The Solar System Saturn Jupiter Uranus Neptune Not

The Solar System

Saturn Jupiter Uranus Neptune Not pictured The dwarf planet Eris Mars Earth Venus Mercury Not pictured, the dwarf planet Ceres Image from http: //www. nineplanets. org/gif/Nine. Planets. jpg 2

Image from http: //www. nineplanets. org/gif/Nine. Planets. jpg 3

Another perspective Renamed Eris Image from http: //media. skyandtelescope. com/images/Twelve. Planets_l. jpg 4

The Inner Planets �Mercury �Venus �Earth �Mars 5

Humans Needs? � Oxygen (Not 100%) � Water � Favorable Temperature � Daily sunlight for photosynthesis � Favorable Atmosphere conditions (little CO 2, no narcotic gases(argon), total pressure around 1 atm) 6

Characteristics of the Inner Planets �Very similar to each other �small �rocky surfaces. �Dense. �NO rings � “Terrestrial planets” because they resemble Earth, “terra-” means “Earth” 7

Mercury �Size- about 38% of Earth’s diameter =4878 km �Distance from sun- about 39% of Earth’s distance=58, 000 km �Surface- thin, hard rocky surface with plains and craters �Atmosphere- thin with sodium and gases 8

Mercury(cont’d) � Can’t support life (no water or oxygen, hot temps) � Moons- none � Rotation- 59 Earth days � Revolution- 0. 24 Earth years � Daytime(sunlit side) temperature 430ºC Nighttime(shaded side) temperature -190ºC 9

Mercury 10

Venus � 95% of Earth’s diameter=12, 104 km � Distance from sun- about 2/3 of Earth’s=108, 000 km from sun � Surface- rocks similar to Earth � Has volcanoes with lava flows 11

Venus (cont’d) � Atmosphere- thick � Mostly carbon dioxide (greenhouse effect is strong) � Clouds partly sulfuric acid � Atmospheric pressure is 90 times heavier than Earth’s and would crush a human � No water � Harsh temperatures and atmosphere 12

Venus (cont’d) � Sometimes called “Earth’s twin” � Retrograde rotation- rotates “backward” from east to west (opposite of Earth) � Rotation=8 Earth months � Revolution=7. 5 Earth months � Moons- None 13

Venus 14

Earth �Size- 12, 756 km diameter �Distance from Sun- 150, 000 km �Surface- Crust is a solid rocky surface, 70% is covered by water �Atmosphere- up to 100 km thick, made up of 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 1% other gases 15

Earth �Rotation takes 24 hours �Revolution takes 365. 25 days �Earth has one moon 16

Earth 17

Mars �Size- 53% of Earth’s diameter, it is 6794 km �Distance from Sun- about 1. 5 times distance of Earth � 228, 000 km from sun �Surface-Rocky surface with carbonite rocks high in iron, creating red color �Polar ice caps contain frozen water and carbon dioxide 18

Mars � Atmosphere- Very thin, � Thin clouds Mostly carbon dioxide � 1% of Earth’s atmospheric pressure � Ability to support life- It is possible that primitive bacteria may have lived on Mars or may now live there but none has been found. � Existence of liquid water makes life on Mars a possibility 19

Mars continued �Rotation- 1. 03 Earth days �Revolution- 1. 9 Earth years �Mars has largest volcano in solar system, called Olympus Mons �Moons- 2 20

Mars 21

The Outer Planets �Jupiter �Saturn �Uranus �Neptune �Pluto (a dwarf Planet) 22

Characteristics of The Outer Planets �Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and the dwarf planets Pluto and Eris �Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are called “Gas Giants” �Larger than Earth � Don’t have solid surfaces �Pluto and Eris are small and rocky, like the terrestrial planets. 23

Characteristics of Gas Giants �Don’t have well-defined surfaces �Deep atmospheres about 75% hydrogen, 24% helium, and 1% other elements �Solid cores of rock, ice, frozen carbon dioxide and other compounds 24

Jupiter �Size- diameter is 11 times Earth’s, It is 142, 800 km �Distance from Sun- 5. 2 times further than Earth. It is 778, 000 km �Surface and atmosphere of gas and liquid it does not have a well-defined surface �Deep atmosphere of about 86 % hydrogen, 14 % helium, and tiny amounts of other substances. 25

Jupiter continued �Lacks water, oxygen and moderate temperatures. �Largest planet in solar system with 300 times the mass of Earth �Rotation- 0. 41 Earth days (fastest) �Revolution- 29 Earth years 26

Jupiter continued �Moons- 67 �Has dark rings �Great Red Spot is storm on Jupiter, twice as big as Earth 27

Jupiter 28

Saturn �Size- About 9. 44 times size of Earth. It is 120, 540 km �Distance from sun- About 9. 5 times distance from sun as Earth. 1, 427, 000 km �Syruplike mixture of helium and hydrogen �Atmosphere of gaseous helium and hydrogen 29

Saturn continued �Lacks water, oxygen, and moderate temperatures �Second largest planet in solar system �Rotation- 0. 43 Earth days �Revolution- 29 Earth years 30

Saturn continued �Moons- 62 �Low density planet, could float in water �Prominent rings- mostly chunks of ice and rocks 31

