1. The Beginning of the Universe
The universe was created billion years ago in an event known as the big bang
The universe started at an incredibly small volume
It rapidly expanded and cooled
four fundamental forces (gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces) were created

2. The beginning of The galaxy
The young universe did not have a perfectly even distribution of energy and particles.
Concentrations of matter formed into clouds, then condensed into stars and the collections of stars we call galaxies.
We live in a Galaxy known as the Milky Way

3. The Birth of the Solar System
The most prevalent theory is the Nebula theory.
Nebula: an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas and plasma
An explosion from a nearby star
caused the nebula to compress
and Rotate
Birth 5 billion years ago

5. The solar system continued
The center ball became the sun
The rest of the disc condensed into rings of dust and gas
The solar winds blew the lighter gases to the other rings.
Gravity caused the rings to collect and form planets

6. Some important terms
Light years or minutes (the amount of time light takes to travel such a distance)
When we see a star 4 light years away, we are actually seeing what it looked like for years ago
Year: The time it takes a planet to orbit the sun.
Day: The time it takes a planet to rotate 360 degrees.

7. The Sun Is a star like the millions of other stars in the universe
It is 8 light minutes away
The nearest star after the sun is 4.3 light years away.
The sun is mainly composed of H and He.
It behaves like an immense nuclear reactor, that will eventually run out of fuel
5770 C at the surface

8. Review
The Universe was created 12 – 14 billion years ago in an event called the big bang
We live in a galaxy called the milky way.
The solar system was created 5 billion years ago by an event called the Nebula Theory.

9. Review Continued
The Sun is a star composed mainly of Hydrogen and Helium
It is a nuclear reaction inside the sun is what keeps it shinning. The sun will eventually run out of fuel.

10. The search for life Is there life on other planets?
What would the life form look like?
What adaptations are necessary?
This subject has gathered much interest by the scientists.

11. Necessities of Life
Scientist are currently searching extreme environments on earth to see if the can find life.
The organisms that inhabit these extreme environments are known as extremophiles.
There are 3 basic necessities for life.
Liquid water
Other elements
A stable environment

12. Where should we Search for life?
Let’s take a look at our solar system.

13. The Planets The planets are divided into 2 types:
terrestrial
Jovian (gas Giants)
There are eight planets that rotate around the sun.
One dwarf
planet (Pluto)
and one
unclassified object
(Sedna).

14. Here’s how you remember the Planets and their order.
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pieces of Sushi.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Sedna

15. All the planets orbit in an almost circular orbit and in the same plane. (exception Sedna)
Pluto orbit is off by 17 degrees

16. The terrestrial planets
Consist of the four planets closest to the sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
Small in size compared to gas giants.
Compact and Rocky
Made mostly of heavy elements
Few moons.

17. Mercury Closest to the sun. No Atmosphere
Surface is covered in Craters
Temperatures up to 350 degrees Celsius on light side
Temperatures as low as -170 degrees on dark side

18. Venus Has a thick atmosphere composed mostly of CO2
creating the greenhouse effect
Temperatures as high as 480 degrees Celsius
Volcanic Surface

19. Earth Only planet known to contain life
75 % of the surface is made up of water

20. Mars It is called the red planet because it is covered in rusted Iron
Contains the solar system’s
biggest volcano (known as
Olympus Mons)
Atmosphere consisting of CO2
It is believed that it may have had life earlier on.
There are signs that there once was liquid water.
Is the most similar planet to Earth.

21. Exploring Mars Mars has been extensively studied
Currently NASA would like to see if there is liquid water at the polar ice caps

22. The Phoenix Mission

23. Day 1: Phoenix lands on Mars: Searching the Polar Ice caps
The Phoenix landed on Mars Sunday
Here is a picture
Icy ground

24. Asteroid Belt
Separates the Terrestrial Planets and Gas Giants.

25. The Gas Giants
Very big
Strong gravity and therefore have numerous moons
Farther from the sun, cooler
All have atmosphere
Atmosphere mostly composed of Hydrogen and helium
No solid surface
Consist of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

26. Jupiter Biggest planet in the solar System
One day = 9 hours and 55 minutes
However a year = 11.9 earth years
Has 16 moons
One such moon is
Europa

27. Europa Scientists are fascinated by this moon belonging to Jupiter.
an atmosphere consisting of Oxygen
Believed to have Liquid water beneath the Ice covered surface.
There are possibilities for life on this moon

28. Saturn It is surrounded by immense rings of rock and ice
The planet is less dense than water, and would float if dropped in a large ocean
Made up of Hydrogen and Helium

29. Uranus Atmosphere of Hydrogen, Helium and Methane
Methane gives it its blue color

30. Neptune
Twin Planet of Uranus, similar size and atmospheric composition

31. Pluto (dwarf planet) Smallest planet Furthest planet
Takes over 248 years to orbit the sun.

32. Sedna
The object is three times farther away from Earth than Pluto, making it the most distant known in the solar system.
It takes10,500 years to orbit around the Sun
Currently it is unclassified.

33. What is a satellite?
A natural satellite (a moon) is a celestial body that revolves around a planet.

34. Years on other Planets Planet Distance from Sun (millions Km)
Duration of year
Temperature degrees Celsius
Mercury
57.9
88 days
127
Venus
108.2
224.7 days
462
Earth
149.6
365.3 days 15
Mars
227.9
687 years
-63
Jupiter
778.4
11.86 years
-148
Saturn
1 427
24.46 years
-178
Uranus
2 871
84 years
-216
Neptune
4 498
165 years
-214

35. Trends
The further the planet is from the sun, the longer it takes the longer the year.
Generally the further the planet, the cooler the surface temperature (depends also on atmosphere).

36. What keeps the planets orbiting around the Sun?
The gravity from the sun, keeps the planets revolving around the sun.
Similarly when you drop an object on earth, gravity pulls the object towards the center of the earth.

37. Comets A ball of snow, ice, rock and dust.
Most comets revolve around the sun.
When the comet passes near the sun, the ice Sublimates and the gases disperse creating a tail.

38. Solar eclipse
Occurs when the moon has moved to a place that is exactly between the earth and the sun.

40. Lunar Eclipse
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth is exactly between the sun and the Moon.
The moon becomes masked by the shadow of the earth.