the solar system - bourbon county schools...the sun •the center of our solar system •energy from...
TRANSCRIPT
The Solar System
A basic tour of the Solar System in
which we live.
Touring the Solar System
• The Sun
• The Planets and Their Moons
• Other Objects
The Sun
• The center of our
Solar System
• Energy from the Sun
is the basis for all
energy in the system
• Most massive part
• Its gravity holds
system together
• An average star
Sun Data • Diameter
– 862,000 miles
– 1,391,000 kms
• Mass
– 333,000 times Earth
• Revolution Rate
– 2.5 billion years
• Rotation Rate
– 24 d 16 h
• Surface Gravity
– 28 times Earth
Sun Data
• Temperature
– 5,800 K
– 10,440 F
• Composition
– by mass
• 73 % hydrogen
• 25 % helium
• 2 % oxygen, carbon,
neon, iron
• We are made from star
stuff!
Solar Furnace • Hydrogen is the
simplest matter in the
universe.
• Two atoms are fused
together to form
helium.
• Releases energy in
tremendous amounts.
• Other elements created
as fusion continues.
Sun Spots
• Sun Spot Cycle
– 11 year cycle
– disrupt some
electronics
• What are they?
– Cooler areas of the
surface
– appear dark due to
surrounding high
temperatures
– would shine if alone in
space
Solar Eclipse
• Solar eclipse occurs
when Moon passes
between the Earth and
the Sun
• The Moon’s shadow
falls on the Earth’s
surface.
Solar Eclipse
• Full solar eclipse lasts
about 7 and half
minutes.
• Next eclipse in North
America
– August 21, 2017
Solar Eclipse Images
Sun’s corona visible. Diamond Ring
Other Solar Phenomena
• Solar Prominence
– An arch of flame above
surface
• Solar Flare
– Explosive emission of
energy
– equals a million atomic
bombs
• Solar Wind
– stream of particles
from the Sun
The Planets and Their Moons
Mercury
• Planet nearest the Sun
– 1st orbit
• Rapid Revolution Rate
– quickest around the
Sun
• Name
– Roman god of speed
– due to its rapid
revolution
Mercury Data
• Revolution Rate
– 88 E.D. (Earth Days)
• Rotation Rate
– 59 E.D.
• Distance from Sun
– 0.39 A.U.
• Diameter
– 3,024 miles
• Inclination
– ?, think it is 0 degrees
Mercury Data
• Mass (compared to
Earth)
– 0.06
• Density
– 5.4
• Surface Gravity
– 0.38
• Escape Velocity
– 2.7 m/s
• Moons - none
Mercury Facts
• No atmosphere
• Lots of impact craters
– resembles the Moon
• Second smallest planet
• Temperature extremes
– 1,260 F daylight
– 180 F nightside
Mercury in transit.
Mercury or Moon:
Which one is which below?
Venus
• Second in order from
the Sun
– 2nd orbit
• Earth’s twin?
– size and other features
• Name
– Roman goddess of love
– most features of planet
have feminine names
Venus Data
• Revolution Rate
– 224 E.D.
• Rotation Rate
– 243 E.D.
• Distance from Sun
– 0.72 A.U.
