1. Our Solar System Planets and other stuff!

2. The Sun Produces energy through nuclear fusion. ( 2 hydrogen nuclei fusing to make helium. Very hot: up to 15 million degrees C Our sun is about half way through its’ life, that means it has another 5 billion years to go!

3. The Sun Photosphere: inner layer, part you see Chromosphere: middle layer, shows color Corona: Outer Layer, means halo or “crown”

4. The Sun Solar Wind A stream of electrically charged particle from the corona When these particle enter near the poles you get aurora’s Sun Spots Areas of gas on the sun that are cooler then the gases around them Occur in groups or pairs

5. The Sun Prominences Link different sunspots together Make reddish loops Solar Flare When two prominences connect they release large amounts of energy. This heats up the gas and causes it to explode. These can cause magnetic storms n Earth upper atmosphere –They disrupt radio, telephone, and television signals

6. What is a Planet? Orbits the sun Round shape due to gravity Can clear its path In another system: –Orbits around a star –Not big enough for nuclear fusion –Meets size requirements

7. What is a Dwarf Planet –Orbits the sun –Nearly round shape –Can not clear its path –Is not a satellite

8. Types of Planets Inner Planets –Rocky or terrestrial –Have solid surfaces Outer Planets – “Gas Giants” –large planets –Do not have solid surfaces, but do have a solid core.

9. Our Solar System

10. Mercury Very dense planet No atmosphere Drastic temperatures (450°C- -170°C) No moons

11. Venus Started out very similar to Earth. Rotates east to west (retrograde rotation) Its’ day is longer then its’ year Atmosphere is very thick and full of carbon dioxide. This makes it a runaway greenhouse and very hot. 460°C

12. Earth Think back to first semester if you don’t know about Earth! Only planet that can support life. (That we know about)

13. Mars Is red due to iron Polar ice caps Has seasons like Earth’s Thin atmosphere of Carbon Dioxide 2 moons: Phobos and Deimos

14. Asteroids Objects revolving around the sun that are too small and too numerous to be considered planets Made of rock and iron Most are in a belt between Mars and Jupiter

15. Ceres Smallest Dwarf Planet Only Dwarf Planet in the asteroid belt Rocky Core, Water and Ice layer, and a thin dusty crust

16. Jupiter Largest planet Atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium (same as the sun) Great red spot is a storm similar to a hurricane 62+ moons

17. Saturn 2 nd largest planet Lots of rings made of ice and rock Only planet that is less dense then water 53+ Satellites

18. Uranus Axis is tilted at 90 degrees Blue from Methane 27 moons Twice as far from the sun as Saturn

19. Neptune Blue with clouds Had a great dark spot that was a storm, but it died out Has rings 13 moons

20. Pluto Dwarf Planet Very cold and icy From 1979-1999 it was closer than Neptune. Has three moons

21. Haumea In the Kuiper belt 1/3 the size of pluto Makemake Also in the Kuiper Belt No satellites

22. Eris First Spotted in 2003, but not identified until 2005. Larger than Pluto Methane Surface

23. Comets A ball of ice and dust whose orbit is a long, narrow ellipse Consists of a head, coma, and tail

24. Meteors Meteoroid: A chunk of rock or dust in space Meteor: A streak of light in the sky produced by a meteoroid burning in Earth’s atmosphere Meteorite: A meteoroid that has hit Earth’s surface.