Our Solar System

Image: Lunar and Planetary Laboratory: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=178

FYI … Distance Not To Scale …

The Sun

• A main sequence star

• At the center of our Solar System

• We go around it (revolution)

• Made of gases

Image:http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03149

Inner PlanetsMercury, Venus, Earth & Mars

• Terrestrial Planets - made of Rock

• Dense• Metal cores (iron)

Images: Lunar and Planetary Laboratory: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=178

Asteroids

Image: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=2093

• “Minor planets” or “planetoids” • Large pieces of rock• Asteroid Belt is located between Mars and Jupiter

Outer PlanetsJupiter, Saturn,

Uranus & Neptune

• Large!

• Jovian – made of gases

• Gases and liquids

• No solid surface

• Dangerous atmospheres - rapid winds, large storms

Image: Lunar and Planetary Laboratory: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=178

•Smallest planet

•Closest to Sun

•Moves around the fastest

•No atmosphere

•1 side hot/1 side cold

Mercury

Image: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/ss_tour/slide_2.html

Venus• The same size as Earth

(Earth’s Sister)

• Slowest rotation of any planet

• Spins backwards (clockwise)

• Cloud covered – radar observations (evidence)

• Dry!

• Very thick atmosphere mostly CO2

• Runaway greenhouse

• HOT! CO2 in the atmosphere traps in HEAT Can see it in the night sky

without a telescope!

Magellan image from http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/magellan/image5.html

Where Do Atmospheres Come From?

Image from LPI: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/timeline/gallery/slide_33.html

All Planets with Volcanism –Including Earth!

Volcanism - Volcanic action(gases and dust rising intothe air from deep inside earth)

Images from LPI: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/timeline/gallery/slide_17.html and http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/timeline/gallery/slide_47.html

Earth

• Thick atmosphere

• Liquid water

• Humans

• Oxygen

Can see it without a telescope!

•The Red Planet •Very cold• Thin atmosphere•Largest mountain - – Olympus Mons

MarsCan see it in the night sky without a telescope!

NASA image from http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=205 0

Artwork from http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/artwork/emerging_br.html

Outer PlanetsThe Gas Giants: Jovian

PlanetsJupiter, Saturn, Uranus &

Neptune

Image: Lunar and Planetary Laboratory: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=178

Image at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02873

• Gas Giant• Great Red Spot - a giant storm larger

than Earth• Largest planet• Atmosphere – hydrogen & helium

Jupiter

Image from http://pds-rings.seti.org/jupiter/galileo/PIA00657.html

Rings! Rocky particles, no ice

Jupiter Moons

Image from http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=2099

Giant Red Spot

Storms on Jupiter

Hubble images of Great Red Spot athttp://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/solar%20system/jupiter/1999/29/image/a/results/20/

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=849

•Gas giant

•High winds

•Rings made of ice and dust

Saturn

Can see it in the night sky without a telescope!

Cassini image at: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=1383

Hubble image at http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2006/47/image/b/

UranusFirst planet discovered with a telescope!

Images from http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01360

Uranus•Gas giant - mostly ice•Blue from methane •11 rings•Spins on an axis that is tilted to the side (NOT LIKE THE OTHER PLANETS)

Voyager 2 Image from: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01977

Uranus

Hubble Image from: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01280

Hubble Image from: http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/solar%20system/uranus/1998/35/image/a/results/20/

Image from: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02245

Neptune

Image from http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02223

Neptune

•Ice and rock

•Blue – from Methane gas

•Has a storm “Great Dark Spot”

•4 Rings

Comets

• Dirty snowballs - small objects of ice, gas, dust, tiny traces of organic material

Image from: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000805.html

Meteoroid/Meteors

• Meteoroid – a small object thought to be the leftover parts of a comet

• Meteor – a bright trail of light that appears in the night sky (also called a shooting star)– Occurs when a meteoroid enters

Earth’s atmosphere

Our Solar System

Photo montage from: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=2167