Astronomy in the new Millenium

Volker Crede Grigory Rogachev

Formation of the Solar System

Nebular contraction:

Cloud of gas and dust contracts due to gravity; conservation of angular momentum means it spins faster and faster as it contracts

Angular momentum – the tendency of a body to keep spinning.

Conservation of angular momentum

Formation of the Solar System

Condensation theory:

Interstellar dust grains help cool cloud, and act as condensation nuclei

Lets name them (in correct order). Mercury. (0.38 AU from the Sun) Venus. (0.72 AU) Earth. (1.0 AU ≈ 100,000,000 miles) Mars. (1.52 AU) Jupiter. (5.2 AU) Saturn. (9.52 AU) Uranus. (20 AU) Neptune (30 AU)

Planets

Mercury

Mercury’s “cool” features. Mercury is the only planet in the solar

system which has no atmosphere! Mercury rotates very ssslllloooowwwlllyyy.

One day on Mercury equals to 176 Earth days!

Mercury’s day side gets fried by the Sun to the temperatures high enough to melt Lead!

Mercury’s night side gets so cold that oxygen would be liquid there!

Venus

Venus’s surface

“Cool” Venus features. (HOT actually)

Venus is the hottest planet in the Solar system! (900 oF – twice as hot as your oven can do).

Venus’s atmosphere is 90 time thicker then Earth’s atmosphere!

HOT, Crashing and Orange/Red… And, eh, it is also very sloooooooooow. One

Venus’s day = 243 Earth’s days and it rotates the wrong way!

Any pictures? A photograph of the surface, from the Venera

lander, which did not survive for long though…

Earth

Moon

Visitors

Apollo 11 landing cite – Moon, Sea of Tranquility, July 1969.

Final phase of the total Solar Eclipse: diamond-ring effect

Total Solar eclipse

Solar Eclipse

Mars

We learned SO much about Mars during the last decade!

Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, and Mars orbiter Odyssey are diamonds in our scientific portfolio.

Mars

Mars

Mars’s “cool” facts. (wet actually) A long, long time ago… In a galaxy far, far away…

Mars’s “cool” facts. (wet actually) 1 or 2 billion years ago Mars was covered

with liquid WATER!

“Cool” facts. (cont.) Mars is home of the

largest mountain in the Solar system – Olympus mons. 25 km high!

Mars has the largest and the deepest canyon in the Solar system – Valles Marineris. It is as big as the entire USA and 7 km deep.

Comets

Gas Giants Gas Giants are … Well, gas giant. They consist almost exclusively of gas,

hydrogen and helium. Lots of gas!

Jupiter

“Cool” fact about Jupiter Jupiter is the Largest

and the most massive planet in the Solar system.

If it would be just 80 time heavier it would become a star!

Jupiter has storm which is at least 300 years old! (Great Red Spot).

It looks like a zebra.

Jupiter moons

Saturn

Saturn rings

Uranus

Neptune

What else is out there?

Asteroids

Asteroids Impact of a large asteroid can be VERY unpleasant.

Giant impact

65 millions years agoasteroid impact causedthe Cretaceous extinction

Meteoroid Small rocky object

in space. If burn in the

atmosphere – meteor.

If survived the atmosphere and hits the ground – meteorite.

Grand design