THE SOLAR THE SOLAR SYSTEMSYSTEM

The Solar System consists of:The Solar System consists of:

Planets MoonsMoons AsteroidsAsteroids CometsComets

PLANETSPLANETS

A planet is a large, round heavenly body that orbits a star and shines with light reflected from the star. We know of eight planets that orbit the sun in our solar system. Since 1992, astronomers have also discovered many planets orbiting other stars. World book

What are the eight planets?What are the eight planets?

HINT: My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us HINT: My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us NutsNuts

MercuryVenusEarthMars

Jupiter

SaturnSaturn

UranusUranus

NeptuneNeptune

MERCURYMERCURY

  The smallest planet in the solar system and the one nearest to the sun. Its orbit about the sun takes 88 days to complete, at a mean distance of almost

36,000,000 miles. Mercury goes around the sun about four times while the earth is going around

once.

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VENUSVENUS

 Venus is the sixth largest planet in the solar system and the second in distance from the sun. Venus is the brightest planet in the solar system and the one that comes closest to the earth. World Book

EARTHEARTH Age:Age: At least 4 1/2 billion years At least 4 1/2 billion years Mass:Mass: 6,600,000,000,000,000,000,000 (6.6 sextillion) 6,600,000,000,000,000,000,000 (6.6 sextillion)

tons (6.0 sextillion metric tons).tons (6.0 sextillion metric tons). Surface features:Surface features: Highest landHighest land—Mount Everest, 29,035 —Mount Everest, 29,035

feet (8,850 meters) above sea level. feet (8,850 meters) above sea level. Lowest landLowest land—shore —shore of Dead Sea, about 1,310 feet (399 meters) below sea).of Dead Sea, about 1,310 feet (399 meters) below sea).

Temperature:Temperature: Highest,Highest, 136 °F (58 °C) at Al Aziziyah, 136 °F (58 °C) at Al Aziziyah, Libya. Libya. Lowest,Lowest, -128.6 °F (-89.6 °C) at Vostok Station in -128.6 °F (-89.6 °C) at Vostok Station in Antarctica. Antarctica. Average surface temperature,Average surface temperature, 59 °F (15 °C). 59 °F (15 °C).

Chemical makeup of the earth's crust (in percent of Chemical makeup of the earth's crust (in percent of the crust's weight):the crust's weight): oxygen 46.6, silicon 27.7, oxygen 46.6, silicon 27.7, aluminum 8.1, iron 5.0, calcium 3.6, sodium 2.8, aluminum 8.1, iron 5.0, calcium 3.6, sodium 2.8, potassium 2.6, magnesium 2.0, and other elements potassium 2.6, magnesium 2.0, and other elements totaling 1.6.totaling 1.6.

MARSMARS The Mars Odyssey probe, The Mars Odyssey probe,

shown in this illustration shown in this illustration orbiting Mars, found orbiting Mars, found evidence of water ice evidence of water ice beneath the surface of beneath the surface of Mars in 2002. The probe, Mars in 2002. The probe, launched in 2001, also launched in 2001, also analyzed the chemical analyzed the chemical composition of the composition of the planet's surface. planet's surface. World BookWorld Book

• It is the fourth planet from the sun. • It is sometimes referred to as the “Red Planet”

• It has a diameter of 6,794 km. • It has a very thin atmosphere mostly made of carbon dioxide.

MARS

What is this planet called?What is this planet called?

JupiterJupiter

JupiterJupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. is the largest planet in the solar system. Its diameter is 88,846 miles (142,984 Its diameter is 88,846 miles (142,984 kilometers), more than 11 times that of Earth, kilometers), more than 11 times that of Earth, and about one-tenth that of the sun. It would and about one-tenth that of the sun. It would take more than 1,000 Earths to fill up the take more than 1,000 Earths to fill up the volume of the giant planet. When viewed from volume of the giant planet. When viewed from Earth, Jupiter appears brighter than most stars. Earth, Jupiter appears brighter than most stars. It is usually the second brightest planet—after It is usually the second brightest planet—after Venus. Venus.