• Diameter
– 7,503 miles
• Inclination
– 177 degrees
Venus Data
• Mass
– 0.82
• Density
– 5.3
• Surface Gravity
– 0.91
• Escape Velocity
– 6.5 m/s
• Moons - none
Venus Facts
• Dense atmosphere
– Carbon Dioxide
– Greenhouse Effect
– Pressure 90 times
Earth’s
– Sulfuric Acid rain
• Temperature
– 1,314 F on surface
• Geology
– active volcanoes
– produces atmosphere
Sif Mons Volcano
Venus Flyby Animation
Earth and the Moon
Earth
• Third in order from
the Sun
– 3rd orbit
• Life
– only known place
where life exists
• Name
– prehistoric origin
Earth Data
• Revolution Rate
– 365¼ days
– 1 year
• Rotation Rate
– 23.9 hours
– 1 day
• Distance from the Sun
– 1.00 Astronomical
Unit
– 1.00 A.U. =
93,000,000 miles
• Diameter
– 7,908 miles
• Inclination
– 23½ degrees
Earth Data
• Mass
– 1.00 (all other bodies
compared to Earth)
• Density
– 5.5
• Surface Gravity
– 1.00 (see mass)
• Escape Velocity
– 6.9 m/s
• Moons - 1
Earth Facts
• Only place we know
that has life
• Water planet
– about 70 % of surface
covered with water
• Atmosphere
– 75 % nitrogen
– 23 % oxygen
– remaining 2 % a mix of
gases
The Moon
• Earth’s nearest
neighbor
– 237,240 miles
• Only other place
visited by humans
• Affects Earth’s
Systems
– tides in oceans
Moon Data • Revolution Rate
– 29½ days
• Rotation Rate
– 29½ days
• Distance from the Sun
– nearly same as Earth’s
• Diameter
– 2,155 miles
• Inclination
– 5 degrees
Moon Data
• Mass
– 0.01
• Density
– 3.3
• Surface Gravity
– 1/6 or 0.16
• Escape Velocity
– 1.5 m/s
Moon Creation • Current theory
suggests that our
Moon was formed
when an object about
the size of Mars struck
the Earth early in its
existence.
• Material from this
impact coalesced into
the Moon over
millions of years.
Moon Facts
• Only other place
visited by humans
– Apollo Space Program
• No atmosphere
• Same side faces Earth
– Rotation and
Revolution Same
• Phases of Moon
– Due to place in orbit
compared to Earth and
Sun
Buzz Aldrin step down
Apollo Moon Program
Jack Scmitt near large boulder on Moon.
July 20, 1969
Lunar Eclipse
Interesting Notes
• Lunacy, Lunatic
– these words are derived from Luna, the Latin
word for Moon
– believed the Moon affected human mind
• Historically
– eclipses foretold bad events
– basis for calendars
• Literature
– werewolves, Man in the Moon
Mars
• Fourth planet from the
Sun
– 4th orbit
• “Sister” planet
– may have once had
water
• Name
– Roman god of war
– red color in telescope
Mars Data
• Revolution Rate
– 686 E.D.
• Rotation Rate
– 24½ hours
• Distance from the Sun
– 1.5 A.U.
• Diameter
– 4,210 miles
• Inclination
– 25 degrees
Mars Data
• Mass
– 0.11
• Density
– 3.9
• Surface Gravity
– 0.38
• Escape Velocity
– 3.1 m/s
• Moons - 2
Mars Facts
• Red color when
viewed
– iron oxides in soil
– “rust”
• Atmosphere is thin
– 95 % carbon dioxide
• May have had liquid
water in past
– lost into space
• Polar caps
– water ice
More Mars Facts
• Two moons
• Names
– Deimos - demigod of
terror, panic
– Phobos - demigod of
fear, flight
• One is slowly falling
to the planet
– in next couple of
centuries, Mars will
only have one
Deimos
Phobos
Olympus Mons
• Largest known
volcano in the solar
system
• Outer edge would
enclose Kentucky
• No longer active
• Named after the home
of the gods
Valles Marineris
• Name
– Latin for “Valley of
the Mariners”
• Series of canyons
– Makes Grand Canyon
of Earth seem like a
ditch
• Traverses a ¼ of the
way around the planet
• Creation
– Volcanic activity
Life on Mars
Martians?
• Face on Mars
• Discovered by
Pathfinder Mission
Satellite
• Trick of light
• Tabloids ran photo as
evidence of extra-
terrestrials
Martians?
• Martian Canals
– Giovanni Schiparelli
– “canale”
• War of the Worlds
scare
– radio show based on
book by H.G. Wells
– caused panic on eastern
seaboard of U.S.
Life on Mars
• It is possible life may
have existed on Mars
in the past
– simple organisms that
died out once water
was gone
• More than likely it is
there today
– transported there from
Earth on our robot
probes
Jupiter
• Largest planet in
system
• Fifth planet from Sun
– 5th orbit out
• Almost big enough to
be a star
• Name
– Roman name for the
king of the gods
– due to its size
Jupiter Data
• Revolution Rate
– 11.9 E.Y. (Earth
Years)
• Rotation Rate
– 9.9 hours
• Distance from the Sun
– 5.2 A.U.
