A Family of PlanetsChapter 9
Astronomical Unit
Astronomical unit - AU The average distance between the Earth and
the sun Approximately 150 million km
Light-minute Light travels 18,000,000 km in 1 minute
Distance from Earth to the sun 1 AU or 8.3 light minutes
Our Solar SystemMy Very Energetic Mother Just Served Us Nachos.
Rotation Prograde rotation
Counter-clockwise spin of a planet or moon Same as sun’s rotation Ex. Earth
Retrograde rotation Clockwise spin of planet or moon Right/regular-just like a clock Ex. Venus
Inner Solar System Inner planets Terrestrial Planets
Surfaces are dense and rocky Smaller than outer planets Contain 4 planets closest to the sun Mars Earth Venus Mercury
Inner Planet – Mercury
CLOSEST TO THE SUN SMALLEST PLANET Slow rotation
1 day on Mercury = 59 Earth days (longer day) 1 year on Mercury = 88 Earth days (shorter year)
Planet StatisticsPlanet Distance
from the sun Period of rotation
Period of revolution
Surface temperature
Mercury
3.2 light-minutes 58 days, 19 h 88 days -173 ºC to 427
ºC
Earth 8.3 light-minutes 23 h, 56 min 365 days, 6 h -13 ºC to 37 ºC
HOTTEST OF ALL PLANETS High surface temperature 464 ºC
BRIGHTEST PLANET EARTH’S TWIN
More like Earth than any other planet
Retrograde rotation Air mostly Sulfuric Acid & CO2
Inner Planet - Venus
Planet Statistics
Planet Distance from the sun
Period of rotation
Period of revolution
Surface temperature
Mercury
3.2 light-minutes 58 days, 19 h 88 days -173 ºC to 427
ºC
Venus 6.0 light-minutes
243 days, 16 h (R) 224 days, 17 h 464 ºC
Earth 8.3 light-minutes 23 h, 56 min 365 days, 6 h -13 ºC to 37 ºC
Inner Planet - Earth
Only planet known to support LIFE because of LIQUID WATER ON ITS SURFACE Water in 3 states (solid, liquid, & gas)
TWIN TO VENUS Oasis in space Temperatures range from
-130C to 370C
Planet StatisticsPlanet Distance
from the sun Period of rotation
Period of revolution
Surface temperature
Mercury
3.2 light-minutes 58 days, 19 h 88 days -173 ºC to 427
ºC
Venus 6.0 light-minutes
243 days, 16 h (R) 224 days, 17 h 464 ºC
Earth 8.3 light-minutes 23 h, 56 min 365 days, 6 h -13 ºC to 37 ºC
Inner Planet - Mars RED PLANET Most studied planet other than Earth Cold planet Thinner atmosphere Only water on the surface is ice Spacecraft landed on Mars & rovers
continue to collect data Largest mountain in solar system
Planet StatisticsPlanet Distance
from the sun Period of rotation
Period of revolution
Surface temperature
Mercury
3.2 light-minutes 58 days, 19 h 88 days -173 ºC to 427
ºC
Venus 6.0 light-minutes
243 days, 16 h (R) 224 days, 17 h 464 ºC
Earth 8.3 light-minutes 23 h, 56 min 365 days, 6 h -13 ºC to 37 ºC
Mars 12.7 light-minutes 24 h, 40 min 1 year, 322
days-123 ºC to 37
ºC
Outer Solar System
Outer planets GAS GIANTS
Mostly composed of gases Large Deep massive atmospheres Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune
Outer Planet -Jupiter
LARGEST PLANET IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM Made mostly of helium and hydrogen Has thin, faint rings 5 missions to Jupiter Temperature on surface -1530C GREAT RED SPOT
Storm system More than 400 years old 3 times the diameter of Earth
Planet StatisticsPlanet Distance
from the sun Period of rotation
Period of revolution
Surface temperature
Mercury
3.2 light-minutes 58 days, 19 h 88 days -173 ºC to 427
ºC
Venus 6.0 light-minutes
243 days, 16 h (R) 224 days, 17 h 464 ºC
Earth 8.3 light-minutes 23 h, 56 min 365 days, 6 h -13 ºC to 37 ºC
Mars 12.7 light-minutes 24 h, 40 min 1 year, 322
days-123 ºC to 37
ºC
Jupiter 43.3 light-minutes 9 h, 54 min 11 years, 313
days -110 ºC
Outer Planet - Saturn
2ND LARGEST PLANET MOST MOONS OF ANY PLANET LARGE BRIGHT RINGS
Made of icy particles
Density is less than 1 Planet would float on water
Planet StatisticsPlanet Distance
from the sun Period of rotation
Period of revolution
Surface temperature
Mercury
3.2 light-minutes 58 days, 19 h 88 days -173 ºC to 427
ºC
Venus 6.0 light-minutes
243 days, 16 h (R) 224 days, 17 h 464 ºC
Earth 8.3 light-minutes 23 h, 56 min 365 days, 6 h -13 ºC to 37 ºC
Mars 12.7 light-minutes 24 h, 40 min 1 year, 322
