Our Solar System
Jan 05, 2016
Our Solar System
What is a Planet?
definition for a planet is now officially known as a celestial body that (as of 2006)
(a) is in orbit around the Sun (b) has enough mass for its self-gravity to
overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a nearly round shape
(c) has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit
Dwarf Planet
is a celestial body that
(a) is in orbit around the Sun(b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to
overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a nearly round shape
(c) has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit
(d) is not a satellite.
Plutoid
• Same as a dwarf planet but… must orbit farther away than Neptune
• Named after Pluto– 2005 demoted to a dwarf planet– 2008 remained as a plutoid– Because its orbit crosses that of Neptune’s
Pluto's story... in a nutshell!
Exoplanets
• Same as a planet but is outside of our solar system
• Extrasolar
• Orbits around another star (like our Sun)
Taken by Hubble Space Telescope
Space Technology
• Hubble Space Telescope
–Launched in April 1990
• Spitzer Space Telescope
–Launched summer 2003
Space Tech Cont’…
• CoRot French Telescope
– Launched December 2006
• Kepler Space Telescope/Mission
– March 2009
New discoveries!
• April 2010
• Newest exoplanet to be discovered!
• Cool as Jupiter- Science News Article