Transcript CSE 610 PPT#1

A quick trip around our
Solar System
The Sun
• Closest Star to the
Earth
• Primary Source of
energy for the
solar system
• Most hydrogen
The Sun
• Very large, Very Hot
• More than a million
times the size of the
Earth
• Earth is the little
blue dot in the upper
right hand corner
Mercury
• First planet from
the Sun
• Very hot, Very
small
• No liquid Water
Mercury
• One side boils
while the other
side freezes
• Most difficult
planet for humans
to visit
Venus
• Second planet
from the Sun
• Very hot, Very
thick atmosphere
• Similar in size to
Earth
Venus
• Rotates on axis in
the opposite
direction of the
other planets
• Run away
greenhouse effect
• No liquid water
Earth
• Third planet from
the Sun
• Liquid water on
the surface
• Only known place
in universe with
intelligent life
Earth
• First planet from
the Sun with a
moon
• Largest moon vs.
planet size in
solar system
Mars
• Forth planet from
the Sun
• Very cold, Very
dry
• No liquid water on
surface
Mars
• Has two small
moons
• Sizes that some
liquid flowed over
surface in recent
geological past
Asteroid Belt
• Possible remains
of another planet
• Or leftovers that
never finish
forming into
another inner
planet
Asteroid Belt
• Smaller asteroids
collide together
to form larger
asteroids
• After a great
period of time a
new planet can
form
Jupiter
• Fifth planet from
the Sun
• Largest planet in
the solar system
• Famous for the
great red spot
Jupiter
• About 17 moons
• Galilean satellites
are the four
largest moons
• Three of those
four might have
liquid water and
maybe life
Saturn
• Sixth planet from
the Sun
• Second largest
planet in the solar
system
• Famous for the
great rings
Saturn
• About 26 moons
• Largest moon
Titan is very
similar to a very
young Earth
• Huygens probe
landed on Titan in
January 2005
Uranus
• Seventh planet
from the Sun
• Very cold, Very
dark
• Frozen gas giant
Uranus
• About 22 moons
• Rotates about its
axis on its side
compared to the
other planets
• No liquid water
Neptune
• Eighth planet
from the Sun
• Frozen gas giant
• Very cold, Very
Blue
Neptune
• About 8 moons
• Any future missions
to Neptune will
include probes that
will float in the high
winds of Neptune and
land on the surface
of its largest moon
Triton
Pluto
• Former ninth
planet and now a
dwarf planet
• Very cold, very
dark, and very far
away
Pluto
• If you could stand
on the surface of
Pluto and look
back at the Sun, it
would look like
any other star in
the sky
Kuiper Belt
• Object out around
Pluto are called
Kuiper Belt
Objects or KBO’s
• They are small icy
objects
Kuiper Belt
• Over 900 KBO’s
have been
discovered since
1990
• Most of the larger
ones are about
the size of Pluto
And Beyond….
• Beyond the KBO’s is
another region called
the Oort cloud
• Anything beyond 50
AU is in the Oort
Cloud
• 1 AU is equal to the
distance between the
Earth and the Sun
Helpful websites
• http://www.solarviews.com
• http://www.space.com
• http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.
html
• Back to the beginning