Solar System Planets, moons, dwarf planets and comets Moons Mercury Venus Earth Mars Gas giants have many (usually small) moons

Solar System Planets, moons, dwarf planets and comets Dwarf planets include Pluto and the asteroids

Solar System Planets, moons, dwarf planets and comets Comets are ice, rock, and dust in eccentric orbits. They make a tail when they get closer to the Sun.

The Planets (scaled for size)

Mercury

Venus (in infrared)

Do you need a label?

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Pluto (dwarf planet) and its moon, Charon

A comet (notice the two tails)

Towards the Sun Direction of the comet

Body Diameter (Mm) Distance (AU) Mercury Venus12.72 Earth131 Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus5119 Neptune5030 Pluto2.239

Diameter Distance (Mm) (AU) Mercury Venus12.72 Earth131 Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus5119 Neptune5030 Pluto2.239

Diameter Distance (Mm) (AU) Mercury Venus12.72 Earth131 Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus5119 Neptune5030 Pluto2.239

There’s a reason for the seasons

The Earth’s axis is tilted! Summer in the northern hemisphere Summer in the southern hemisphere

Other stellar systems? As of Jan. 2010, 429 planets have been discovered around other stars.

Stars Nuclear fusion of hydrogen to helium releases the energy of a star.

The Herzsprung-Russell Diagram

Temperature—reversed and logarithmic!

Luminosity (How much light it makes)— logarithmic and compared to the Sun!

10 2 =100 times as bright as the Sun! =1/100 th as bright as the Sun!

10 3 ? ?

Denebola is a star. Its surface temperature is 8900k and it is 17 times as luminous as the Sun

Mark the position of Denebola on the Herzsprung- Russell diagram.

Denebola is a star. Its surface temperature is 8900k and it is 17 times as luminous as the Sun

Denebola Denebola is a star. Its surface temperature is 8900k and it is 17 times as luminous as the Sun

…there are kinds of stars? Size Temperature Age

…there are kinds of stars? Size: ~1/4 solar mass to 50 solar masses Temperature: ~ ,000 o C Age: brand new to ~10 billion years old.

…there are kinds of stars? Size: ~1/4 solar mass to 50 solar masses Temperature: ~ ,000 o C Age: brand new to ~10 billion years old. The Sun is an average star

…there are kinds of stars? A dimmer star, up close, can look brighter than a bright star far enough away. A hotter star is brighter than a cooler star (color indicates temperature) A larger star is brighter than a smaller star

How bright? Brighter objects get lower numbers!

Hotter stars look more blue, cooler stars look more red

Color Class Temperature BlueO,B,A(over 7500 o C) WhiteF( o C) Yellow G( o C) OrangeK( o C) RedM (less than 3500 o C) Oh, be a fine girl, kiss me!

Color Class Temperature fine Oh, be a fine girl, kiss me!

TypeColor Surface Temp Solar Mass Lum.Ex. O Blue>25,000 K 601,400,000 Lacertra B Blue 11, ,000K 1820,000 Rigel Spica A Blue 7, ,000 K Sirius, Vega F Blue / White 6, ,500 K 1.76 Canopus, Procyon G White /Yellow 5, ,000 K Sun, Capella K Orange / Red 3, ,000 K Arcturus, Aldebaran M Red< 3,500 K Betelgeuse Antares

A map of your neighborhood

Bright stars are big stars

The Herzsprung-Russel Diagram

Small stars Average stars Heavy stars Super-heavy stars

White dwarfs—small and hot

Red giants—large and cool

Binary stars

Neutron star

Black hole (?)

Special stars Brown dwarfs—barely big enough to start fusion reactions Variable stars—change brightness

Constellations Groups of visible stars in a recognizable pattern. Andromeda, the princess Antlia, the pump Aquarius, the water bearer Aquila, the eagle Aries, the ram Auriga, the chariot driver Bootes, the herdsman Caelum, the chisel Camelopardalis, the giraffe Cancer, the crab Canes Venatici, the hunting dogs Canis Major, the big dog Canis Minor, the little dog Capricorn, the goat Cassiopeia, the queen Cepheus, the king Cetus, the whale Columba, the dove Coma Berenices, Berenice's hair Corona Australis, the southern crown Corona Borealis, the northern crown Corvus, the crow Crater, the cup Cygnus, the swan Delphinus, the dolphin Draco, the dragon Equuleus, the little horse Fornax, the furnace Gemini, the twins Hercules, the hero Horologium, the clock Hydra, the water snake Lacerta, the lizard Leo Minor, the little lion Leo, the lion Libra, the scales Lupus, the wolf Lynx, the lynx Lyra, the harp Microscopium, the microscope Monoceros, the unicorn Ophiuchus, the sepent holder Orion, the hunter Pegasus, the flying horse Perseus, the Medusa killer Pisces Austrinus, the southern fish Pisces, the fish Puppis, the ship's stern Pyxis, the ship's compass Sagitta, the arrow Sagittarius, the archer Scorpius, the scorpion Sculptor, the sculptor Scutum, the shield Serpens, the snake Sextans, the sextant Taurus, the bull Telescopium, the telescope Triangulum, the triangle Ursa Major, the big bear Ursa Minor, the little bear Virgo, the virgin Vulpecula, the little fox

The Big Dipper (part of Ursa Major)

Casseopia

The Zodiac

Galaxies Spiral Barred Irregular

Other stuff--Nebulas Light and dark—a cloud of dust and gas A dark nebula blocks the light of stars behind it. A light nebula is lit by stars in front of it.

Other stuff-- Nebulas

Telescopes From “tele-” (far) and “scope” (seeing) Any part of the electromagnetic spectrum can be examined. Some telescopes must be in orbit (they cannot “see” through the atmosphere)

Refracting Telescopes (use lenses)

A Cassegraine Reflector Reflecting Telescopes (use mirrors)

Radiotelescopes (use antennas)

Space telescopes (above the atmosphere)

X ray and IR telescopes Must be in orbit

Observatories Buildings that house telescopes

Griffith Observatory (LA)

Palomar Observatory (CA)

Arecibo (PR)

Mauna Kea (HI)

National Solar Observatory (NM)

Lick (CA)

Caltech

Lowell (AZ)

Very Large Array (NM)