Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System
description
Transcript of Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System
![Page 1: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System
![Page 2: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Starter 1/25/13
• What do you already know about our Moon?
![Page 3: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
What is a moon?
• A moon is a natural satellite of a planet or dwarf planet
• There are over 170 moons around the planets and dwarf planets in our solar system
![Page 4: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Planets and numbers of moonsPlanet Number of known moonsMercury 0Venus 0Earth 1Mars 2Jupiter 63Saturn 63Uranus 27Neptune 13
Dwarf planetPluto 3 (maybe 4)Eris 1
![Page 5: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
How do we explain the existence of our Moon?
![Page 6: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Giant Impact Theory• Between 4.4 and 5 billion years ago an object
about the size of Mars struck a very young Earth and blasted material into orbit around Earth– The “youngest” Moon rocks are 4.4 billion years old
• The material from the collision came together by gravity (called accretion) and became our Moon.
• The Moon was much closer to the Earth when it first formed– It was between12,000-18,000 miles away– Now it is 240,000 miles away and moving away from
us by 1.5 inches/year
![Page 7: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Giant Impact
![Page 8: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Why does the Moon look the way it does?
![Page 9: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Impact Cratering
• Most cratering happened soon after the solar system formed – “the Late Heavy Bombardment”
• Craters are about 10 times wider than object that made them.
• Small craters greatly outnumber large ones.
![Page 10: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Impact Craters
Meteor Crater (Arizona) Tycho Crater (Moon)
![Page 11: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Impact Craters on Mars
“Standard” crater Impact into icy ground
Eroded crater
![Page 12: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Thought question
Shouldn’t the Earth be covered in craters too? Why isn’t it?
![Page 13: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Volcanism
• Volcanism happens when molten rock (magma) finds a path through the Earth’s crust (lithosphere) to the surface.
• Molten rock is called lava after it reaches the surface.
![Page 14: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Lava and Volcanoes
Runny lava makes flat lava plains.
Slightly thicker lava makes broad shield volcanoes.
Thickest lava makes steep stratovolcanoes.
![Page 15: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
The Lunar Maria were formed by volcanism
• Smooth, dark lunar maria are less heavily cratered than lunar highlands.
• Maria were made by floods of runny lava.
![Page 16: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Formation of Lunar Maria
Large impact crater weakens crust.
Heat build-up allows lava to well up to surface.
Early surface is covered with craters.
Cooled lava is smoother and darker than surroundings.
![Page 17: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
The Moon is geologically dead• Moon is considered
geologically “dead” because geological processes have virtually stopped.
![Page 18: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Do the Moon and Mercury have any atmosphere?
![Page 19: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Exospheres of the Moon and Mercury
• Sensitive measurements show that the Moon and Mercury have virtually no atmosphere.
• The little gas there comes from impacts and the solar wind that eject surface atoms.
Earth’s Moon Mercury
![Page 20: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
The Moon’s surface conditions
• No atmosphere• No liquid water – frozen
water at the poles• Because of the lack of an
atmosphere the moon experiences extreme temperatures– Daytime = 130C (265°F)– Nighttime = -190C (-310 F)
• The moon has 1/6th of Earth’s gravity
![Page 21: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Starter 2/7
• Identify one similarity and one difference between our Moon and the other moons of the solar system?
![Page 22: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
What kinds of moons orbit the other planets of the solar system?
![Page 23: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Sizes of Moons
• Small moons (< 300 km) “irregular”– No geological activity
• Medium-sized moons (300–1500 km) “regular”– Geological activity in the past (mostly)
• Large moons (> 1500 km) “regular”– Ongoing geological activity (mostly)
![Page 24: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Small (or irregular) Moons
• These are far more numerous than the medium and large moons.
• They do not have enough gravity to be spherical: Most are “potato-shaped.”
![Page 25: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
• They are captured asteroids or comets, so their orbits do not follow usual patterns – *retrograde and tilted orbits
Small (or irregular) Moons
![Page 26: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Captured Moons
• Mars has two moons (Phobos and Deimos) that are thought to be captured asteroids from the asteroid belt
![Page 27: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Medium and Large (regular)
Moons• Enough self-gravity to be spherical
• Often have substantial amounts of ice
• Except for our Moon they formed in orbit around jovian planets (gas giants) *by accretion
• Circular orbits in same direction as planet rotation *around equator
![Page 28: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Jupiter’s Galilean moons
![Page 29: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Io
• Io is the most volcanically active body in the solar system
![Page 30: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Io’s Volcanoes
• Volcanic eruptions continue to change Io’s surface.
![Page 31: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Europa
![Page 32: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Europa’s interior also warmed by tidal heating producing a possible ocean under the ice.
![Page 33: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Ganymede
• Largest moon in the solar system
• Clear evidence of geological activity
![Page 34: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Callisto
• “Classic” cratered iceball
• No evidence of geologic activity
![Page 35: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Other interesting moons in the solar system
![Page 36: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Titan
• Saturn’s largest moon Titan is the only moon in the solar system to have a thick atmosphere.
• It consists mostly of nitrogen with some argon, methane, and ethane.
![Page 37: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/37.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Titan’s Surface
• Huygens probe provided first look at Titan’s surface in early 2005.
• It found liquid methane and “rocks” made of ice.
![Page 38: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Enceladus• Enceladus is a
medium sized moon of Saturn
• Ice fountains of Enceladus suggest it may have a subsurface ocean.
![Page 39: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/39.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Charon
• The largest moon of Pluto is also the largest moon relative to the size of its planet
• Charon is ½ the size of Pluto, and is thought to be ice-covered like Pluto as well
![Page 40: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/40.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Top 12 largest moons in the solar system
1. Ganymede2. Titan3. Calisto4. Io5. The Moon6. Europa
7. Titania8. Rhea9. Oberon10. Iapetus11. Charon12. Umbriel
![Page 41: Our Moon and other moons of the Solar System](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062410/56816410550346895dd5bbe0/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Top 10ish moons in the solar system (with other terrestrial bodies for comparison)