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The Solar System. What is the Solar System? “The Players” An Overview of the Solar System Classification Size, density, & atmosphere Terrestrial – Earth like Giant (Jovian) – Jupiter like Table 15.1 (p. 382) AU ( Astronomical Unit ) = 93 million miles Inclination to ecliptic - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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What is the Solar System?“The Players”
An Overview of the Solar SystemClassification
Size, density, & atmosphere Terrestrial – Earth like Giant (Jovian) – Jupiter like
Table 15.1 (p. 382)AU (Astronomical Unit) = 93 million milesInclination to eclipticPeriod of RotationPeriod of RevolutionMassRelationship of distance and revolution
The Solar System
Mercury – “The Winged Messenger”Small planet
8th largestSeen as a “morning star” or “evening star”
Fig. 15.3 p. 382Heavily crateredVery very hot
825 degrees FVery very cold
-320 degrees FWeak gravitational pull (mass)
No atmosphereNo natural satellites (moons)
The Solar System: Terrestrial Planets
Mercury
The Solar System
Venus – The “Goddess of Beauty” Earth’s “sister planet” Evening & Morning star Brightest of all planets
A “blueish” color Thick dense atmosphere Phases
Day vs. Year Rotates – 243 days Revolves – 225 days
Tilt of axis (177 degrees) Rising & setting of the Sun (west to east) Retrograde rotation
High atmospheric pressure 100x that of Earth
1,070 lbs/sq. in. CO2 (97%) Massive “greenhouse effect” Rains sulfuric acid
The Solar System: Terrestrial Planets
Venus
The Solar System
Mars – The “God of War”Very Earth likeDistinct “reddish” colorInteresting features:
The plainsThe “channels”
Dried river bedsMartians and other good storiesSeasonal changes
Polar ice capsFrozen CO2
Olympus Mons volcano15 mi. high370 mi. wide
The size of Texas
The Solar System: Terrestrial Planets
Atmosphere95% CO2
Phobos & Deimos (The Gods of Fear & Panic)Small in sizeIrregular in shape
The Solar System: Terrestrial Planets
Mars
The Solar System
Olympus Mons
The Solar System
Phobos
The Solar System
Demos
The Solar System
Jupiter – King of the Gods By far the largest planet in the Solar System
318 x’s that of Earth 11x’s the diameter
Interesting features: Great Red Spot
25,000 mi dia. A Jovian storm
Colorful bands (Fig. 15.9) 39 satellites
Galilean Satellites Io
Erupting volcano Europa Callisto Ganymede
Atmosphere H & He
Ring structure
The Solar System: Jovian Planets
Jupiter
The Solar System
Moons of Jupiter
The Solar System
Saturn – God of AgricultureVisible in the night sky
The planet with “ears”Interesting Features:
A system of rings (Fig. 15.12 p. 391)Pieces of frozen CO2, rock, etc.
2nd largest planet in the Solar SystemThe end of the “Ancient Planets”
The Solar System: JovianPlanets
Saturn
The Solar System
Saturn – Rings edge on
The Solar System
The Solar System
Titan, Saturn's largest moon, looks small next to the gas giant in this Cassini spacecraft view. Titan (3,200 miles across) is in the upper right. (USA Today – 3/5/12)
Uranus & NeptuneTwin planetsThe “Ice Giants”Atmosphere – H & He
Uranus – God of the SkyA bit of history
Discovered in 1781 William Hershel – a comet hunter
Neptune – God of the SeaA bit of history
Discovered in 1846 Adams & Leverrier Noticed variations in orbital path
The Solar System: Jovian Planets
Uranus
The Solar System
Neptune
The Solar System
Pluto – God of the UnderworldDiscovered in 1930
American astronomer Clyde TombaughInteresting Features:
Moon discovered in 1978Charon
Named for the boatman who ferried dead souls across the river Styx
Very inclined orbit – 17 degrees
The Solar System: Lesser Members
Asteroids, Meteors & CometsComets
Cosmic “ dirty snowballs”Highly eccentric orbits
Head or Coma & a tail Tail always points away from the Sun
Force of solar wind Between Mars & Jupiter sublimation begins
Years to complete 1 orbit Best known
Halley’s Comet 76 yr orbital period
Form in what is known as Oort’s Cloud 30 AU – 1 ly
Comets give birth to meteors (Shooting Stars)
The Solar System: Lesser Members
Bayeux TapestryBattle of Hastings 1066 AD
The Solar System: Lesser Members
AsteroidsKnow as the Asteroid Belt
Located between Mars & JupiterVary in size
Average ~ 30 mi.Meteoroids, Meteors, & Meteorites
Location, Location, LocationBy product of comets“Shooting Stars”
Meteor showersTable 15.5 p. 392Interact (friction) with upper layers of atmosphere and burn
up
The Solar System: Lesser Members
The Solar System: Lesser Members
Composition of MeteorsIronStoneIron-stone
The Solar System: Leser Members
Bode’s Rule Number Planet T.D. (AU)
(0 + 4) / 10 0.4 Mercury .39(3 + 4) / 10 0.7 Venus .72(6 + 4) / 10 1.0 Earth 1.0(12 + 4) / 10 1.6 Mars 1.5(24 + 4) / 10 2.8 ????? 2.78(48 + 4) / 10 5.2 Jupiter 5.20(96 + 4) / 10 10.0 Saturn 9.58(192 + 4) / 10 19.6 Uranus 19.2(384 + 4) / 10 38.8 Neptune 30.1(768 + 4) / 10 77.2 Pluto 39.5
The Solar System: A Number Game
Protoplanet Nebular Model5 billion years agoBorn out of the death of ancient stars
“cosmic dust” & debris begins to concentrate in a cloud-like (Nebula) environment
Concentrated mass begins to rotateCentral area gives birth to a new star (Sun)Cosmic debris begins to concentrate as
planets begin to take shape
The Solar System: It's Orgin
