1. Astronomy in the new Millenium Volker Crede Grigory Rogachev

2. Formation of the Solar System Nebular contraction: Cloud of gas and dust contracts due to gravity; conservation of angular momentum means it spins faster and faster as it contracts

3.  Angular momentum – the tendency of a body to keep spinning. Conservation of angular momentum

4. Formation of the Solar System Condensation theory: Interstellar dust grains help cool cloud, and act as condensation nuclei

5. Lets name them (in correct order).  Mercury. (0.38 AU from the Sun)  Venus. (0.72 AU)  Earth. (1.0 AU ≈ 100,000,000 miles)  Mars. (1.52 AU)  Jupiter. (5.2 AU)  Saturn. (9.52 AU)  Uranus. (20 AU)  Neptune (30 AU)

6. Planets

7. Mercury

8. Mercury’s “cool” features.  Mercury is the only planet in the solar system which has no atmosphere!  Mercury rotates very ssslllloooowwwlllyyy. One day on Mercury equals to 176 Earth days!  Mercury’s day side gets fried by the Sun to the temperatures high enough to melt Lead!  Mercury’s night side gets so cold that oxygen would be liquid there!

9. Venus

10. Venus’s surface

11. “Cool” Venus features. (HOT actually)  Venus is the hottest planet in the Solar system! (900 o F – twice as hot as your oven can do).  Venus’s atmosphere is 90 time thicker then Earth’s atmosphere!  HOT, Crashing and Orange/Red…  And, eh, it is also very sloooooooooow. One Venus’s day = 243 Earth’s days and it rotates the wrong way!

12. Any pictures? A photograph of the surface, from the Venera lander, which did not survive for long though…

13. Earth

14. Moon

15. Visitors Apollo 11 landing cite – Moon, Sea of Tranquility, July 1969.

16. Final phase of the total Solar Eclipse: diamond-ring effect Total Solar eclipse Solar Eclipse

17. Mars  We learned SO much about Mars during the last decade!  Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, and Mars orbiter Odyssey are diamonds in our scientific portfolio.

18. Mars

20. Mars’s “cool” facts. (wet actually)  A long, long time ago…  In a galaxy far, far away…

21. Mars’s “cool” facts. (wet actually)  1 or 2 billion years ago Mars was covered with liquid WATER!

22. “Cool” facts. (cont.)  Mars is home of the largest mountain in the Solar system – Olympus mons. 25 km high!  Mars has the largest and the deepest canyon in the Solar system – Valles Marineris. It is as big as the entire USA and 7 km deep.

23. Comets

24. Gas Giants  Gas Giants are …  Well, gas giant.  They consist almost exclusively of gas, hydrogen and helium.  Lots of gas!

25. Jupiter

26. “Cool” fact about Jupiter  Jupiter is the Largest and the most massive planet in the Solar system.  If it would be just 80 time heavier it would become a star!  Jupiter has storm which is at least 300 years old! (Great Red Spot).  It looks like a zebra.

27. Jupiter moons

28. Saturn

29. Saturn rings

30. Uranus

31. Neptune

32. What else is out there?

33. Asteroids

34.  Impact of a large asteroid can be VERY unpleasant.

35. Giant impact 65 millions years ago asteroid impact caused the Cretaceous extinction

36. Meteoroid  Small rocky object in space.  If burn in the atmosphere – meteor.  If survived the atmosphere and hits the ground – meteorite.

37. Grand design