SATURN

SATURN

•It is the sixth planet from the sun

•It is the least dense of all the planets.

•It has a diameter of 120,536 km.

•It radiates more energy into space than it receives from the sun.

URANUSURANUS

one of the larger planets in the solar system and the seventh in distance from the sun.

URANUSURANUS

• It is the seventh planet from the sun. • It was the first planet discovered in modern times.

• It has a diameter of 51,118 km.

• It is composed primarily of rocks and various ices.

NEPTUNENEPTUNE  Latin Latin , , related related

to to nebulanebula cloud, mistcloud, mist

In Neptune's outermost ring, 39,000 miles (63,000 kilometers) from the planet, material mysteriously clumps into three bright, dense arcs.

NASA

NEPTUNENEPTUNE• It is the eighth planet from the sun. • It has a diameter of 49,532 km.

• It is mostly composed of various ices.

• It is blue because of its absorption of red light by methane in the atmosphere.

What Happened to Pluto???What Happened to Pluto???

PLUTOPLUTOIs Pluto a planet?

Once known as the smallest, coldest, and most distant planet from the Sun, Pluto has a dual identity, not to mention being enshrouded in controversy since its discovery in 1930.

Pluto ????Pluto ????On August 24, 2006, the International On August 24, 2006, the International

Astronomical Union (IAU) formally downgraded Astronomical Union (IAU) formally downgraded Pluto from an official planet to a dwarf planet. Pluto from an official planet to a dwarf planet. According to the new rules a planet meets three According to the new rules a planet meets three criteria: criteria:

1.1. it must orbit the Sun, it must orbit the Sun,

2.2. it must be big enough for gravity to squash it into it must be big enough for gravity to squash it into a round ball, a round ball,

3.3. it must have cleared other things out of the way it must have cleared other things out of the way in its orbital neighborhood. in its orbital neighborhood.

PlutoPlutoThe latter measure knocks The latter measure knocks

out Pluto!out Pluto!

AND MUCH MUCH

MORE…….

Asteroids

What is an Asteroid?

•Small rocky bodies that have been compared to “flying mountains”

•Ceres is the largest (@ 1000 km in diameter) and first to be discovered

Asteroids show up as streaks on photos.

Asteroid Facts•About 100 have a diameter over 100 km

•Some reflect light well, others are black as coal

•Asteroids tumble as they orbit the sun

Examples of Asteroids

Asteroid Belt

Asteroid Belt

The asteroid belt is located between Mars and Jupiter

Comets

Pieces of rocky and metallic materials held together by frozen gases, such as water, ammonia, methane, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide.

Halley’s CometHalley’s Comet

•In 1704 Sir Edmond Halley hypothesized that the comets of 1456, 1532, 1607, 1682 were the same object.

•He calculated a 75.7 year orbit and predicted that it would return in 1758.

•Halley died; but comet returned.

Halley’s Comet will return in 2061.

Comets are dirty ice balls!

• Nucleus - rock & ices (mostly H2O and CO2 [dry ice], some methane CH4 & ammonia NH3)

• Coma is gaseous. As comet approaches Sun ices sublime, change from solid to gas, dust grains loosen and move away

• Tails - solar wind (steady stream of solar particles) pushes gas away; dust continues to orbit Sun

Meteors

• Meteors are bright streaks of light in the skylonger streaks are calledmeteor trails

• Meteor showers come atcertain times of the yearfrom the same known partsof the sky

• The cause of meteors is meteoroids, grains ofmatter burning up in the atmosphere. Anestimated 1000 tons falls on the Earth daily

• Material comes from asteroid collisions andcomet tails

• Most famous crater is ‘Meteor Crater’ near Flagstaff in Arizona. More than 1 km in diameter and 180 m deep, it resulted from a meteorite about 45 m across

• Dinosaur extinction is believed to have been caused by a meteor @ 10 km across?

The projectile that exploded on impact and produced Meteor Crater was equivalent to the energy of 1000 Hiroshima bombs. 20 megatons!