1. Objective 05/9/2012
Describe how the solar system formed.
Intro
How do you think our solar system formed?
DO NOW
- Check and Hand in Missing Assignments!

2. Solar System

3. Solar System Solar nebula Solar system
A small part of a nebula where the clouds of gas and dust create our solar system
Consists of a star (or stars) with planets and other objects orbiting around it

4. Solar System Formation of our solar system
Solar nebula begins to collapse
Gas and dust particles begin to collide to create planetismals (tiny planets)
Planetismals grow larger to become planets

5. Solar System
Sun begins nuclear fusion and remaining gases and dust particles are blown out of the system

6. Solar System Rocky planets Gas planets
The denser, heavier dust particles and planetismals “sink” towards the Sun’s gravity creating the four rocky planets
The lighter, gaseous particles did not “sink” easily towards the Sun and created our gas planets

7. Solar System Order of Planets Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn
Uranus
Neptune

8. Solar System Asteroid belt
Chain of large rocky objects orbiting the sun
Between Mars and Jupiter
Believed to have once been a planet trying to form, but Jupiter’s strong gravity prevented its creation

9. Solar System Why is Pluto not a planet anymore?
All the planets keep their same orbital positions
Pluto’s orbit brings it closer to the Sun than Neptune
All the planets are on the same plane
Pluto’s plane is either above or below the planetary plane

10. Solar System Why is Pluto not a planet anymore? (continued)
All dense, rocky material is closer to the Sun and lighter, gaseous material farther away
Pluto is dense and rocky, but it’s farther out than the gas planets
Beyond Pluto there are hundreds of other Pluto-like objects
If we call Pluto a planet, than we must call all the hundreds of other objects planets too

11. Solar System So what is Pluto? Dwarf planet 2 theories
Moon of Neptune that got bumped out of Neptune’s orbit
Giant asteroid that was captured by Sun’s gravity

12. Solar System Beyond Pluto Oort cloud & Kuiper belt
Cloud of icy, rocky objects that surround our solar system in all directions
Comets originate here

13. Objective 05/9/2012
Describe how the solar system formed.
Outro
After going over the facts, do you believe Pluto should still be considered a planet? Why or why not?