THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Solar System is heliocentric

Earth and other planets

revolve around the Sun.

SOLAR SYSTEM PARTS

Sun

Planets

Four Inner Planets

Four Outer Planets

Comets, Asteroids,

Meteors

THE SUN

It is our most important star.

Made up of ¾ hydrogen, ¼

helium.

Has two major parts

Interior

Atmosphere

SUN’S INTERIOR

Interior has 3 Layers

Core

Radiation

Zone

Convection

Zone

THE CORE

Inside of interior

Where Sun produces its

energy

Nuclear Fusion takes placeH + H + H + H gravity He + Energy, Light, and Heat

Temperature Increases

15,000,000 oC

RADIATION ZONE

Middle Layer of interior

Area of very tightly packed gas

Energy transferred mainly by electromagnetic radiation

So dense it can take 100,000 years for energy to move through

CONVECTION ZONE

Outside layer of interior

Hot gases rise from bottom of

zone and cool at top

Cool gas sinks then reheats and

hot gas rises

Convection Current: moves

energy toward the Sun’s

surface

THE SUN’S ATMOSPHERE

Sun’s atmosphere has 3 layers

Photosphere

Chromosphere

Corona

PHOTOSPHERE

Photo means light: Light Sphere

This is the visible layer of the

Sun

Called the “surface of the Sun”

looks like a restless boiling pot of

liquid

NOT A SOLID SURFACE

Temperature is less than 6000 oC

CHROMOSPHERE

Chromo means

color: color sphere

Red/Pink Color

Seen at the beginning and

end of a total solar eclipse

CORONA

Corona means

crown

Looks like a white halo

Only seen during a total

solar eclipse

extends millions of kilometers

into space as solar wind

FEATURES OF THE SUN

Sunspots: areas of gas on the Sun’s

surface that are cooler than the

gases around them.

Cool areas don’t give off much light

Appear dark

The number varies over an 11 year

time period

Shows Sun also on an axis

FEATURES OF THE SUN

Prominences: huge reddish

loops of gas

Often connect sunspots

Can extend

over the edge

of the Sun

FEATURES OF THE SUN

Solar Flares: eruptions in the sunspots that release energyinto space

Can interfere with communication on

Earth

Short duration

FEATURES OF THE SUN

Solar Wind: Continuous

stream of high energy

particles released into space by

corona

Causes the auroras

Increased by increasing

solar flare strength

INNER PLANETS

Terrestrial planets

Small and dense

Rocky Surfaces

Closest to Sun

4 INNER PLANETS

Mercury

Venus

Earth

Mars

OUTER PLANETS

Gas Giants

Very Large

No Solid Surfaces

Many Moons

Rings: thin disk of small

particles of ice and rocks

4 OUTER PLANETS

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

PLUTO

Not considered a planet any

more

Solid Surface

Smaller and denser than

Earth

OTHER OBJECTS IN SPACE

Comet: loose collection of

ice, dust, and small rocky

particles whose orbit is long

and narrow ellipses.

OTHER OBJECTS

IN SPACE

Asteroid: Rocky objects

that are orbiting around the

Sun

too small and

numerous to

be planets

OTHER OBJECTS

IN SPACE

Meteoroid: chunk

of rock or dust in

space

Meteor: streak of light in the sky produced by burning of meteoroid in Earth’s atmosphere.