Solar System

J. D. Price

Natural Science II – ERTH 1040

Mass: 1.9734 E 30 kg Dia: 1.4 E 6 km Comp: 92% H2, 8% He Rot: 25 d

Core T: 14 E 6 ºC (22.5 E 6 ºF) Srf T: 5,500o C (9,932o F)

Sun

Drawing by EB Watson

Hertzsprung-Russell Hertzsprung-Russell DiagramDiagram

Output

The fate of our star

Fusion to C

Carbon-helium nucleosynthesis

All of the elements heavier than H were fused in the stars.

Light elements are most abundant, because they are

produced first and foremost.

Even elements are more abundant because of the fusion

effect

Neutron capture

late red giant (s process)

Supernova (r process)

Above C - late red giant

Solar system

Planet density

Mercury Venus Earth Mars

Mass: 0.33 E 24 kg 4.87 E 24 kg 5.98 E 24 kg 0.64 E 24 kilograms

Av. Dia: 4,878 km (3,030 mi) 12,104 km (7,522 mi) 12,753 km (7,926 mi) 6,785 km (4,217 miles)

Rot: 58.65 d N 243 d R 24 hrs N 24.6 hrs N

Tilt: 0º 177-178o 23o 27” 25o 12"

Rev: 0.24 yrs 0.62 yrs 365 days 5 hrs 1.88 years

Atmos: none CO2 N2 with O2 CO2

Surface T: -184o C to 427o C 457o C (855o F) -89o C to 57.7o C -129o C to 0o C

(-300o F to 800o F) (-128o F to 136o F) ( -200o F to 32o F)

Eq. g: 3.7 m/s2 8.8 m/s2 9.8 m/s2 3.7 m/s2

Esc. V. 4.25 km/s 10.36 km/s 11.18 km/s 5.02 km/s

Sat: 0 0 1 2

Mag: yes no yes no

Terrestrials

r = 6378 km

The structure of Earth isthought to be very similar tothe rest of the terrestrialplanets.

] Iron (w 10% Nickel) core

] Fe-Mg Silicate mantle

] Al Ca / K-Na Silicate crust

The magnetic fields of Earthand Mercury may result from

the liquid state of their cores.

Earth’s Moon

NASAGalileo

Avg. distance = 380,000 km(238,00 mi)

Surface

•Dust and orange glass –meteoritic impact

•Basalt – dark colored rock

•Anorthosite – light coloredrock

•Breccias – mixed rock

•Impact Theory – Mars-sized object strikes Earth, ejectslunar material

Moon’s composition indicates that formation must occurafter partial differentiation of the earth

© 2006, NASA

Lunar History

• 4.5-3.8 Ga: Molten surface – maybe100km deep

• 3.8-3.1 Ga: Molten interior –radioactiveheating, core segregation, lava floods

• 3.1 Ga to present: Cold and quiet –,meteorite modification.

Earth and Moon

fragments of the Moon and Mars

Achondrite

Allan Hills 84001

A fragment of Mars found in theAntarctic ice. The concretionsgenerated vigorous debate - butultimately determined non-biogenic

Carbonate concretions

Not evidence of life

Mars topography

Rough south, smooth north

The view from Pathfinder, 1997

©2005, NASA - JPL

Twin Peaks

MER-A Spirit

Spirit’s travels

Currently, Spirit is crippled

by low output from its solar

array (Sol 1736)

The MER-A Spirit landed 1/4/2004 UTC

This approximate true-color image of outcrop dubbed "Longhorn," and behindit, the sweeping plains of Gusev Crater. On the horizon, the rim of Gusev

Crater is clearly visible to south. Sol 210 (August 5, 2004). Image Credit:

NASA/JPL/CornellImage Note: SolA_210_P2398_L257_Longhorn (jpg used)

Images of Mars

Spirits ascent up Husband HillImage Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/OSU/NMU

The long road

Dark, porous-textured volcanic rocks on Low Ridge. Tworocks to the right of center, brighter and smoother-lookingare thought to be meteorites. bright material is evidence ofsulfur-rich salty minerals in the subsurface.