days-123 ºC to 37
ºC
Jupiter 43.3 light-minutes 9 h, 54 min 11 years, 313
days -110 ºC
Saturn 1.3 light-hours 10 h, 42 min 29 years, 155 days -140 ºC
Outer Planet - Uranus
TIPPED OVER ON ITS SIDE
(TILTED) TWIN TO NEPTUNE Atmosphere mostly hydrogen & methane Appears blue-green in color 2.7 Light-hours from sun
Planet StatisticsPlanet Distance
from the sun Period of rotation
Period of revolution
Surface temperature
Mercury
3.2 light-minutes 58 days, 19 h 88 days -173 ºC to 427
ºC
Venus 6.0 light-minutes
243 days, 16 h (R) 224 days, 17 h 464 ºC
Earth 8.3 light-minutes 23 h, 56 min 365 days, 6 h -13 ºC to 37 ºC
Mars 12.7 light-minutes 24 h, 40 min 1 year, 322
days-123 ºC to 37
ºC
Jupiter 43.3 light-minutes 9 h, 54 min 11 years, 313
days -110 ºC
Saturn 1.3 light-hours 10 h, 42 min 29 years, 155 days -140 ºC
Uranus 2.7 light-hours 17 h, 12 min (R)
83 years, 273 days -195 ºC
Outer Planet - Neptune
ATMOSPHERE HAS BELTS OF CLOUD TWIN TO URANUS Blue planet Has set very narrow rings Gas giant farthest from sun Day is about 16 hours
Planet Statistics
Planet Distance from the sun
Period of rotation
Period of revolution
Surface temperature
Mercury
3.2 light-minutes 58 days, 19 h 88 days -173 ºC to 427
ºC
Venus 6.0 light-minutes
243 days, 16 h (R) 224 days, 17 h 464 ºC
Earth 8.3 light-minutes 23 h, 56 min 365 days, 6 h -13 ºC to 37 ºC
Mars 12.7 light-minutes 24 h, 40 min 1 year, 322
days-123 ºC to 37
ºC
Jupiter 43.3 light-minutes 9 h, 54 min 11 years, 313
days -110 ºC
Saturn 1.3 light-hours 10 h, 42 min 29 years, 155 days -140 ºC
Uranus 2.7 light-hours 17 h, 12 min (R)
83 years, 273 days -195 ºC
Neptune 4.2 light-hours 16 h, 6 min 163 years, 263
days -200 ºC
What about Pluto? Reclassified as DWARF PLANET Smaller body Located beyond the orbit of Neptune Made of rock and ice MAY be leftover material from an early
solar system
Planet Statistics
Planet Distance from the sun
Period of rotation
Period of revolution
Surface temperature
Mercury
3.2 light-minutes 58 days, 19 h 88 days -173 ºC to 427
ºC
Venus 6.0 light-minutes
243 days, 16 h (R) 224 days, 17 h 464 ºC
Earth 8.3 light-minutes 23 h, 56 min 365 days, 6 h -13 ºC to 37 ºC
Mars 12.7 light-minutes 24 h, 40 min 1 year, 322
days-123 ºC to 37
ºC
Jupiter 43.3 light-minutes 9 h, 54 min 11 years, 313
days -110 ºC
Saturn 1.3 light-hours 10 h, 42 min 29 years, 155 days -140 ºC
Uranus 2.7 light-hours 17 h, 12 min (R)
83 years, 273 days -195 ºC
Neptune 4.2 light-hours 16 h, 6 min 163 years, 263
days -200 ºC
*Pluto* 5.4 light-hours 6 days, 10 h (R)
248 years, 4 days -225 ºC
Moons Moons
Natural satellites that revolve around larger bodies like planets
Earth’s moon called Luna Scientists believe Earth’s moon is part of
the Earth’s mantle that was blasted into orbit from a collision while the Earth was still forming
Period of rotation
Period of revolution
Surface temperature
Moon 27 days, 9 hours
27 days, 7 hours
-170 ºC to 134 ºC
Comets
Comets Small body of ice, rock, and
cosmic dust loosely packet together
“Dirty snowballs” Elliptical orbit around sun Comet tails
Solar radiation heats the ice so comet gives off gas in dust in the form of a long tail
Asteroids
Asteroids Small rock bodies that revolve around the sun
Range in size from a few meters to 900 km in diameter
Most asteroids orbit the sun in an asteroid belt Asteroid belt
Wide region between Mars and Jupiter where most asteroids orbit
Meteoroids, Meteors, & Meteorites Meteoroid
Small, rocky body that revolves around the sun (smaller than asteroids)
Meteor – Next meteor show Dec. 13 “Shooting star” Bright streak of light caused by a meteoroid or
comet Meteoroid burns up in Earth’s atmosphere
Meteorite A meteoroid that falls into Earth’s atmosphere and
strikes the ground (does not burn up totally) 3 major types – stony, metallic, stony-iron
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Meteoroid_meteor_meteorite.gif
The largest single meteorite found in the United States is the fifteen ton Willamette (Oregon) iron
meteorite found in 1902.http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level2/meteoroids.html
Barringer Meteor Crater, Arizona