Chapter 11

Chapter 11We continue to learn a lot about the solar system by using space exploration1The SunCriteriaCharacteristicsMassContains 300 000 times more mass than EarthMotionrotatesCompositionContains hydrogen and helium atomsFunctionChemical reactions in the sun give off electromagnetic radiation (including heat and light) which support life in our solar system

Special FeaturesSun spots, solar flares and solar prominences

2The SunSun Spots: dark patches on the Suns surface that are slightly cooler, about 3500C, than surrounding areas.The number of sunspots on the Sun may affect Earths climate, although it is still being debated

3The SunSolar Flares: Extremely violent eruptions of gas from the Suns surface. These eruptions can last for a few hours and heat gases to 11 000 000C.When these high energy particles rush past Earth they create an effect called solar windEarths magnetic field deflects most of this dangerous solar windThe solar wind can disrupt Earths magnetic field, disabling satellites and even knocking out power transmission line on Earth.

4The SunSolar prominences loops of super-hot gas that extend out from the suns surface

Features of the Sun

6PlanetsPlanet: a body that must orbit one or more stars, be large enough that its own gravity holds it in a spherical shape, and be the only body occupying the orbital pathTerrestrial Planets: inner, rocky planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars

Jovian Planets: outer, gaseous planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune

7Terrestrial and Jovian PlanetsCriteriaTerrestrial Planets Jovian PlanetsSizeSmall (All Earth size or smaller)Large (4 to 11 times larger than Earth)MotionSlow spinning, small orbitsFaster spinning, large orbitsCompositionSolid and rockyGaseousDistance from SunCloserFurther awayTemperatureWarmer, but temperatures varyColder, but temperatures varyDensityGreaterLesser8PlanetsCloser to the sun, the temperature is warmer and the composition is solid and rocky

Further from the sun, the temperatures are lower and the composition is gaseous.

Order of the planets: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars , Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)9Dwarf PlanetsDwarf Planet is a celestial body orbiting the Sun that is generally smaller than a planet but massive enough for its own gravity to give it a round shape.Pluto, Eris and Ceres

10QuestionWhy was Pluto demoted to Dwarf planet in 2006?

Article11 MoonsOrbiting companions of all the planets except Mercury and Venus

More than 165 moons have been detected in our solar system

AsteroidsAsteroids are smaller bodies that are believed to be leftover remains of the formation of the solar system

Most orbit the sun very similar to planets

The main location for asteroids is in a band between Mars and Jupiter

Some asteroids have irregular orbits due to gravitational attraction of the planets and collisions.

13CometsComets are often referred to a dirty snowballs made up of ice, rock, and gas.They originate beyond the orbit of Neptune, at the farthest reach of the Suns gravitational influence. Here lies a spherical cloud of small icy fragments of debris called the Oort cloud.Comets are usually characterized by one or more tails due to a loss of dust and ice due to exposure to solar radiation (it starts to melt)

14Path of a comet around the Sun

15Comets and PeriodicityComets have unique orbits around the sun and tend to follow a pattern with regards to their passage by the Earth and Sun

Two types of comets: Short and Long Period comets. Short period comets orbit the Sun faster.

Periodicity: How long it takes a comet to orbit the sun

Research Activity 11-2c: Comet orbits and periodicity16Meteoroids: are pieces of rock floating through spaceSolar system debrisMeteors: (shooting stars) are meteoroids that burn up as they enter Earths atmosphere at high speedTrail associated with meteoroids as they enter the atmosphereMeteorites: meteors that are large enough to survive passing through the atmosphere and they reach Earths surface.

17Compare and ContrastCriteriaAsteroidMeteorMeteoriteSizeSand grains to about 1000 km acrossSand grainsLarger than meteor CompositionPieces of RockPieces of RockPieces of RockLocationMainly the Asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter)Earths AtmosphereOn Earth18When meteorites hit EarthImpact sites: the place where a relatively small object (meteorite) has collided with a large object (planet) to produce a fairly circular depression on the surface of the larger object.Often referred to as an impact crater due to the circular depression that was formedImpact sites provide evidence of meteor/asteroid impacts on a planetThe size of the depression created is often much larger than the object involved in the collision.