Sol: 1000Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

McMurdo Panorama

Mazatzal is a highly coated rock: a top coat of dust, a pinking coating, a darkrind and its true interior. The observed area is 3 centimeters (1.2 inches)across.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS/CornellImage Note: Mazatzal_closeup_RAT2-A087R1

2nd pass at rock namedMazatal (sol 85).Blue arrow - leftover portionsof the outer dark rind.Yellow arrow - bright edgessurrounding the rind.Red arrows - crack that mayhave once contained fluids outof which mineralsprecipitated.

Earth-like processes

The MER-B Opportunity landed 1/25/04 UTC

Opportunity is still going strong (Sol 1709)

"Burns Cliff" after driving right to the base of this southeastern portion of theinner wall of "Endurance Crater." The view combines frames taken byOpportunity's panoramic camera between the rover's 287th and 294th sol(Nov. 13 to 20, 2004). Because of this wide-angle view, the cliff wallsappear to bulge out toward the camera. In reality the walls form a gentlycurving, continuous surface.Image Credit: NASA/JPL/CornellImage Note: Burns_Cliff_L257T-B313R1

Dune structures near Erebus - “color” image from OpportunityImage Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

MerB

Hematite-rich soil includes rounded “blueberries” on plains of Anatolia.Morphology suggested of fluid origins.Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

Fluid origins

Phoenix Lander (08)

Exploring the polar frost-soil

Verified water with Thermal

emission mass spec

New data on Martian weather

Optical and AF microscopic

view of samples

Eberswalde

Crater

Delta

Gale Crater

Mountains

Holden crater

Lake

Mawrth Vallis

Oddity

MSL 2009Mars Science

Laboratory will

extend the

investigation

Smaller fragments of condensed solid matter

Most orbit sun between Mars and Jupiter

Infrequently impact planets

Asteroids

Drawing by EB Watson

NEA’s

http://near.jhuapl.edu/

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/orbits

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Feb 12, 2001

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2036 potential impact fromAsteroid Apophis (d = 390m)

April 13, 2029 enters low-earth space (beneath g.s.satellites).

But not hit Earth

However, the closeencounter will influence itspath. If it flies through a600 m area it will hit theEarth in 2036. (1:5,500chance)

This might hurt a bit…

A chilling vision of things to come…

Gas giants

Interior

All planets beyond Venus have moons

Natural Satellites (Moons)

Jovian moons – earthlike?

Io – active volcanism

Europa – Dynamic surface of water ice

Calisto – Water Ice potentially underlain by liquidwater

Q: how are moons

different from

planets

Ultraviolet reflectance from rings- blue coloring in image indicatesice (H2O-CO2)

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sNew views from Cassini

Rings are stoney-iceymini-moons trapped inSaturn’s gravitationalfield.

©2005, NASA - ESA - JPL

Iapetus

Pheobe

Prometheus(Shepard)

Rhea

Sa

turn

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mo

on

sNew views from Cassini

©2005, NASA - ESA - JPL

Icy Moons - CICLOPS

Dione above rings,Saturn’s colors.

CICLOPS

Distance from Saturn 1 221 870 km

Distance from Sun 1 427 000 000 km (9.54 AU)

Diameter (atmosphere) 5550 km

Diameter (surface) 5150 km

Mass 1/45 that of Earth

Average density 1.881 times liquid water

Surface temperature 94K (-180 degrees C)

Atmos. P at surface 1500 mbar (1.5 times Earth's)

Atmos. composition Nitrogen, methane, traces of

ammonia, argon, ethane

Orbital period 15.95 Earth days

Titan - Saturn’s largest satellite

©2005, European Space Agency

Huygens’ view on the way down

©2005, European Space Agency

Titan appears to have adynamic surface.

Approaching Titan

©2005, NASA - ESA - JPL

Earth-like dendriticstream channels -formed by liquidmethane

What is the source

of methane?

Huygens senses the surface

Lake-like features

Uranus & Neptune

Spectral analysis

Drawing by EB Watson

Pluto

Charon

Kuiper belt objects

Concentrated at the edge of solar system (Oort Cloud)

A few make closer orbits to the sun

Image of C/2002 C1 (Ikeya-Zhang)March 11.77, 2002 UT with deltagraph 300/1000 8 min.

Ektachrome 100 film

Copyright ©2002 Michael Jager.

http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/Recent_Images.html

Comets

Oort cloud

Drawing by EB Watson