Saturn 32

Uranus �Size- About 4 times diameter of Earth. It is 51, 200 km �Distance from Sun- About 19 times farther from sun than Earth. It is 2, 871, 000 km 33

Uranus continued �Surface consists of blue-green clouds made up of tiny ice crystals of methane, and rock. �Atmosphere is about 83% hydrogen, 15% helium and 2% methane. 34

Uranus continued � Lacks water, oxygen, and moderate temperatures needed to support life, NO known life � Rotation- 0. 72 Earth days, is retrograde rotation like Venus, and rotates on side � Revolution- 84 Earth years � Moons-27 � Rings- 13 dark rings 35

Uranus 36

Neptune � Size- Almost 4 times diameter of Earth. It is 49, 500 km � Distance from Sun- Almost 30 times farther from sun than Earth. It is 4, 497, 000 km �Composition: Ice and Silicates (rock) with about 15% hydrogen, some water, and a little helium 37

Neptune continued �Atmosphere: hydrogen and helium with a small amount of methane. �Lacks significant water, oxygen, and moderate temperatures 38

Neptune continued �Rotation- 0. 67 Earth days �Revolution- 165 Earth years �Visible clouds in atmosphere �Moons- 13 �Rings-5 39

Neptune 40

Pluto � Size- about 17% of diameter of Earth. It is 2200 km � Distance from sun- more than 39 times farther than Earth. It is 5, 913, 000 kilometers � Rocky, icy surface is very small � Thin atmosphere of methane gas 41

Pluto continued � Lacks water, oxygen, and warmth needed for life. NO known life � Moons- 1 Charon (book), 3 - Charon, Hydra and Nix (web and NASA) � Rotation- 6. 4 Earth days � Revolution- 248 Earth years 42

Pluto 43

The Dwarf Planets �Ceres- new dwarf planet, it was classified as the largest asteroid in the Asteroid Belt (it is between Mars & Jupiter). �Pluto- was classified as a planet, now classified as a dwarf planet �Eris- new dwarf planet, past Pluto it is an icy body near the edge of our solar system. 44

The Dwarf Planets and their Moons 45

Planets and Dwarf Planets compared � Dwarf planets are smaller than planets � Both orbit the Sun � Both are large enough that their gravity pulls them into the shape of a sphere � Planets clear smaller objects out of their orbit. Dwarf planets can not because of their weaker gravity. � Pluto doesn’t dominate it’s orbit due to it’s small mass. Neptune crosses into it’s orbit. 46

Meteorite vs. Meteoroid � Meteoroid = while in space a meteorite is called a meteoroid � Meteorite = a small rock or rocky grain that strikes Earth’s surface

Meteor Sometimes called a “Shooting Star” When a meteorite enters Earth’s atmosphere, friction causes them to burn up, producing a streak of light

Where do they come from? How big are they? � Pieces of rock that broke off other objects � Sizes range from as small as a pebble or as big as a huge boulder

Are they dangerous? � Most meteoroids disintegrate before reaching the earth by burning up in Earth’s atmosphere � Some leave a trail that lasts several minutes � Meteoroids that reach the earth are called meteorites. Large ones can cause damage

Flagstaff, Arizona 49, 000 years ago Meteorite about 150 feet in diameter Weighed 650 pounds Energy = 2. 5 million tons of dynamite 4000 feet wide, 650 feet deep Still visible today Barringer Meteorite Crater

What’s a “Meteor Shower”? � Icy surface of comets heat up as they get closer to the sun. � Debris particles are released. � Occur when Earth passes through the tail or debris of a comet

Comets � Bodies in space made up of ice, dust, small gritty particles � Sometimes called “dirty snowballs” � When close to the sun, ice vaporizes, producing a spectacular streak of gas, referred to as a “tail” � Many in a regular orbit around the sun

Comets

Where do comets come from? � Many ordinate in a region called the Oort cloud beyond Pluto � Others originate in the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune

Asteroids An irregularly shaped rocky object in space (like a space potato) May be the shattered remains of objects left over from the time when the planets were formed

How big are asteroids? � Larger than meteoroids � Size ranges from 10 feet across to bigger than a mountain

Asteroids � Most are in a band that orbit the sun between Mars and Jupiter (Asteroid Belt)

Large Asteroid hits Earth 65 Million Years Ago Catastrophic Collision Asteroid 6 to 12 miles in diameter Near the Yucatan Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico

Large Asteroid hits Earth 65 Million Years Ago � Collision produced an explosion = 100 trillion tons of dynamite � Gouged out a crater about 60 miles in diameter � How would an event like this affect Earth?

What do Scientists Think Happened? � Forests were wiped clean for a distance of 300 to 600 miles in all directions � 300 foot wave struck the coast of Texas � Powerful Earthquakes � Landslides destroyed long stretches of coastline � Debris would cover large parts of North America � Poisonous gases and dust spread over most of the Earth,

What do Scientists Think Happened � Sunlight was blocked for many months � Temperatures plummeted to the freezing point � Not enough sunlight for photosynthesis � Plants died. . . Animals died � Many animals became extinct (including many types of dinosaurs)

The Rise and Fall of Life on Earth Dip around 65 Million years ago?