The document provides an overview of the solar system, including its origin and components. It discusses: 1) The modern view that the solar system formed from a rotating cloud of gas and dust that condensed to form the Sun and planets as it contracted. 2) The inner planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, including characteristics such as temperatures, atmospheres, and evidence of past water on Mars. 3) The outer planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, noting their large sizes and gaseous compositions. Moons and rings are also mentioned.

1. The Solar System Section I The Solar System

2. Ideas about the night sky have changed over time Earth-centered model – early Greeks thought planets, Sun, Moon, and stars revolved around Earth

3. Sun-Centered model Nicholas Copernicus and Galileo Galilei observed that the moon revolved around Earth and that Earth and other planets revolved around the Sun

4. Modern View solar system includes Sun, eight planets, many small objects.

6. NEBULA THEORY (origin of solar system) a nebula of gas, ice, and dust slowly formed in space

7. A cloud of material in the nebula slowly rotated in space

9. The cloud became more dense, rotated faster, heated up, and flattened to form a disk.

10. As the cloud contracted, it grew warmer, triggering a nuclear fusion reaction that created the Sun

11. The leftover matter became the planets and asteroids First four inner planets – small and rocky with iron cores. last four outer planets – large and lightweight …

12. Planet orbits are elliptical and the Sun is not directly in the center of the orbits.

13. Section II The Inner Planets

14. Mercury Closest to the Sun, smallest planet

15. Weak magnetic field suggests an iron core Has many craters and high cliffs no true atmosphere, so surface temperatures range from very hot to very cold

16. Venus second from the Sun and similar to Earth in size and mass

17. extremely dense atmosphere of clouds Carbon dioxide traps solar energy

18. causes an intense greenhouse effect Results in surface temperatures between 450 °C and 475°C

19. Earth average distance between Earth and the Sun is 150 million km Water exists on surface as solid, liquid, and gas

20. More than 70% of surface covered with water Atmosphere protects surface from most meteors and Sun’s radiation

21. Mars Called red planet because iron oxide in rocks makes them reddish-yellow Polar ice caps made mostly of frozen carbon dioxide and frozen water

22. Has largest volcano in the solar system

23. Soil shows NO evidence of life……….. perhaps……………

24. Has gullies and deposits of soil and rocks, which may indicate the presence of liquid groundwater

25. Thin atmosphere of mostly carbon dioxide Strong winds caused by differences in temperature between day and night

28. Is tilted on its axis, which causes seasons

29. Two small moons, Phobos and Deimos

31. Section III The Outer Planets

32. Jupiter fifth planet from the Sun, largest planet in the solar system

33. Below atmosphere, liquid hydrogen and helium are suspected Solid rocky core may exist below liquid level

35. The Great Red Spot is the most spectacular of Jupiter’s many constant high-pressure gas storms

37. Has rings

38. Has at least 61 moons – four are large and have atmospheres

39. Io is very volcanically active; the closest large moon to Jupiter

41. Europa composed mostly of rock; may have an ocean of water under a thick layer of ice

43. Ganymede largest moon in solar system, even larger than planet Mercury

44. Callisto cratered rock and ice crust may surround a salty ocean and rock core

45. Saturn Sixth planet from the sun, second largest in the solar system, largest density

46. Thick outer atmosphere of hydrogen, helium, ammonia, methane, and water vapor

49. Might have a small, rocky core

50. Each large ring composed of thousands of ringlets of ice and rock particles

51. Has at least 31 moons

52. Largest moon, Titan, is larger than the planet Mercury Thick clouds on Titan prevent scientists from seeing surface…….

54. Uranus Seventh planet from the Sun, large, and gaseous

55. Has thin, dark rings Atmosphere of hydrogen, helium, and methane Methane makes the planet bluish-green in color

56. Axis of rotation nearly parallel to plane of orbit

57. Neptune eighth planet from the sun, large and gaseous

58. bluish-green colored atmosphere similar to that of Uranus Storms on Neptune reveal an active and rapidly changing atmosphere has at least 11 moons, of which pinkish Triton is largest

60. A. Comet: dust and rock particles combined with frozen water, methane, and ammonia.

61. 1. Halley’s comet: orbits Sun every 76 years.

62. 2. Oort Cloud: large group of comets surrounding solar system beyond Pluto.

63. 3. Amateur astronomers discovered Hale-Bopp in 1995.

64. 4. Comet structure: large dirty snowball of frozen rock and ice.

65. Comets a. Ice and dust vaporize as comet nears Sun. b. Vaporized material forms bright cloud called coma around comet nucleus. c. Solar wind pushes on gas and dust in the coma, causing the particles to form a tail that always points away from the Sun. d. Eventually, most of the ice in the comet’s nucleus vaporizes, leaving only small particles.

66. Comets vaporize and break up after passing close to the Sun several times. When the nucleus breaks up, pieces spread out. The dust and rock fragments are called Meteoroids .

67. B. (1.) Meteoroid : name given to small pieces of comet when they move through space.

68. B. (2.) Meteor : small meteoroid that burns up in Earth’s atmosphere.

69. B. (3.) Meteor Showers : occur when Earth’s orbit passes through a group of meteoroids that enter the atmosphere.

70. B. (4.) Meteorite : meteoroid that strikes Earth.

71. C. Asteroid : rock similar to that which formed planets.

72. C. (1.) Most asteroids lie in an asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter.

74. Asteroid Info: Jupiter’s gravity may have kept these asteroids from forming a planet. some planets’ moons may be asteroids pulled from the asteroid belt. asteroid sizes range from very tiny to 940 km in diameter.

75. Near: The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous probe indicates asteroid 433 Eros has been in many collisions over time.

76. What is a shooting star? It is NOT a star!!

77. SPACE STATION PHOTO

78. QUIZ BONUS WHY DO SCIENTISTS THINK WATER WAS/ IS PRESENT ON MARS IN GREAT QUANTITY ?