Our Solar System

What is a Planet?

definition for a planet is now officially known as a celestial body that (as of 2006)

(a) is in orbit around the Sun (b) has enough mass for its self-gravity to

overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a nearly round shape

(c) has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit

Dwarf Planet

is a celestial body that

(a) is in orbit around the Sun(b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to

overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a nearly round shape

(c) has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit

(d) is not a satellite.

Plutoid

• Same as a dwarf planet but… must orbit farther away than Neptune

• Named after Pluto– 2005 demoted to a dwarf planet– 2008 remained as a plutoid– Because its orbit crosses that of Neptune’s

Pluto's story... in a nutshell!

Exoplanets

• Same as a planet but is outside of our solar system

• Extrasolar

• Orbits around another star (like our Sun)

Taken by Hubble Space Telescope

Space Technology

• Hubble Space Telescope

–Launched in April 1990

• Spitzer Space Telescope

–Launched summer 2003

Space Tech Cont’…

• CoRot French Telescope

– Launched December 2006

• Kepler Space Telescope/Mission

– March 2009

New discoveries!

• April 2010

• Newest exoplanet to be discovered!

• Cool as Jupiter- Science News Article