Solar System

Objectives:
• A. Discuss the different hypotheses explaining the
origin of the solar system.
• B. Identify the large scale and small scale properties of
the solar system.
Objectives:
• 1. Recognize the difference in the physical and
chemical properties between the Earth and its
neighboring planes; and
• 2. Identify the factors that allow a planet to support
life.
Solar System
• The solar system is located in the Milky Way called
the Orion Arm.
• 4.6 billion years old
Formation of Solar System
• Nebular Hypothesis
• Fission theory
• Capture Theory
• Accretion theory
• Stellar Collision
NEBULAR HYPOTHESIS/ PLANETISIMAL HYPOTHESIS
• rotating gaseous cloud that
cools and contracts in the
middle to form the sun and
the rest into a disc that
become the planets.
Fission Theory
• Bursting of the sun sent out the planets and moons.
Capture Theory
• Planets and moons were
wandering around and were
captured by the sun.
 Accretion Theory
• Small chunks of materials gradually
combined and formed Earth, then
more chunks formed the moon.
Stellar Collision Theory
• Two stars collided and formed the planets and moons.
Geocentric Model
• Proposed by Ptolemy.
• Earth is the Center of the universe.
• This model explained why the stars seem to move around
the Earth, but the problem was that some of the planets
seem to move backward instead of the usual forward around
the earth.
• Epicycle
• Planets move in a small circle.
• Deferent
• Epicycle in turn moves around a bigger circle.
 Heliocentric Model
• Proposed by Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
• “Sun-centered”. Sun is the center of the universe.
• Earth and all other planets orbit around the sun.
• Polished by German astronomer Johannes Kepler,
proposed that planets move around the sun in an
elliptical motion.
 Planetary Motion
• Change of daytime to nighttime on
Earth is the result of the planet’s
rotation or its spin on its own axis.
• Planet moves around the sun
through a definite path called
orbit.
• A complete movement around the
sun of a certain planet on its orbit
is known as revolution.
3 laws of Planetary Motion

• 1. The orbit of a planet is an ellipse with the sun at one focal point,
not at the center.
• 2. A line segment joining a planet and the sun sweeps out equal areas
during equal intervals of time, that is, the time needed to cover
segments A1 and A2 should be equal time intervals. This explains the
different orbital speeds of the planets.
• 3. The square of the orbital period of a
planet is proportional to the cube of the
semimajor axis of its orbit.
• The orbital period is measured in Earth
years where any planet’s distance to the
sun can be expressed in terms of the mean
distance of Earth to its nearest star.
(Astronomical Unit or AU)
• AU= 150,000,000 km or 93 million miles.
Planet
• IAU, 3 main definitions for an object to be considered
a true planet.
• 1. The object must be orbiting the sun.
• 2. It should be near spherical.
• 3. It should be large enough to clear all matter from
its orbital zone.
Large Scale Features of the Solar System
• Much of the mass of the Solar System is concentrated
at the center (Sun).
• Orbits of the planets elliptical and are on the same
plane.
• All planets revolve around the sun.
• The periods of revolution of the planets increase with
increasing distance from the Sun.
Small scale features of the Solar System

• Most planets rotate prograde.

• There are two kinds of planets
• They are distinguished by their location.
• Distinguished by properties such as number of
moons and presence or absence of rings.
Exploring Solar System
• Sun
• Source of power, made up of
gases held together by gravity.
• Ball of hydrogen and helium
gases.
• Does not have a definite
boundary.
• Innermost layer consist of
plasma.
• Core
• Consist of plasma with the temp. of
27,000,000oC, this is where most of the
energy come from.
• Radiative Zone
• 7,000,000oC and thickness of 300,000km.
• This zone makes up at least 45% of the sun.
• Convective Zone
• 200,000km thick and surrounds the
radiative zone.
• Photosphere
• Give the sun its grainy appearance.
• Visible surface with a temp. of 4400oC to
9000oC.
• Chromosphere
• 2000km thick which is very thin
part of the sun’s atmosphere
that turns red as it receives heat
from the photosphere.
• 4000oC to 10, 000oC
• Crown or Halo
• 2,000,000oC to 5,000,000oC
• Stretches millions of km in space.
Surface of the sun
• Sunspot
• Darker and cooler area in the
sun’s surface.
• 80,000 km in diameter
• Occur in eleven- year cycles
and often in pairs
• Can be seen by naked eye.
• Solar flare
• Enormous explosion in the sun’s
atmosphere that is capable of
emitting electrical particles.
• The plasma of the these charged
particles is called solar wind.
• Very dangerous to astronauts and
space crafts.
• Solar prominence
• Large gaseous feature of the
sun’s surface.
Find Mars orbit around the Sun in years,
using Kepler’s Third Law
• P2 α a3
• If P units = Earth years, a unit= Astronomical Units, or AU
• P2 = a 3
• Earths semi-major axis= 1 AU
• Mars semi-major axis = 1.524 AU
• Pmars2= (1.524)3 = 3.54
• Pmars= 1.88 Earth years
Terrestrial Planets
• These planets are solid, dense and
rocky.
• Much smaller compared with
other known planets.
• Have lesser number of (or no)
moons and do not possess any
ring.

• Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars

Mercury (The Innermost Planet)
• Smallest planet.
• 88 Days to revolve, 59 days to rotate.
• Temperature is extreme
• 427oC at noontime
• -173oC at nighttime.
• The part faces the sun is extremely hot, while
the part away from the sun is extremely cold.
• No atmosphere to absorb the heat from the sun.
• 46 million km away when in perihelion and 70
million km when in aphelion
• No satellite and very small magnetic field due its
large core.
Venus (Earth’s twin)
• Also known as Evening Star.
• Venus is called “Veiled” because of
the thick cloud layer that covers it.
• Sulfuric acid droplets.
• Has the densest atmosphere of all
the terrestrial planets, consisting 97%
CO2
• The surface temperature of Venus is
high enough to melt lead.
• Diameter 12,100km which is 644km
smaller than of Earth.
• Venus moves around the sun to
complete its orbit in 225 Earth days.
• Rotates on its axis clockwise in 244
Earth days.
• Atm. of 100 time the pressure on
Earth.
 Earth: Our Home Planet
• Rotates 24 hours on its axis and revolves
around the sun for 365.25 Earth days and
6 hours.
• 15oC or 59oF.
• Layer of atmosphere that blocks
ultraviolet rays which protects life on
Earth.
• This layer mainly contributes to the
greenhouse effect that traps the heat
rising from Earth’s surface to maintain the
temp. that enables the planet to support
life.
• Has 1 moon that revolves around it for
29.5 Earth days.
• The largest among the terrestrial
planets and the densest planet in the
solar system.
 Mars: Red Planet
• 2 Satellites
• 2 bodies that are assumed to be captured
asteroids rather than naturally occurring
moons like on Earth.
• Deimos
• Phobos
• ½ of the diameter of Earth.
• 687 days to revolve, 24 hours and 37
mins. to rotate.
• Temperature ranges from -140oC (-
220oF) @ its poles during winter.
• 20oC (68oF) at its equator during
summer.
• 95% CO2 with small amounts of N, O, and water vapor.
• Polar caps appear and disappear along the season.
• 4 topographic regions.
• One region has inactive volcanoes
• System of canyons, (Valles Marineris)
• Plateaus near poles
• Cratered Highlands
• Largest volcano, Olympus Mons
• 2nd most studied planet.
• The only form of water is ice.
• The color on its surface is because
of rust or iron oxide.
Jovian/Gas Planets
• Made primarily of liquids and gases unlike the terrestrial planets.
• Same compounds found in the sun.
• Have several satellites and rings, although the rings of Saturn are
easily seen from earth.
 Jupiter
• Largest of all the planets.
• Mass is 2.5 times greater than that of all
the planets and other objects.
• Encircles the sun once in every 12 yrs. and
the fastest rotating planet. (10 Earth hours).
• Atmosphere contains methane, ammonia,
carbon, hydrogen sulfide and water.
• Has a very faint, thin ring as seen by
spacecraft Voyager 1 in its mission in the
1970s.
• The coldest part is found in its cloudy
layer, -145oC, middle part before reaching
the core is at least 9700oC. The hottest
portion is the core (30,000oC)
• Has alternating dark-colored belts and
light-colored zones.
• Dark colored belts
• Contain cool materials that sink then become
warm.
• Light-colored zones
• Made mainly of warm materials that rise then
become cool.
• Because of this continuous cooling, Jupiter
has been shrinking 2 centimeters every
year since its formation
• The most prominent feature “The Great Red Spot”.
• Large storm first observed by Robert Hooke,. This storm is located near its
equator.
• 2x the size of the Earth and the clouds of the storms rotates in
counterclockwise direction every 6 days.
• Has been seen on the planet for at least 300 years.
• 67 as moons.
• 4 largest moons (Discovered by Galilei)
• Io
• Europa
• Ganymede
• Calisto
 Saturn (The Planet with Prominent Rings)
• 2nd Largest Planet in the Solar System.
• 29 years to revolve
• 62 Moons with 9 of which still to be
named.
• 23 of the Moons were formed alongside the
planet.
• Titan, the 2nd largest satellite.
• Has dark and light regions close to the
equator like the Jupiter.
• Has a features that is similar to the Great
Red Spot of Jupiter.
• The rings consist of countless dust
and ice particles.(Galileo)
• Located just above the equator.
• Designated with letters from A to G.
• The other rings were discovered after
“E” were named after the moons that
orbit them
• 3 divisions between the rings.
• Thickness is less than 1 km and
diameter is 250,000km.
• Cassini Division (Between A and B)
• Roche Division (Between A and F)
• Encke Division ( gap inside A ring)
Roche Division
Uranus (The sideways Planet)
• Its axis is 97.77 degree tilted on its side.
• 13 rings and 27 moons.
• Oberon and Titania
• Planet with the coolest atmosphere, with a mean temperature of -
197oC.
• 84 Earth years to revolve.
Neptune: The Windy Planet
• Windiest places in the entire Solar System with a
speed of 2400 kmh.
• 13 satellites.
• Triton, only large moon that is capable of retrograde
motion.
• Has 5 named rings, 2 of theses rings appeared
red and an indication of organic compounds.
• Twin planet of Uranus.
• Appeared blue in color because of the presence
of methane in their atmosphere.
• 165 Earth years to revolve.
•BLUE
•PINK
•YELLOW
•BROWN
•RED
•BROWN
VIOLET