My Very Early Morning Jam Sandwich Usually Nauseates People• For the nine planets• Pluto no planet anymore• New one:

MyERCURY

VeryENUS

ExpensiveARTH

MandarinARS

JuiceUPITER

SmellsATURN

UltraRANUS

NaturalEPTUNE

Hades (Greek)/ Pluto (Roman):• Not visible by Greeks/Romans• After discovery named after this god• God of the Underworld

Hades drawn by Rei Inamoto

• Only visible with good telescopes• 1919 scientists thought Pluto must exist• Discovered in 1930 by Clyde W. Tombaugh

• First moon (Charon) discovered in 1978• 2005 new moons discovered

• Latest mission to Pluto: New Horizons• Will reach Pluto in 2015 (launched 2006)• Will explore Pluto and Charon during a Flyby• Will then study one or more KBO

New Horizons near Pluto, drawing

Diameter: 0,2 x Earth‘s Revolution Period around the Sun:

248 years

Mass: 0,002 x Earth‘s Rotation Period around Axis:

more than 6 days

Surface Gravity: 0,1 x Earth‘s Satellites / Rings: 3 known

Distance from Sun:

between 4,500 and 7,000 billion km

Average Temperature

- 230 °C / 44K

• Pluto is no longer a planet• Differs very much from the others

• Mostly composed of rock with a water-ice mantle• Its atmosphere contains methane ice (and perhaps N2, CO, CO2)• Other outer planets mainly composed of gas• Higher density than the other planets• Biggest moon (Charon) very large in comparison to Pluto

0.5 : 1; Earth: Moon 1: 0.3

It’s more likely that it is a KBO than a planet

The dwarf planets and their moons in comparison to the Earth, Mars and the Earth’s moon

(Earth’s moon)

• Three moons• One, Charon, found earlier than other ones• Other two found in 2005

• called S/2005 P1 and S/2005 P2• don’t have real names yet because it isn’t proved they’re really Pluto’s moons• unofficial names are Nix and Hydra

• No rings discovered yet

Pluto and his moons

Photo of Charon

• Biggest moon• much larger than the other moons• Discovered June 22nd, 1978 by James Christy• orbits Pluto every sixth day• Spins exactly the same time around Pluto as Pluto spins around One side of Pluto always sees Charon, the other one never• Like Pluto made up of ice and rock• some astronomers think Charon was separated by Pluto by a big object that crashed into Pluto

• In Greek and Roman Myths Charon was the Ferryman of the death

• brought the dead in his boat over river Styx to the Underworld

• largest population of objects beyond Pluto (70,000)• Three types:

•Plutinos (“Little Plutos”): Objects orbiting like Pluto (Charon, Orcus, Ixion)•Classical KBOs: Objects orbiting circular (2003 EL61, Quaoar, Varuna)•Scattered KBOs: Very far away KBOs (Eris, 2005 FY9, 2002 AW197)

• Very cold and primitive• Many unproved theories about formation• Pluto KBO as well, category Plutino

The Kuiper Belt

Cronos (Greek)/ Saturn (Roman):• Greek identified Saturn with Cronos• Son of Gaea and Uranus• God of agriculture and time• Roman name Saturn

Shani (Hindu):• Hindu identified Saturn with Shani• Son of Surya, the sun god, and Chhaya• Named “evil-eyed one”, could burn everything

with glancing at it• In South India responsible for children’s diseases

Cronos drawn by Rei Inamoto

Drawing of Shani

• Saturn visible without telescope• Galileo saw unclear shadows at the sides of Saturn • Christian Huygens identified them as rings in 1655

Cassini near Saturn, drawing

• Voyager spacecrafts (1980 & 1981) found out much about Saturn• Took great pictures of rings• Great divisions in rings visible (Cassini- and Encke-division)

• Before 1800 just seven moons, including Titan (biggest one) were known• Many moons (especially small ones) discovered by Voyager I & II • Much research done on moons nowadays

• Newest mission to Saturn: Cassini (with Huygens Lander)• Reached Saturn in 2004, will explore it• Huygens Lander will explore Titan

Diameter: 9 x Earth’s Revolution Period around the Sun:

29.5 years

Mass: 95 x Earth's Rotation Period around Axis:

11hrs

Surface Gravity: 0.92 x Earth's Satellites / Rings: 59 known moons, many rings

Distance from Sun: 1,425 billion km(Earth: 149 million km)

Average Temperature

- 180°C

• Big planets (Saturn, Jupiter): other layer structure than terrestrial ones• Different evolution• Less solid material• Saturn contains many simple molecules (Hydrogen, Helium etc.), which are liquid

because of the high pressure within Saturn• Motions in Saturn contribute to the powerful magnetosphere• Heat produced in Saturn influences motions of atmosphere

Schematic overview of the interior

• Interesting appearance caused by rings• More Sulphur less colourful atmosphere than Jupiter• atmosphere very thin compared to other big planets• Clouds in low regions• Smog in high regions• Very few changes since beginning of evolution Some scientist think Saturn is

still forming

A photo showing cloud belts in the atmosphere

• Saturn 59 moons• Largest ring system in solar system• Middle sized moons: Rhea, Dione, Tethys, Enceladus, Janus and Epimetheus• Small moons most big rocks in space• Many moons named after characters of old myths

Saturn and Satelites, photo-montage

Mimas• Medium-sized moon• Sixth from Saturn• Discovered in 1789 by William Herschel• Icy surface• Diameter as long as from Los Angeles to San Francisco• Big crater makes it look like “Death star” from Star Wars movies

Titan• Biggest moon• Diameter as long as from East- to West coast of USA • Bigger than Mercury and Pluto• Second largest moon in solar system• One of two with an atmosphere• Thick atmosphere good images of surface only from Huygens Lander• Discovered in 1655 by Christian Huygens• Very cold (-178°C)• Some scientist think life could exist there

Phoebe:• Middle-sized moon• Discovered 1898 by Henry Pickinger• Ninth largest moon• Diameter 220km• Very strange:

• Surface dark• Farther away from planet than similar-sized ones• Orbits opposite of other moons

• Scientists think it’s asteroid or Kuiper Belt Object captured by Saturn’s gravity long ago

Picture sources: Google Bilder