19Impact SitesThere is a NEAR earth monitoring system that monitors asteroids, comets etc. WHY?Go to: www.msss.com/small_bodies/near_new/index.html

20Solar Phenomena on EarthSolar RadiationAll life on earth is dependent on solar energy in the form of radiationEx: plants use solar radiation to produce food

Solar Wind and aurorasWhen high energy particles from solar flares rush past Earth they create an effect called solar windSome of it enters at the North and South pole, collide with gases in the atmosphere and create the auroras (northern and southern lights)

Canadian Contributions to Space ResearchCanadarm 1: robotic arm used to retrieve and launch many satellites and to give a stable platform for astronauts going about their tasks in space

Canadarm 2: a mobile remote manipulator system designed for the International Space station. Able to do everything Canadarm 1 does but larger and able to move by itself to nearly every part of the station

23Canadian ContributionsDexterous manipulator of Canadahand: a two armed robot that attaches to the end of Canadarm 2. Performs task that previously required astronauts to work outside the safety of the space station

24Canadian ContributionsInternational Space Station: Sixteen countries including Canada are involved in this space based laboratory.

25Canadian AstronautsCanada does not send missions into space but they provide technology and expertise to space exploration.

Astronaut Program in Canada is relatively new compared with USA and Russia.26Canadian Astronauts

Roberta BondarChris HadfieldMarc GarneauJulie Payette27Knowledge and TechnologyKnowledge of the universe is the result of centuries of observation and data collection using more and more advance d technologies.It is an ongoing process.

28Technologies that have Increased Knowledge of the UniverseHubble Space Telescope: Placed in Earths orbit and with no air (pollution etc.) to spoil the view, this has given amazing views of far away galaxies and stars in space

Using this they were able to find that the universe is between 13 and 14 billion years old

Light reaching its mirrors has not been distorted by Earths atmosphere

29Hubble Telescope

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Technologies that has increased knowledgeThe Very Large Array Radio Telescope: Made up of 27 antennas that are each 25 m across. The result is the same as one giant radio telescope that is 36 Km wideRadio telescope reveals characteristics of celestial bodies that could not be studied using optical telescopes like the previous two telescopesDust in space makes it difficult to see light from distant stars but this telescope is not affected by dust (uses radio waves). Using this, we get a clearer picture.

32Radio Telescope

33Technologies Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope: located on the 42 00 m dormant volcano in Hawaii. Above most of the air, giving a clearer view and providing cloud free skies.

34TechnologiesProbes : A space vehicle sent to other celestial bodies.Used to travel million of kilometers, to analyze distant objects and then send information back to Earth

35Technologies36Technologies and underlying scienceTechnologyChemistryBiologyPhysicsGeologyOtherRocketsSpace SuitsSatellitesProbesRoversOptical TelescopesRadio TelescopesThe next Six slides will help fill out this table.37Technologies and underlying science used to Explore SpaceRocket is a system used for transporting materials and astronauts into spaceFilled with explosive fuels (chemistry)that combine to generate thrust, the force (physics) that pushes against the rocket to get it to moveAs fuel is used up, some of the rocket is lost to make it lighter

38Technologies and underlying scienceSpace Suits: acts as a smaller space ship, providing oxygen (chemistry) to breathe

Contain a communication system to talk to each other and people on Earth (radio waves, physics) a cooling system and a system to simulate the air pressure on Earths Surface (air pressure, physics)

39Technologies and underlying scienceSatellites are electronic devices put in orbit around Earth to relay information.

Communications satellites use electromagnetic radiation is used to send information from one place to another (involves physics)

40Technologies and underlying scienceRovers: are small movable probes designed to land on a planet, explore and test the surface and send the information back to Earth by radio waves.

They conduct experiments in geology (determining the make up of rocks) and biology (looking for signs of life)

41Technologies and underlying scienceOptical telescopes: use the property of light (physics) to get a better picture of the universe.

Hubble space telescope is in Earths orbit. This also uses electromagnetic waves from the field of physics to send information back to Earth.

42Technologies and underlying scienceRadio Telescopes: Radio signals coming from distant objects are collected and converted to electrical symbols (physics again) and analyzed.

43Core LabDesigning a Space Station44