the solar system - bourbon county schools...the sun •the center of our solar system •energy from...

The Solar System

A basic tour of the Solar System in

which we live.

Touring the Solar System

• The Sun

• The Planets and Their Moons

• Other Objects

The Sun

• The center of our

Solar System

• Energy from the Sun

is the basis for all

energy in the system

• Most massive part

• Its gravity holds

system together

• An average star

Sun Data • Diameter

– 862,000 miles

– 1,391,000 kms

• Mass

– 333,000 times Earth

• Revolution Rate

– 2.5 billion years

• Rotation Rate

– 24 d 16 h

• Surface Gravity

– 28 times Earth

Sun Data

• Temperature

– 5,800 K

– 10,440 F

• Composition

– by mass

• 73 % hydrogen

• 25 % helium

• 2 % oxygen, carbon,

neon, iron

• We are made from star

stuff!

Solar Furnace • Hydrogen is the

simplest matter in the

universe.

• Two atoms are fused

together to form

helium.

• Releases energy in

tremendous amounts.

• Other elements created

as fusion continues.

Sun Spots

• Sun Spot Cycle

– 11 year cycle

– disrupt some

electronics

• What are they?

– Cooler areas of the

surface

– appear dark due to

surrounding high

temperatures

– would shine if alone in

space

Solar Eclipse

• Solar eclipse occurs

when Moon passes

between the Earth and

the Sun

• The Moon’s shadow

falls on the Earth’s

surface.

Solar Eclipse

• Full solar eclipse lasts

about 7 and half

minutes.

• Next eclipse in North

America

– August 21, 2017

Solar Eclipse Images

Sun’s corona visible. Diamond Ring

Other Solar Phenomena

• Solar Prominence

– An arch of flame above

surface

• Solar Flare

– Explosive emission of

energy

– equals a million atomic

bombs

• Solar Wind

– stream of particles

from the Sun

The Planets and Their Moons

Mercury

• Planet nearest the Sun

– 1st orbit

• Rapid Revolution Rate

– quickest around the

Sun

• Name

– Roman god of speed

– due to its rapid

revolution

Mercury Data

• Revolution Rate

– 88 E.D. (Earth Days)

• Rotation Rate

– 59 E.D.

• Distance from Sun

– 0.39 A.U.

• Diameter

– 3,024 miles

• Inclination

– ?, think it is 0 degrees

Mercury Data

• Mass (compared to

Earth)

– 0.06

• Density

– 5.4

• Surface Gravity

– 0.38

• Escape Velocity

– 2.7 m/s

• Moons - none

Mercury Facts

• No atmosphere

• Lots of impact craters

– resembles the Moon

• Second smallest planet

• Temperature extremes

– 1,260 F daylight

– 180 F nightside

Mercury in transit.

Mercury or Moon:

Which one is which below?

Venus

• Second in order from

the Sun

– 2nd orbit

• Earth’s twin?

– size and other features

• Name

– Roman goddess of love

– most features of planet

have feminine names

Venus Data

• Revolution Rate

– 224 E.D.

• Rotation Rate

– 243 E.D.

• Distance from Sun

– 0.72 A.U.

• Diameter

– 7,503 miles

• Inclination

– 177 degrees

Venus Data

• Mass

– 0.82

• Density

– 5.3

• Surface Gravity

– 0.91

• Escape Velocity

– 6.5 m/s

• Moons - none

Venus Facts

• Dense atmosphere

– Carbon Dioxide

– Greenhouse Effect

– Pressure 90 times

Earth’s

– Sulfuric Acid rain

• Temperature

– 1,314 F on surface

• Geology

– active volcanoes

– produces atmosphere

Sif Mons Volcano

Venus Flyby Animation

Earth and the Moon

Earth

• Third in order from

the Sun

– 3rd orbit

• Life

– only known place

where life exists

• Name

– prehistoric origin

Earth Data

• Revolution Rate

– 365¼ days

– 1 year

• Rotation Rate

– 23.9 hours

– 1 day

• Distance from the Sun

– 1.00 Astronomical

Unit

– 1.00 A.U. =

93,000,000 miles

• Diameter

– 7,908 miles

• Inclination

– 23½ degrees

Earth Data

• Mass

– 1.00 (all other bodies

compared to Earth)

