a huge
Storm system!
Here are a few of Jupiter’s moons
SATURN
Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, is the second largest planet in our solar system.
It is often called the ringed planet because many rings of dust and rocks surround it.
Saturn also has over 31 moons.
Saturn with some of
its moons
Some of Saturn’s rings
Titan is a moon of Saturn that may have some
Conditions necessary for life! The picture on
the right shows an artist’s drawing of how Titan
might have looked when the Cassini-Huygen’s
probe dropped into its atmosphere in Dec., 2004.
URANUS
Uranus is a very unusual planet because it sits on its side with north and south
poles sticking out the sides. It rotates around this axis, making it look like a ball
rolling around in a circle around the Sun.
some of Uranus’s moons
Black rings
NEPTUNE
Neptune, usually the eighth planet from the Sun, is a very cold place.
Occasionally, Pluto crosses Neptune’s orbit and becomes the eight planet.
Its bluish color comes from its atmosphere of methane gas.
Tiny Dark Moon
PLUTO
Pluto, demoted from being the ninth planet from the Sun.
Some scientists believe that Pluto once was one of Neptune’s moons, and that it
pulled out away from Neptune and made its own orbit.
Clearest view to date
Of Pluto and Charon
COMETS
Comets are sometimes called dirty snowballs or "icy mudballs".
They are a mixture of ices (both water and frozen gases) and dust that for
some reason didn't get incorporated into planets when the solar system was formed.
This makes them very interesting as samples of the early history of the solar system.
Comets have
elliptical orbits.
Comet Halley in 1910
When we see a comet, we
are seeing the tail of the comet
as comes close to the Sun.
Homework
Read 8.1
Pg 308 #2, 5, 8, 9
Pg 317 #5, 9