Solar System 2008Solar System 2008Ardis HerroldArdis Herrold

What’s in the Solar What’s in the Solar System?System?

• The SunThe Sun

• Eight planets and Eight planets and their moonstheir moons

• Two asteroid beltsTwo asteroid belts

• Three dwarf Three dwarf planetsplanets

• The Oort CloudThe Oort Cloud

• MeteoroidsMeteoroids

Solar System Formation- Solar System Formation- Pt. 1Pt. 1

• Material begins Material begins to condense from to condense from a nebulaa nebula

• Condensing Condensing material rotates material rotates and begins to and begins to form a central form a central star and a diskstar and a disk

• Planets begin to Planets begin to form in the disk form in the disk by accretion by accretion

Solar System Formation- Solar System Formation- Pt. 2Pt. 2

• Unstable planets Unstable planets are hurled from are hurled from the disk or into the disk or into the Sunthe Sun

• The young Sun The young Sun “cleans out” the “cleans out” the solar system solar system with powerful with powerful stellar windsstellar winds

Our SunOur Sun• An average star An average star

in every wayin every way

• About 4.5 billion About 4.5 billion years oldyears old

• About 6000About 6000o o CC

• 1 000 000 times 1 000 000 times bigger than Earthbigger than Earth

• The 11 year solar The 11 year solar activity cycle activity cycle peaked in 2000peaked in 2000

Terrestrial PlanetsTerrestrial Planets

• Mercury,Venus, Mercury,Venus, Earth and MarsEarth and Mars

• Small, dense, Small, dense, rockyrocky

• Close to SunClose to Sun

• Few moons, no Few moons, no ringsrings

• Small Small atmospheres, atmospheres, heavier gasesheavier gases

Asteroid Asteroid BeltBelt

• Rocks from 550 miles across to peanut-Rocks from 550 miles across to peanut-sizesize

• Fragments of a planet that Jupiter Fragments of a planet that Jupiter preventedprevented

• Both stony, metallic and carbon typesBoth stony, metallic and carbon types

• Some orbit as close as Mercury or far as Some orbit as close as Mercury or far as SaturnSaturn

• Asteroids can have moons!Asteroids can have moons!

Jovian PlanetsJovian Planets

• Jupiter, Saturn, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Uranus and NeptuneNeptune

• Atmospheres Atmospheres with light gaseswith light gases

• Large, far from Large, far from SunSun

• Many moons Many moons and ringsand rings

What about Pluto?What about Pluto?

• Is now the first Is now the first dwarf planetdwarf planet

• Didn’t fit the Didn’t fit the pattern of pattern of jovian planetsjovian planets

• Is in the Kuiper Is in the Kuiper BeltBelt

Eris- Dwarf Planet & Eris- Dwarf Planet & MoonMoon

-Bigger than Pluto-Located in the Kuiper Belt (97 AU away)-Has 1 moon

To the edge of the solar To the edge of the solar systemsystem

• The orbit of Neptune The orbit of Neptune is not at the edge of is not at the edge of the solar systemthe solar system

• Past the planets is the Past the planets is the Kuiper Belt, another Kuiper Belt, another large asteroid beltlarge asteroid belt

• Next is the Oort CloudNext is the Oort Cloud

• The solar system ends The solar system ends at the heliopauseat the heliopause

TheThe Kuiper BeltKuiper Belt

• Asteroids from Asteroids from Neptune to beyond Neptune to beyond PlutoPluto

• Pluto is a KBO !Pluto is a KBO !

• Tens of thousands Tens of thousands discovereddiscovered

• Home to short-Home to short-period comets period comets

The Oort CloudThe Oort Cloud

• The home of a The home of a trilliontrillion long-period long-period cometscomets

• From 70 light-days From 70 light-days to 3 light-years to 3 light-years awayaway

• Material in the Material in the Cloud = 40 X the Cloud = 40 X the mass of Earthmass of Earth

The Heliopause: The Heliopause: Where Sun meets StarsWhere Sun meets Stars

• The solar wind blows The solar wind blows past the Oort Cloud.past the Oort Cloud.

• Other stars exert Other stars exert winds, too.winds, too.

• The The heliopauseheliopause is is where the edge of where the edge of the Sun’s influence the Sun’s influence is felt.is felt.

CometsComets • Made of rock, ices and Made of rock, ices and tarstars

• Two tails are made of Two tails are made of gases (straight, dim) gases (straight, dim) and rocks (curved, and rocks (curved, bright)bright)

• May evolve into May evolve into asteroids or moonsasteroids or moons

• Some orbit the Sun, Some orbit the Sun, others are one-time others are one-time visitorsvisitors

Meteors/ -oids/ -itesMeteors/ -oids/ -ites

• Two types: stones Two types: stones and ironsand irons

• Can be from Can be from asteroids, planets, asteroids, planets, comets, the Mooncomets, the Moon

• Are always Are always attracted to a attracted to a magnetmagnet

• Often have fusion Often have fusion crust or a crust or a thumbprint patternthumbprint pattern

New Solar SystemsNew Solar Systems

• 273 new solar 273 new solar systems (313 total systems (313 total planets) have planets) have been discovered.been discovered.

• Most of these Most of these have 1-3 Jupiter-have 1-3 Jupiter-sized planetssized planets

• Planets are Planets are detected by detected by studying star studying star wobbles or wobbles or eclipses.eclipses.

Picture of the First Picture of the First ExoplanetExoplanet