• Density

– 5.5

• Surface Gravity

– 1.00 (see mass)

• Escape Velocity

– 6.9 m/s

• Moons - 1

Earth Facts

• Only place we know

that has life

• Water planet

– about 70 % of surface

covered with water

• Atmosphere

– 75 % nitrogen

– 23 % oxygen

– remaining 2 % a mix of

gases

The Moon

• Earth’s nearest

neighbor

– 237,240 miles

• Only other place

visited by humans

• Affects Earth’s

Systems

– tides in oceans

Moon Data • Revolution Rate

– 29½ days

• Rotation Rate

– 29½ days

• Distance from the Sun

– nearly same as Earth’s

• Diameter

– 2,155 miles

• Inclination

– 5 degrees

Moon Data

• Mass

– 0.01

• Density

– 3.3

• Surface Gravity

– 1/6 or 0.16

• Escape Velocity

– 1.5 m/s

Moon Creation • Current theory

suggests that our

Moon was formed

when an object about

the size of Mars struck

the Earth early in its

existence.

• Material from this

impact coalesced into

the Moon over

millions of years.

Moon Facts

• Only other place

visited by humans

– Apollo Space Program

• No atmosphere

• Same side faces Earth

– Rotation and

Revolution Same

• Phases of Moon

– Due to place in orbit

compared to Earth and

Sun

Buzz Aldrin step down

Apollo Moon Program

Jack Scmitt near large boulder on Moon.

July 20, 1969

Lunar Eclipse

Interesting Notes

• Lunacy, Lunatic

– these words are derived from Luna, the Latin

word for Moon

– believed the Moon affected human mind

• Historically

– eclipses foretold bad events

– basis for calendars

• Literature

– werewolves, Man in the Moon

Mars

• Fourth planet from the

Sun

– 4th orbit

• “Sister” planet

– may have once had

water

• Name

– Roman god of war

– red color in telescope

Mars Data

• Revolution Rate

– 686 E.D.

• Rotation Rate

– 24½ hours

• Distance from the Sun

– 1.5 A.U.

• Diameter

– 4,210 miles

• Inclination

– 25 degrees

Mars Data

• Mass

– 0.11

• Density

– 3.9

• Surface Gravity

– 0.38

• Escape Velocity

– 3.1 m/s

• Moons - 2

Mars Facts

• Red color when

viewed

– iron oxides in soil

– “rust”

• Atmosphere is thin

– 95 % carbon dioxide

• May have had liquid

water in past

– lost into space

• Polar caps

– water ice

More Mars Facts

• Two moons

• Names

– Deimos - demigod of

terror, panic

– Phobos - demigod of

fear, flight

• One is slowly falling

to the planet

– in next couple of

centuries, Mars will

only have one

Deimos

Phobos

Olympus Mons

• Largest known

volcano in the solar

system

• Outer edge would

enclose Kentucky

• No longer active

• Named after the home

of the gods

Valles Marineris

• Name

– Latin for “Valley of

the Mariners”

• Series of canyons

– Makes Grand Canyon

of Earth seem like a

ditch

• Traverses a ¼ of the

way around the planet

• Creation

– Volcanic activity

Life on Mars

Martians?

• Face on Mars

• Discovered by

Pathfinder Mission

Satellite

• Trick of light

• Tabloids ran photo as

evidence of extra-

terrestrials

Martians?

• Martian Canals

– Giovanni Schiparelli

– “canale”

• War of the Worlds

scare

– radio show based on

book by H.G. Wells

– caused panic on eastern

seaboard of U.S.

Life on Mars

• It is possible life may

have existed on Mars

in the past

– simple organisms that

died out once water

was gone

• More than likely it is

there today

– transported there from

Earth on our robot

probes

Jupiter

• Largest planet in

system

• Fifth planet from Sun

– 5th orbit out

• Almost big enough to

be a star

• Name

– Roman name for the

king of the gods

– due to its size

Jupiter Data

• Revolution Rate

– 11.9 E.Y. (Earth

Years)

• Rotation Rate

– 9.9 hours

• Distance from the Sun

– 5.2 A.U.

