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