Components of the solar system.

3. Components of the Solar System
It was formed five thousand millions years ago
from gas and dust of a nebula.
- A medium-sized star.
- Planets
- Dwarf planets
- Satellites
- Asteroids
- Comets

4. The Sun
 The Sun is a huge sphere of gas.
 It is mostly made up of hydrogen
(74%) and helium (24%).
 It is 4,500 million years old
 It takes 8 minutes for its light to
reach the Earth.
 98.6% mass of the Solar System.
• Radius: 695,000 km
• Mass: 333,000 Earths!
• Surface Temperature: 5,500 °C
• Core Temperature: 15,500,000 °C

6. THE PLANETS AND THEIR ORBITS
There are 8 planets in the Solar System that
are classified into two groups: the inner or
terrestrial planets and the outer or gas giant
planets.

7. All the planets experience two different movements:
- Rotation on their own axis.
- Revolution around the Sun where the planets describe
closed paths, called orbits.

8. Mercury
 Smallest planet and closest to
the Sun.
 No satellites.
 Lots of craters on its surface.
 It has no atmosphere so the
day and night temperatures
vary widely; temperatures
reach 450°C during the day
and at night, the temperature
drop to -170°C.
• It has a very long day due to its slow
rotation, which is equal to 59 Earth days.

9. Mercury Earth Size Comparison

10. Venus
 Similar size and density to
Earth. No satellites.
 Atmosphere composed of
carbon dioxide and thick
clouds of drops of sulphuric
acid.
 Surface temperatures are a
constant 500°C, the highest
surface temperature in the
solar system.
 Venus rotates in the opposite
direction to other planets in
the Solar System.
• One day in Venus lasts more than one Earth year

11. Thick cloud atmosphere
coveringVenus
Mountain ranges on Venus taken
with Radar.

12. Earth
It is the 5th planet in size of the Solar
System and the biggest of the inner
planets.
Radius: 6,400 km
Mass: 5.8 x 1024 kg
Temperature: -80 to 60 °C, average
surface temperature is 15ºC
Distance from Sun: 146 million km (1 AU)
Surface is 70% covered by water.
Atmosphere is made up of oxygen (21%)
and nitrogen (78%).
One natural satellite (the Moon)
Over 2200 manmade satellites in orbit

13. Mars
 Very similar to our planet; its
surface resembles the Earth´s
rocky deserts.
 Thin atmospheric layer with
95% carbon dioxide.
 Surface temperatures are
between 20ºC and -80ºC.
 Has the highest mountain in
the Solar System – the
Olympus Mons Volcano
(25km high, equal to 2.5 times
the Everest).
• It has two small rocky satellites: Phobos and Deimos.

14. Recent discoveries suggest the possibility of water
in the surface of Mars, between 1.5 and 3%.

15. Size comparison of the Inner Planet
As seen in the images, Venus and the Earth are
quite similar in size.

16. Asteroid Belt
• Located between
Jupiter and Mars.
•Because the
strong gravitational
force of Jupiter
they never merged
to form a planet.

17. Ceres – a dwarf planet in
the belt of asteroids
Gaspro – a 400km-long
asteroid

18. Jupiter Gas giant made up of
90% hydrogen, 10%
helium, with a rocky
core.
 It´s the biggest planet
in the Solar System
(mass is equal to 318
Earths)
 Great Red Spot – a
storm that is located in
the southern part of the
planet with a distinctive
shape. It has 4 large satellites which were discoverded by
Galileo Galilei and 60 small ones.

20. Time-lapse animation from Voyager I on approach to Jupiter.

21. Io – The most volcanically
active object in the Solar
System.
Europa – ice-
covered moon that
may harbour life.

22. Saturn
 Gas giant made of 75% hydrogen, 25% helium, with a rocky
core and liquid hydrogen mantle.
 Second biggest planet in the solar system.
 It has a spectacular ring system that consists of 9
continuous rings made of ice, small rocks and dust particles.
 Has over 34 known moons, the biggest one called Titan. •

23. Saturn’s Rings.
Mimas – a small moon
of Saturn

24. Uranus
 Gas giant composed
of hydrogen, helium
and methane.
 Has more than 25
satellites
 It is very far from the
Sun, so it is a frozen
planet: surface
temperature of -214°C
 Coldest atmosphere in
the Solar System.
It also has a ring system but it is not as big as Saturn´s .

25. Neptune
 Furthest away planet
from the Sun. It is the
planet with the fastest
winds.
 Gas giant made of
hydrogen, helium and
methane.
 It is also a frozen planet,
with very low surface
temperatures, but the
temperature inside
Neptune is hot because
it releases heat.
 14 satellites, Triton is
very large.
• Distance from Sun: 4500
million km (30 AU)

26. Kuiper Belt
• 30 to 55 AU
• Like the asteroid
belt but consisting
of debris made of
ices.
•Biggest bodies
are Pluto and
Eris.

27. Pluto
 Downgraded from ‘planet’ to ‘dwarf planet’ in 2006
 Smaller than the Moon
 Has 3 known satellites.