• Diameter

– 88,536 miles

• Inclination

– 3.1 degrees

Jupiter Data

• Mass

– 318

• Density

– 1.3

• Surface Gravity

– 2.5

• Escape Velocity

– 37.2 m/s

• Moons - 16

Jupiter Facts • Atmosphere

– Mainly hydrogen with

some helium

– Clouds are separated

into bands

– Rapidly move around

• Red Spot

– Storm in atmosphere

• Large family of moons

– some are stable

– most are captured

asteroids

Jupiter Facts

• Faint thin ring system

• Backyard telescope

– see two dark bands on

100 magnification

• Strong gravity

– disturbs the asteroids

and other nearby

objects

• Galileo

– discovered the 4 main

moons

Galilean Moons

• Named after Galileo

– Io

– Europa

– Ganymede

– Callisto

• Visiblity

– would be visible at

night if Jupiter gone

– can be seen with

binoculars

• Unique features

Ganymede

• Largest moon in solar

system

– diameter of 3,267

miles

– bigger than Mercury

and Pluto

– would be a planet if

orbited the Sun

• Impact craters

Callisto

• 3rd largest moon in

solar system

– diameter of 2,988

miles

– slightly smaller than

Mercury, still dwarfs

Pluto

• Impact craters

Europa

• Icy moon

– rocky moon that is

covered with water ice

– believed to have

oceans that are frozen

– surface cracked

• Life?

– If there is water, could

there be life?

Io

• Volcanic activity

– discovered that this

moon was volcanically

active

– thought moons were

dead bodies that were

not very interesting or

worth studying

– has an atmosphere

produced by volcanoes

Io Volcano

Saturn

• Sixth planet from Sun

– 6th orbit

• Second largest planet

• Impressive rings

– discovered by Galileo

when he got tired of

looking at Jupiter

• Name

– Roman god of

agriculture

– Why named?

Saturn Data

• Revolution Rate

– 29.5 E.Y.

• Rotation Rate

– 10.7 hours

• Distance from the Sun

– 9.5 A.U.

• Diameter (minus rings)

– 74,735 miles

• Inclination

– 26.7 degrees

Saturn Data

• Mass

– 95

• Density

– 0.7

• Surface Gravity

– 1.07

• Escape Velocity

– 22.3 m/s

• Moons - 19

Saturn Facts • Complex ring system

– tiny rock and ice

particles

– discovered by Galileo

– thought the rings

resembled handles on

cup

– people began to believe

he was crazy

• Atmosphere

– hydrogen and helium

– lines of clouds

Saturn’s Rings • Formation

– current theory suggests

moons destroyed by

impacts or gravity

• Complexity

– moons mixed in with

ring particles

– forms divisions seen in

rings

• Cycle

– rings “disappear” every

11 years

Saturn’s Rings

• View to right is what

you can see through a

telescope at a

magnification of 100

power

• Yellowish tint

• Rings tilted so

viewable now

Saturn’s Noteworthy Moons

• Titan

– second largest moon in

solar system

– diameter of 3,193

miles

– bigger than Pluto and

Mercury

– moon because it circles

Saturn

Mimas

• Huge impact crater

– barely below the size

needed to destroy the

moon

• Death Star

– was the inspiration for

the Death Star in the

Star Wars movies

Uranus

• Seventh planet from

the Sun

– 7th orbit

• Faint ring system

• Inclination is weird

• Name

– Greek god who

personified heaven

– father of the titans

Uranus Data

• Revolution Rate

– 84.1 E.Y.

• Rotation Rate

– 17.2 hours

• Distance from the Sun

– 19.2 A.U.

• Diameter

– 31,744 miles

• Inclination

– 98 degrees

Uranus Data

• Mass

– 14

• Density

– 1.2

• Surface Gravity

– 0.92

• Escape Velocity

– 13 m/s

• Moons - 15

Uranus Facts

• Thin Rings

– Rings are tilted like

planet

• Inclination

– May have been struck

by asteroid or another

object

• Atmosphere

– hydrogen

– very stable

Miranda

• One of smallest moons

of Uranus

• Surface has patches of

water ice

• Half is cratered like

the Moon

• Other half is heavily

ridged for some reason

• Believed that Miranda

may have been

destroyed by asteroid

impact in the past.