• Diameter
– 88,536 miles
• Inclination
– 3.1 degrees
Jupiter Data
• Mass
– 318
• Density
– 1.3
• Surface Gravity
– 2.5
• Escape Velocity
– 37.2 m/s
• Moons - 16
Jupiter Facts • Atmosphere
– Mainly hydrogen with
some helium
– Clouds are separated
into bands
– Rapidly move around
• Red Spot
– Storm in atmosphere
• Large family of moons
– some are stable
– most are captured
asteroids
Jupiter Facts
• Faint thin ring system
• Backyard telescope
– see two dark bands on
100 magnification
• Strong gravity
– disturbs the asteroids
and other nearby
objects
• Galileo
– discovered the 4 main
moons
Galilean Moons
• Named after Galileo
– Io
– Europa
– Ganymede
– Callisto
• Visiblity
– would be visible at
night if Jupiter gone
– can be seen with
binoculars
• Unique features
Ganymede
• Largest moon in solar
system
– diameter of 3,267
miles
– bigger than Mercury
and Pluto
– would be a planet if
orbited the Sun
• Impact craters
Callisto
• 3rd largest moon in
solar system
– diameter of 2,988
miles
– slightly smaller than
Mercury, still dwarfs
Pluto
• Impact craters
Europa
• Icy moon
– rocky moon that is
covered with water ice
– believed to have
oceans that are frozen
– surface cracked
• Life?
– If there is water, could
there be life?
Io
• Volcanic activity
– discovered that this
moon was volcanically
active
– thought moons were
dead bodies that were
not very interesting or
worth studying
– has an atmosphere
produced by volcanoes
Io Volcano
Saturn
• Sixth planet from Sun
– 6th orbit
• Second largest planet
• Impressive rings
– discovered by Galileo
when he got tired of
looking at Jupiter
• Name
– Roman god of
agriculture
– Why named?
Saturn Data
• Revolution Rate
– 29.5 E.Y.
• Rotation Rate
– 10.7 hours
• Distance from the Sun
– 9.5 A.U.
• Diameter (minus rings)
– 74,735 miles
• Inclination
– 26.7 degrees
Saturn Data
• Mass
– 95
• Density
– 0.7
• Surface Gravity
– 1.07
• Escape Velocity
– 22.3 m/s
• Moons - 19
Saturn Facts • Complex ring system
– tiny rock and ice
particles
– discovered by Galileo
– thought the rings
resembled handles on
cup
– people began to believe
he was crazy
• Atmosphere
– hydrogen and helium
– lines of clouds
Saturn’s Rings • Formation
– current theory suggests
moons destroyed by
impacts or gravity
• Complexity
– moons mixed in with
ring particles
– forms divisions seen in
rings
• Cycle
– rings “disappear” every
11 years
Saturn’s Rings
• View to right is what
you can see through a
telescope at a
magnification of 100
power
• Yellowish tint
• Rings tilted so
viewable now
Saturn’s Noteworthy Moons
• Titan
– second largest moon in
solar system
– diameter of 3,193
miles
– bigger than Pluto and
Mercury
– moon because it circles
Saturn
Mimas
• Huge impact crater
– barely below the size
needed to destroy the
moon
• Death Star
– was the inspiration for
the Death Star in the
Star Wars movies
Uranus
• Seventh planet from
the Sun
– 7th orbit
• Faint ring system
• Inclination is weird
• Name
– Greek god who
personified heaven
– father of the titans
Uranus Data
• Revolution Rate
– 84.1 E.Y.
• Rotation Rate
– 17.2 hours
• Distance from the Sun
– 19.2 A.U.
• Diameter
– 31,744 miles
• Inclination
– 98 degrees
Uranus Data
• Mass
– 14
• Density
– 1.2
• Surface Gravity
– 0.92
• Escape Velocity
– 13 m/s
• Moons - 15
Uranus Facts
• Thin Rings
– Rings are tilted like
planet
• Inclination
– May have been struck
by asteroid or another
object
• Atmosphere
– hydrogen
– very stable
Miranda
• One of smallest moons
of Uranus
• Surface has patches of
water ice
• Half is cratered like
the Moon
• Other half is heavily
ridged for some reason
• Believed that Miranda
may have been
destroyed by asteroid
impact in the past.
