1. Earth Moon System Modeling

3. More than 2,000 years ago observers recognized special 'stars' in the night sky. These 'stars' didn't move the way other stars did. They wandered and seemed to have their own timetable separate from other stars. The Greeks named them 'wanderers', which was later translated to 'planet' in Latin.

4. Planets and Orbit Modeling
Figure P1. The Sun and the planets shown at the right relative sizes but not at the right relative distances from each other.
(Picture courtesy of Calvin J. Hamilton;

5. Planets and Orbits Transparency #2
Figure P2. Diagrams showing planets (in different color circles), asteroids (yellow dots) and comets (wedges) in the inner
Solar System (A), and in the outer part of the planetary realm of the Solar System (B) on October 1, Also shown in
the picture are the orbits of the planets Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, and Jupiter (A) and the Earth, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, and Neptune, as well as the orbits of the dwarf planet Pluto and the comets Halley and Hale-Bopp (B). These
views of the Solar System are from above the north pole of the Sun, high above the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the
Sun. (Picture credit: Paul W. Chodas, NASA/JPL; A

6. B
Figure P2. Diagrams showing planets (in different color circles), asteroids (yellow dots) and comets (wedges) in the inner
Solar System (A), and in the outer part of the planetary realm of the Solar System (B) on October 1, Also shown in
the picture are the orbits of the planets Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, and Jupiter (A) and the Earth, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, and Neptune, as well as the orbits of the dwarf planet Pluto and the comets Halley and Hale-Bopp (B). These
views of the Solar System are from above the north pole of the Sun, high above the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the
Sun. (Picture credit: Paul W. Chodas, NASA/JPL;

7. Planets and Orbits Transparency #3
Figure P3. Diagrams showing the planets (in different color circles), asteroids (yellow dots) and comets (wedges) in the
inner Solar System (A), and in the outer part of the planetary realm of the Solar System (B) on October 1, Also
shown in the picture are the orbits of the planets Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, and Jupiter (A) and the Earth, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, as well as the orbits of the dwarf planet Pluto and the comets Halley and Hale-Bopp (B).
These views of the Solar System are from the edge of the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun; the viewing angle is
rotated 90º from the pictures in Fig. P2. (Picture credit: Paul W. Chodas, NASA/JPL; A

8. Figure P3. Diagrams showing the planets (in different color circles), asteroids (yellow dots) and comets (wedges) in the
inner Solar System (A), and in the outer part of the planetary realm of the Solar System (B) on October 1, Also
shown in the picture are the orbits of the planets Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, and Jupiter (A) and the Earth, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, as well as the orbits of the dwarf planet Pluto and the comets Halley and Hale-Bopp (B).
These views of the Solar System are from the edge of the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun; the viewing angle is
rotated 90º from the pictures in Fig. P2. (Picture credit: Paul W. Chodas, NASA/JPL; B

9. Young Stars Transparency #1

10. Figure Y1. A picture of the Orion Nebula taken with the Hubble Space Telescope. Stars are being formed inside these
kinds of nebulae: interstellar clouds made of massive quantities of gas and dust spread over a large area. Over millions
of years, the gas molecules and dust particles come together and start to form stars. Each side of the picture above is
about 4 parsecs, or 13 light years, or 1.2×1014 km; or 7.6×1013miles; or 8,000 Solar Systems wide (if the size of the Solar
System is estimated as 100 times the average distance from the Earth to the Sun.) There is enough material in the cloud
to form hundreds of thousands of stars as massive as the Sun; about 3,000 young stars of various sizes can be found in
the picture. (Picture credit: NASA/ESA/M.Robberto (STScI/ESA)/Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team;

11. Young Stars Transparency #2

12. Figure Y2. A close up view of the Orion Nebula shows that there are objects inside it where young stars (bright/red points
in the callout boxes) are surrounded by a dark, disk-like patch of material. In some cases (the upper right-hand box), the
disk is seen edge-on, and the star is hidden from our view by the disk material, while in others, the system is seen from
the top or from an angle (the other three callout boxes.) The lower left-hand box shows that the disk structures are about
the size of the Solar System. Many objects like this have been discovered in interstellar clouds where stars are being born.
(Picture credit: NASA/ESA;
album/entire_collection/pr b/;

13. How do we figure out how the solar system formed
How do we figure out how the solar system formed? It happened once, a long time ago and no one was around to observe it.

14. We make observations and create theories that explain these observations.

15. If further observations call our explanation into question, we must create a new explanation that accounts for the new observations.

16. Take 15 to create an explanation for each of your observations.

17. Now Write up a hypothesis for the formation of the solar system.
Take 10 min.

18. SHARE!

19. The Origin of the Solar System: Solar Nebular Theory
Current leading theory.

20. Origin of Our Solar System
Nebular Theory – our Solar System formed from a giant, swirling cloud of gas & dust.
Solar nebula – name given to the cloud of gas from which our own Solar System formed
The nebular theory holds that our Solar System formed out of a nebula that collapsed under its own gravity.

21. Eagle Nebula

22. Gravitational Collapse
The solar nebular was initially somewhat spherical and a few light years in diameter.
very cold
rotating slightly
It was given a “push” by some event.
perhaps the shock wave from a nearby supernova
As the nebula shrank, gravity increased, causing collapse.
As the nebula “falls” inward, energy from the collapse is converted to heat.
Conservation of Energy
As the nebula’s radius decreases, it rotates faster
Conservation of Angular Momentum

23. Flattening of the Solar Nebula
As the nebula collapses, the wind created causes clumps of gas collide & merge.
Swirling winds cause the nebula to assume the shape of a disk.

24. As the nebula collapses, the centre heats up
As the nebula collapses, the centre heats up. The stellar winds cause the gases spins faster, and flatten out.

25. Orderly Motions in the Solar System
The Sun formed in the very center of the nebula.
temperature & density were high enough for nuclear fusion reactions to begin (uses hydrogen for fuel)
The planets formed in the rest of the disk.
This would explain the following:
all planets lie along one plane (in the disk)
all planets orbit in one direction (the spin direction of the disk)
most planetary orbits are near circular (avoids collisions in the disk)

26. Formation of the Inner Planets
Heavy particles don’t travel for on stellar winds
Stick to one another because of electromagnetic force created by spinning winds
When large enough, create own gravity and create more material
Form inner rocky planets.

28. Gaps in Saturn's rings are caused by “moonlets” tiny little moon-like objects sweeping through the dust and debris.

29. Formation of Outer Planets

30. SUMMARY SLIDE

31. Video

32. It is thought that the solar system is about 4.66 billion years old.

33. How big is a Billion?
1,000,000,000
1 billion seconds is 31 years, 251 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes
1 billion dollar bills = 100,000 meters tall
World Population ~7.2 Billion people (and growing)
2014 Budget of the United States federal government: 3.03 trillion dollars collected

34. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The world's tallest man-made structure is the m (2,722 ft) tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

35. Time line activity