• But it reformed slowly

over time like our

Moon.

Miranda

Neptune

• Eighth planet from the

Sun

– 8th orbit most of the

time

• Surprisingly active

atmosphere

• Name

– Roman god of water

Neptune Data

• Revolution Rate

– 164.8 E.Y.

• Rotation Rate

– 16.1 hours

• Distance from the Sun

– 30.1 A.U.

• Diameter

– 30,690 miles

• Inclination

– 29 degrees

Neptune Data

• Mass

– 17.2

• Density

– 1.6

• Surface Gravity

– 1.18

• Escape Velocity

– 14.9 m/s

• Moons - 8

Neptune Facts

• Active atmosphere

– had a giant storm like

Jupiter

– storm has disappeared

recently

– thought it would be

similar to Uranus

• Rings

– very thin

– similar to Uranus’ ring

system

Triton

• Voyager 2

– 75 % rock

– 25 % water ice

– discovered active

volcanoes

– has a thin atmosphere

– has polar ice caps

– mix of frozen water

and ammonia

Pluto

Name - Roman god of the underworld

No longer a planet.

Pluto Data

• Revolution Rate

– 248.6 E.Y.

• Rotation Rate

– 6.4 days

• Distance from the Sun

– 40 A.U.

• Diameter

– 1,364 miles

• Inclination

– 118 degrees

Pluto Data • Mass

– 0.0025

• Density

– 2.1

• Surface Gravity

– 0.09

• Escape Velocity

– 0.62 m/s

• Moons – 3

– Charon

– Nix

– Hydra

Pluto Facts

• Orbit

– at times it is inside the

orbit of Neptune

– outside orbit since

1999

– suggests it may have

been a moon of

Neptune

• Charon

– discovered in 1978

– not much smaller than

Pluto

Other Objects

Asteroids

• Location

– most fall in orbit

between Mars and

Jupiter

• Size Restrictions

– less than 1,000 km

diameter

• Composition

– mostly rock Gaspra

Asteroid Facts

• Pairs

– most are paired with a

smaller companion

• Produce meteoroids

– due to collisions

– produce most meteors

• Some cross Earth orbit

– represent a danger

• Jupiter’s Gravity

– causes them to develop

highly elliptical orbits

Ida and Dactyl

Asteroid Facts

• Ceres

– first discovered

– largest discovered

– 1/4 size of our Moon

• Total Number

– estimated to be

100,000 that are bigger

than 1 kilometer

– 75 % in main belt

Comets

• Orbits

– highly elliptical

– pass beyond the orbit

of Pluto

– regular returns

(mostly)

• Make-up

– basically a dirty

snowball

Comet Halley

• Most Famous

• Returns every 76 years

– last closest approach

was 1986

• Historical references

– images have been

found in reference to it

in ancient texts,

drawings, and

stoneware

Comet Halley is now proper

name.

• Many probes sent

– European probe got

best view

– picture of its rock/ icy

core

– solar wind from Sun

strikes comet nucleus

(called coma) and

produces tail

Comet Orbit

• Highly elliptical orbit

– may come from matter

found on edge of our

solar system

• Tail points away from

Sun

– due to solar wind

Comet Hale-Bopp

• Last comet best visible

in northern

hemisphere

• showed two tails

– dust tail

– ion tail

System Formation • Current theory

suggests that gravity

lead to the formation

of our Solar System as

well as others.

• Formed when

hydrogen atoms in

nebula began to

compact at one spot

due to gravitational

attraction.

• The vast majority of matter was tied up in

the Sun.

– About 5 billion years ago.

• The planets formed afterwards from

material left over.

– About 4.5 billion years ago.

– Jupiter got the biggest portion of what was left

behind.

System Formation

The End?

• About 5 billion years

from now, the

hydrogen in the Sun

will run out.

• Fusion will stop,

resulting in an initial

collapse of the Sun.

• Will then explode in a

supernova.

The End?

• Will probably form a

red giant.

• Could have become a

black hole, but not

massive enough.

• Too large to become a

brown dwarf.

• Will basically wipe

out our solar system.