• But it reformed slowly
over time like our
Moon.
Miranda
Neptune
• Eighth planet from the
Sun
– 8th orbit most of the
time
• Surprisingly active
atmosphere
• Name
– Roman god of water
Neptune Data
• Revolution Rate
– 164.8 E.Y.
• Rotation Rate
– 16.1 hours
• Distance from the Sun
– 30.1 A.U.
• Diameter
– 30,690 miles
• Inclination
– 29 degrees
Neptune Data
• Mass
– 17.2
• Density
– 1.6
• Surface Gravity
– 1.18
• Escape Velocity
– 14.9 m/s
• Moons - 8
Neptune Facts
• Active atmosphere
– had a giant storm like
Jupiter
– storm has disappeared
recently
– thought it would be
similar to Uranus
• Rings
– very thin
– similar to Uranus’ ring
system
Triton
• Voyager 2
– 75 % rock
– 25 % water ice
– discovered active
volcanoes
– has a thin atmosphere
– has polar ice caps
– mix of frozen water
and ammonia
Pluto
Name - Roman god of the underworld
No longer a planet.
Pluto Data
• Revolution Rate
– 248.6 E.Y.
• Rotation Rate
– 6.4 days
• Distance from the Sun
– 40 A.U.
• Diameter
– 1,364 miles
• Inclination
– 118 degrees
Pluto Data • Mass
– 0.0025
• Density
– 2.1
• Surface Gravity
– 0.09
• Escape Velocity
– 0.62 m/s
• Moons – 3
– Charon
– Nix
– Hydra
Pluto Facts
• Orbit
– at times it is inside the
orbit of Neptune
– outside orbit since
1999
– suggests it may have
been a moon of
Neptune
• Charon
– discovered in 1978
– not much smaller than
Pluto
Other Objects
Asteroids
• Location
– most fall in orbit
between Mars and
Jupiter
• Size Restrictions
– less than 1,000 km
diameter
• Composition
– mostly rock Gaspra
Asteroid Facts
• Pairs
– most are paired with a
smaller companion
• Produce meteoroids
– due to collisions
– produce most meteors
• Some cross Earth orbit
– represent a danger
• Jupiter’s Gravity
– causes them to develop
highly elliptical orbits
Ida and Dactyl
Asteroid Facts
• Ceres
– first discovered
– largest discovered
– 1/4 size of our Moon
• Total Number
– estimated to be
100,000 that are bigger
than 1 kilometer
– 75 % in main belt
Comets
• Orbits
– highly elliptical
– pass beyond the orbit
of Pluto
– regular returns
(mostly)
• Make-up
– basically a dirty
snowball
Comet Halley
• Most Famous
• Returns every 76 years
– last closest approach
was 1986
• Historical references
– images have been
found in reference to it
in ancient texts,
drawings, and
stoneware
Comet Halley is now proper
name.
• Many probes sent
– European probe got
best view
– picture of its rock/ icy
core
– solar wind from Sun
strikes comet nucleus
(called coma) and
produces tail
Comet Orbit
• Highly elliptical orbit
– may come from matter
found on edge of our
solar system
• Tail points away from
Sun
– due to solar wind
Comet Hale-Bopp
• Last comet best visible
in northern
hemisphere
• showed two tails
– dust tail
– ion tail
System Formation • Current theory
suggests that gravity
lead to the formation
of our Solar System as
well as others.
• Formed when
hydrogen atoms in
nebula began to
compact at one spot
due to gravitational
attraction.
• The vast majority of matter was tied up in
the Sun.
– About 5 billion years ago.
• The planets formed afterwards from
material left over.
– About 4.5 billion years ago.
– Jupiter got the biggest portion of what was left
behind.
System Formation
The End?
• About 5 billion years
from now, the
hydrogen in the Sun
will run out.
• Fusion will stop,
resulting in an initial
collapse of the Sun.
• Will then explode in a
supernova.
The End?
• Will probably form a
red giant.
• Could have become a
black hole, but not
massive enough.
• Too large to become a
brown dwarf.
• Will basically wipe
out our solar system.