the solar system we’ve always known that there were seven objects in the solar system

The Solar System

We’ve always known that there were seven objects in the Solar

System.

They were called “planetos”

(English – “planets)(Greek for “wanderer”).

This is because they

moved (“wandered”) in the sky.

These seven:Saturn

Mercury

Sun

Moon

Venus

Jupiter

Mars

These objects could all be

seen without a telescope.

It was thought all these objects

revolved around the

Earth.

They were wrong!

Everything in the Solar System

revolves around the Sun!

Nothing new was discovered

until 1609.

In 1609, Galileo used a telescope

to look at the evening sky.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Galileo.arp.300pix.jpg

Galileo discovered:

Pictures Source: The Galileo Project, Rice University

Craters on the Moon

Sunspots

“Ears” on Saturn

Jupiter’s Four “Galilean” Moons

A “new” planet was discovered in 1781.

Using a 40-foot long

telescope …


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Herschel_40_foot.jpg

Sir William Herschel

discovered Uranus.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Wilhelm_Herschel.jpg

Neptune was first observed in

1846.

Today’s telescopes are

larger and improved.

We see objects better today

than any time in history!

Thousands of telescopes observe the

skies each night.

Source: Kitt Peak National Observatory

One example is the Keck Observatory in Hawaii has two telescopes with 10 meter mirrors (about 33 feet).

Source: Keck Observatory

The Hubble Space Telescopes

explores the universe in Earth

orbit.

So, what do we know about our Solar System?

Our Solar System is made

up of:The Rocky Planets (made up of rock!)

MercuryVenus Mars

Earth


up of:The Gas Giants (made up primarily

of gas!)Jupiter

Saturn Neptune

Uranus


up of:Dwarf PlanetsCeres

(rocky)MakeMake* -

Icy Eris - icy

Pluto (icy & rocky)

*Mah-key Mah-key


up of:OtherAsteroi

ds


up of:OtherAsteroi

dsThe vast majority of the asteroids are

found between the orbits of

Mars & Jupiter.

Source: NASA Solar System Website


up of:OtherAsteroi

ds

Source: JPL Photojournal

Asteroids are rocky bodies.


up of:OtherAsteroi

dsThere are over 750,000

asteroids.


up of:OtherComets

Source: NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day August 26, 1995

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/comet_west.gif


up of:OtherComets Source: StarrySkies.com

Comets are found in the Oort Cloud.


up of:OtherComets Source: StarrySkies.com

The Oort Cloud is six trillion miles away

from the Sun.


up of:OtherComets

Comets are basically “dirty

snowballs.”


up of:OtherComets

They are made of ice, dry ice, frozen

ammonia and dirt & dust.


up of:OtherComets

As they approach the Sun, they melt and may be easily

seen.


up of:OtherCometsThere are over one trillion comets in the Oort Cloud.


up of:OtherKuiper

Belt

Source: Lunar Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Outer Solar

System Debris webpage


up of:OtherKuiper

BeltKuiper Belt Objects are found beyond

the orbit of Neptune to about five billion miles from the Sun.

Source: Windows on the Universe


up of:OtherKuiper

BeltKuiper Belt Objects are icy bodies.

Source: University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy, Dr.

David Jewitt’s website


up of:OtherKuiper

BeltThere are over 35,000 Kuiper Belt

Objects.


up of:OtherDust and

RocksSource: Windows on the Universe


up of:OtherDust and

RocksSpace is full of dust and rocks.


up of:OtherDust and

RocksWhen they are in space, they are

called “meteoroids.”

Source: NASA Stardust Website


up of:OtherDust and

RocksWhen they enter our atmosphere,

they are “meteors.”

Source: NASA Solar System Exploration

Website


up of:OtherDust and

RocksWhen they hit the

ground, they are

meteorites.

