Our Solar System

The Sun

Solar Wind

• Our Solar System’s Star

• Current Age- 5 Billions years old

• Life Time Expectancy- 10 Billions years

• 99.8 % of our solar systems total mass.

• 108 Earth fit across the diameter

The Sun

• Center of the Sun

• Nuclear Fusion– Hydrogen fused to helium.– Releases huge amounts of energy.

• 15,000ºC

The Core

Chromosphere• Means “Color Sphere”

• A part of the Sun’s atmosphere

• Glows red during a partial eclipse

• 5,000ºC- 10,000ºC

Photosphere• Means “Light” Sphere

• Sun’s Surface

• Layer that we see

• 5,000ºC-8,000ºC

Sun Spots• Areas of cooler gas on the

photosphere

• Don’t give off as much light

• Occur in pairs

• 10-11 year cycle

Prominence• Reddish loops of gas.

• Connect sunspots.

• Help ventilate the sun.

• Solar Flares- – Huge explosions of hydrogen

gas.

– Increase the solar wind.

Corona• Outer layer of the

atmosphere.

• Gives off the solar wind.

• Only seen during a total solar eclipse.

• Looks like a halo.

• 2,000,000ºC

Solar Wind• Electrically charged particles

from the corona.

• Earth’s magnetic field acts as a shield.

• Some enters at the north and south poles.– Produces the Auroras

or Northern Lights.

Mercury• 1st Planet 58,000,000km• Rotation 59 Earth days• Revolution 88 Earth Days• Solid, rocky, surface.

– -173C to 427C– Very cratered

• Very thin atmosphere- Sodium and other Elements.

• No Moon• Factoids: Very hard to get a good view, has an

extreme temperature range.

Venus• 2nd Planet 108,000,000km• Rotation Period- 243 Earth Days

– Retrograde rotation- rotates east to west.• Revolution Period- 225 Earth Days• A solid, rocky, cratered surface with

volcanoes.– 460ºC hot enough to melt lead.– Greenhouse effect- traps heat in the

atmosphere, due to Carbon Dioxide.• Very thick atmosphere, cloud covered.• No Moon

Earth• 3rd Planet 150,000,000 km• Rotation 24 Earth hours• Revolution 365.25 Earth Days• Solid, rocky, surface, 71% liquid water

– -88°C to 58°C• Atmosphere- nitrogen and oxygen• One natural satellite - Moon• Factoids: living beings and all that is

needed to sustain life

Earth’s Moon

Mars• 4th Planet 228,000,000km• Rotation 1.03 Earth Days• Revolution- 687 Earth Days• Solid, rocky, surface. (the red planet)

– -87°C to -5°C– Once believed there were canals.– Has ice caps (made of frozen carbon dioxide

and water.)– Has seasons. (dust storms)

• Very thin atmosphere- mostly carbon dioxide• 2 Moons-Phobos and Deimos

Asteroid Belt• Between Mars and Jupiter.• Over 10,000• Too small and numerous to be

planets.• Ceres is a dwarf planet• An asteroid might have made the

dinosaurs extinct.

Jupiter• 5th Planet 778,000,000km• Rotation .41 Earth Days• Revolution 12 Earth Years• Gas giant (gravity keeps gases in)

– 1.8987 x 1027 kg – 300 times more massive than Earth– solid core of rock and ice

• Very dense atmosphere- hydrogen and helium– Great Red Spot (giant hurricane – fit 3 Earths)

• Moons: 62 (Io, Ganymede, Calisto, Europa)

Saturn• 6th Planet 1,427,000,000km• Rotation .43 Earth Days• Revolution 29 Earth Years• Gas giant (gravity keeps gases in)

– 5.6851 x 1026 kg – solid core of rock and ice– less dense than water

• Very dense atmosphere- hydrogen and helium• 1000’s of rings (made of rock and ice)• Moons: 60 (Titan)

Uranus• 7th Planet 2,871,000,000km• Rotation .72 Earth Days• Revolution 84 Earth Years• Gas giant (gravity keeps gases in)

– 8.6849 x 1025 kg – solid core of rock and ice– rotates on its side

• Very dense atmosphere- traces of methane• Thin rings (made of rock and ice)• Moons: 27

Neptune• 8th Planet 4,479,000,000km (30 Earth’s)• Rotation .67 Earth Days• Revolution 165 Earth Years• Gas giant (gravity keeps gases in)

– 1.0244 x 1026 kg – solid core of rock and ice– found by a mathematician

• Very dense atmosphere- traces of methane– The Great Dark Spot (Didn’t last long)

• Thin rings (made of rock and ice)• Moons: 13 (Triton)

Pluto• 9th Planet (Dwarf Planet)• Rotation 6.4 Earth Days• Revolution 248 Earth Years• Solid, rocky, icy surface.

– less than 2/3 the size of our moon– -233°C (-369°F)

• Very thin atmosphere- frozen• Moon – Charon (one of 3 moons)• Factoids: too small to be a planet

Comet• “Dirty snowballs”• Chunks of ice and rock• Very long and elliptical orbits• Sun melts the ice into gas and forms a

tail.• Solar wind pushes tail away from the

sun.• Halley’s comet- Every 76 Years (2062)

Parts of a Comet

1.Coma- gas and dust from the inner layer.

2.Nucleus- Central part of a comet.

3.Tail- gas and dust, pushed away from the sun due to solar wind.

Meteoroid• A chunk of space rock in space.

• Usually from a comet or asteroid.

Meteor• Meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere

and burns due to friction leaving a streak of light.

• Shooting Star

Meteorite• Too big to burn up.

• Hits the Earth’s surface.