THE SOLAR SYSTEMCHAPTER 19

By; Noah, Kyle, Andrew, Andrew, Kyle

THE SUN• Nine planets orbit the sun• The closest star to Earth, and

because of it’s close distance it is bright enough to sustain life on Earth

• The Sun is the center of our Solar System

• The Sun’s surface is 15,000,000 degrees Celsius

• The Sun’s gravity keeps all of the planets in orbit, instead of flying off into space

• Its diameter is 1.4 million KM, 110 times the diameter of the Earth

Mercury

Closest planet to the Sun

Undertakes extreme temperatures

Is spotted with craters

Mercury is .4 AU from the sun

Has no atmosphere

Temperatures- 670K-103K

A day on Mercury is 176 Earth days

No life on Mercury, due to no atmosphere

Venus

• 2nd planet from the sun• .7 AU from the sun• Thick layers of carbon dioxide

clouds rest on Venus which make Venus very reflective

• Venus has mountains and plains• Unlike other planets, Venus rotates

in the opposite direction (east to west)

• Venus’s environment cannot support life because the atmosphere is thickly laced with sulfuric acid

• Venus has a very strong greenhouse effect

Earth

• Third planet from the sun

• Only planet that has proven to sustain life so far

• Has one moon

• 80 percent water

• Ideal conditions for life

• Earth’s atmosphere protects us from radiation from space

Mars

• Fourth planet from the sun

• Many missions have been sent to Mars

• Has the largest volcanoes in the Solar System

• Believed that water used to run on Mars

• Temp- 144K to 300K

Jupiter

• Gas Giant

• Fifth planet from the sun

• Great Red spot is a giant storm 3 times the size of Earth

• 61 moons

• 1 day on jupiter is 10 hrs, 1 year is 12 Earth years

Saturn

• Gas giant

• Biggest ring system

• 1 day is 10.7 Earth hours

• Rings are made of dust, ice, and rock particles

• Saturn may still be forming

• Saturn’s outer layers are made of helium

Uranus

• Gas Giant

• Gaseous atmosphere consists of hydrogen, helium, and methane

• Methane colors Uranus blue

• 7th planet from the sun

• 84 y to orbit the sun

• 30 AU from the sun

Neptune

• 8th planet from the sun• 1 day is 16 hrs• Very close atmosphere

to Uranus• 1 year on Uranus is

164 Earth years

Pluto

• The oddball planet• 1 y is 284 earth y• Discovered 1930• Solid icy surface, thin

gaseous atmosphere• Orbits sun on long

ellipse, on a different angle than the rest

• 40 AU from the sun

The Asteroid and Kuiper Belt

• Between Mars and Jupiter• Divides the inner/outer planets• Asteroids are 3km to 700km in

diameter• Made of iron, nickel, water,

rock• The Kuiper Belt lies on the

outside of the Solar System• Made of pieces of planets from

the formation of the Solar System

• Lies beyond the orbit of Neptune