The planets in the Solar System

Source: NASA StarChild website


The Rocky Inner Planets

Source: answers.com – Terrestrial Plants


The Rocky Inner PlanetsMercur

y



y•Closest planet to

Sun (1)

•Smallest planet

(Rank #8)Source: MESSENGER Mercury Website



y•Day is 59 Earth days

long

•Year is 88 Earth Days

LongSource: MESSENGER Mercury Website



y•Weight on planet –

Earth x .38Source: MESSENGER Mercury Website


The Rocky Inner PlanetsVenus

Source: JPL Photojournal

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpegMod/PIA00072_modest.jpg



•Second planet

from the Sun(2)

•Sixth largest planet

(Rank #6)Source: JPL Photojournal

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00270



•Day is 243 Earth days long

•Year is 225 days

longSource: JPL Photojournal



•Weight on planet

– x .86 Source: JPL Photojournal


The Rocky Inner PlanetsEarth

Source: NASA Galileo Mission



•Third planet

from the Sun(3)

•Fifth largest planet

(Rank #5)Source: NASA Apollo 17



•Day is 24 hours long

•Year is 365 days

longSource: NASA Apollo 17



•Weight on planet

– your weight Source: NASA Apollo 17


The Rocky Inner PlanetsMars



•Fourth planet

from the Sun(4)

•Seventh largest planet

(Rank #7)Source: Space Telescope Science Institute



•Day is 25 Earth

hours long

•Year is about two

Earth years longSource: Space Telescope Science

Institute



•Weight on planet

- x .38 Source: Space Telescope Science

Institute


The Outer Gas Giants

Source: NASA/JPL Cassini-Huygens Website


The Outer Gas GiantsJupiter

Source: Space Telescope Science Institute



•Fifth planet

from the Sun (5)

•Largest planet

(Rank #1)

Jupiter




•Day is ten Earth

hours long

•Year is twelve Earth

years long

Jupiter




•Weight on planet - x

2.87

Jupiter



The Outer Gas GiantsSaturn



•Sixth planet

from the Sun (6)

•Second largest planet

(Rank #2)

Saturn




•Day is 11 Earth

hours long

•Year is 29 Earth

years long

Saturn





1.32

Saturn



The Outer Gas GiantsUranus




•Seventh planet

from the Sun (7)

•Third largest planet

(Rank #3)

Uranus




•Day is 17 Earth

hours long

•Year is 84 Earth

years long

Uranus




•Weight on planet

- x .93

Uranus



The Outer Gas GiantsNeptun

e




•Eighth planet

from the Sun (8)

•Fourth largest planet

(Rank #4)

Neptune




•Day is 16 Earth hour

long

•Year is 165 Earth years long

Neptune





1.23

Neptune


Planetary Records

1,400,000 km in

diameter

Solar FactsWeight -

x 27

Planetary Records

134,200 km in

diameter

Largest & Smallest PlanetsJupiter

Mercury4,900 km

in diameterWeight – 287 pounds (100 pounds on

Earth)

Weight – 38 pounds (100 pounds on

Earth)

Planetary Records

58,000,000 km from

Sun

Nearest & Farthest from SunMercury

Neptune2,900,000,

000 km from SunYear is 88

Earth Days Long

Year is 165 Earth years

Long

Keeping the Solar System

Together

The force of gravity holds the

Solar System together.

What keeps the Solar System

together?


TogetherAll the planets

would fly off into space.

What if there was no gravity?

Moon would fly off into space.


TogetherPlanets revolve

around the Sun.

What is the effect of gravity?

Moon revolves

around the Earth.


TogetherLarge Mass = Large Gravity


Sun

Jupiter

Weigh More!

Sun = weight x 27

Jupiter = weight x 2.87


TogetherSmall Mass = Small Gravity


Mercury

CeresWeigh Less!

Mercury= weight x .38

Ceres= weight x .oo2 (100 lbs

= 4 ounces)

And that’s a quick look at our

Solar System!

the solar system we’ve always known that there were seven objects in the solar system

Documents

universeour solar system

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pictures source

foot long telescope

rocky bodies

thousands of telescopes

todays telescopes