1. Tour of the Solar System

2. General Properties of the Solar System There are two classes of planets:  The Terrestrial planets are small, solid bodies (rocks or iron) in the inner part of the Solar System.  The Jovian planets are hydrogen-rich gas giants in the outer part of the Solar System. Each planet is in a roughly circular orbit in the plane of the ecliptic, moving west-to-east in the sky.

3. Titius-Bode’s Law To estimate the semi-major axis of a planet’s orbit (in Astronomical Units): start with the sequence 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, etc. Add 4, divide by 10, and that’s the distance. This is Titius-Bode’s Law.

4. General Properties of the Solar System There are two classes of planets:  The Terrestrial planets are small, solid bodies (rocks or iron) in the inner part of the Solar System.  The Jovian planets are hydrogen-rich gas giants in the outer part of the Solar System. Each planet is in a roughly circular orbit in the plane of the ecliptic, moving west-to-east in the sky. Between Mars and Jupiter (where Bode’s Law predicts a planet) there are large numbers of small asteroids. Bode’s Law breaks down in the outer parts of the Solar System. Neptune is in the wrong place. Outside the orbit of Neptune is the Kuiper Belt of comets.

5. The Kuiper Belt

6. General Properties of the Solar System There are two classes of planets:  The Terrestrial planets are small, solid bodies (rocks or iron) in the inner part of the Solar System.  The Jovian planets are hydrogen-rich gas giants in the outer part of the Solar System. Each planet is in a roughly circular orbit in the plane of the ecliptic, moving west-to-east in the sky. Between Mars and Jupiter (where Bode’s Law predicts a planet) there are large numbers of small asteroids. Bode’s Law breaks down in the outer parts of the Solar System. Neptune is in the wrong place. Outside the orbit of Neptune is the Kuiper Belt of comets. Far past Pluto is the Oort Cloud of comets.

7. The Oort Cloud

8. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt

9. Mercury

10. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7°

11. Mercury resonance Mercury notes: many impact craters (looks like the Moon); very dense (mostly iron); rotation period exactly 2/3 of its orbital period (a resonance); very large day/night temperature difference; no atmosphere; no moon

12. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7°

13. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2°

14. Venus opticalultraviolet radar map Venus notes: similar in size and mass to Earth; extremely thick CO 2 atmosphere; sulfuric acid clouds; hottest planet in the Solar System; little temperature variance; evidence of volcanos on surface; rotates slowly (backwards); some impact craters; no moon

15. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2°

16. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6°

17. Earth and Moon Earth/Moon notes: double planet (Moon similar in size to Earth); extremely different surface conditions; Moon keeps its same side to the Earth at all times

18. Earth Earth notes: liquid water on surface; very dense (mostly iron); atmosphere of N 2 and O 2 (with trace amounts of CO 2 ); a few impact craters; small difference in day/night temperature; evidence of volcanos and tectonic activity; water vapor clouds

19. The Moon Moon notes: many impact craters; less dense than Earth (mostly rock); no atmosphere; large day/night temperature difference; evidence of past lava flows (only on side facing Earth); no present volcanos or tectonic activity

20. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6°

21. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6° Mars1.51.90.113.3  140/+20 24 h 37 m 24°

22. Mars Mars notes: medium density (rocks); polar ice caps (H 2 O and CO 2 ); thin CO 2 atmosphere; moderate daytime/night temperature changes; some impact craters; large canyons and volcanos; evidence for old river beds; dust storms; two small moons

23. Mars

25. The moons: Deimos and Phobos

26. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6° Mars1.51.90.113.3  140/+20 24 h 37 m 24°

27. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6° Mars1.51.90.113.3  140/+20 24 h 37 m 24° -------------------------------- The Asteroid Belt ------------------------------

28. The Asteroids Asteroid Belt notes: millions of small bodies; 26 greater than 200 km, 100,000 bigger than 1 km across; total mass less than Earth’s Moon; all (except Ceres) irregular in shape; Apollo asteroids cross the Earth’s orbit; Trojan asteroids in same orbital path of Jupiter; mostly iron, some rocky, some icy.

29. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6° Mars1.51.90.113.3  140/+20 24 h 37 m 24°

30. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6° Mars1.51.90.113.3  140/+20 24 h 37 m 24° Jupiter5.211.93181.34  130 9 h 50 m 1°1°

31. Jupiter Jupiter notes: gas giant (mostly H and He, with CH 4 and NH 3 ); strong winds; faint system of rings; rapid rotation (and slightly flattened); 4 large, many smaller moons; emits more energy than it receives from the Sun; contains more mass than all the other planets put together

32. Jupiter’s Rings

33. Jupiter’s Galilean Moons Io: density of 3.5; many volcanos; no impact craters Europa: density of 3.0; smooth icy surface; few impact craters Ganymede: density of 1.9; grooved surface; many impact craters Callisto:density of 1.8; covered with craters IoEuropa GanymedeCallisto

34. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6° Mars1.51.90.113.3  140/+20 24 h 37 m 24° Jupiter5.211.93181.34  130 9 h 50 m 1°1°

35. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6° Mars1.51.90.113.3  140/+20 24 h 37 m 24° Jupiter5.211.93181.34  130 9 h 50 m 1°1° Saturn9.529.4950.69  180 10 h 39 m 2°2°

36. Saturn Saturn notes: gas giant (mostly H and He, with CH 4 and NH 3 ); strong winds; bright complex system of rings; rapid rotation (and flattened); 1 large moon (Titan) with atmosphere plus many smaller moons; density less than water (it floats)!

37. Saturn’s Moons Titan: thick atmosphere of mostly N 2, CH 4 and NH 3 ; on the surface, oceans of methane; other moons are mostly icy, but show a wide variety of properties

38. Saturn’s Rings

39. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6° Mars1.51.90.113.3  140/+20 24 h 37 m 24° Jupiter5.211.93181.34  130 9 h 50 m 1°1° Saturn9.529.4950.69  180 10 h 39 m 2°2°

40. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6° Mars1.51.90.113.3  140/+20 24 h 37 m 24° Jupiter5.211.93181.34  130 9 h 50 m 1°1° Saturn9.529.4950.69  180 10 h 39 m 2°2° Uranus19.28414.51.29  220 17 h 14 m 98°

41. Uranus Uranus notes: gas giant (mostly H and He, with CH 4 and NH 3 ); discovered by Herschel (with telescope) in 1781; tipped 98° from ecliptic plane; moderately complex ring system; many icy moons with odd features

42. Uranus’ Tilt Miranda Moons of Uranus include: Belinda, Rosalind, Portia, Bianca, Cressida, Juliet, Desdemona, Puck, and Miranda

43. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6° Mars1.51.90.113.3  140/+20 24 h 37 m 24° Jupiter5.211.93181.34  130 9 h 50 m 1°1° Saturn9.529.4950.69  180 10 h 39 m 2°2° Uranus19.28414.51.29  220 17 h 14 m 98°

44. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6° Mars1.51.90.113.3  140/+20 24 h 37 m 24° Jupiter5.211.93181.34  130 9 h 50 m 1°1° Saturn9.529.4950.69  180 10 h 39 m 2°2° Uranus19.28414.51.29  220 17 h 14 m 98° Neptune30.116517.21.66  216 16 h 03 m 2°2°

45. Neptune Neptune notes: gas giant (mostly H and He, with CH 4 and NH 3 ); existence and position predicted mathematically in 1843 by John Couch Adams and Urbain LeVerrier; moderately complex ring system; many icy moons

46. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6° Mars1.51.90.113.3  140/+20 24 h 37 m 24° Jupiter5.211.93181.34  130 9 h 50 m 1°1° Saturn9.529.4950.69  180 10 h 39 m 2°2° Uranus19.28414.51.29  220 17 h 14 m 98° Neptune30.116517.21.66  216 16 h 03 m 2°2°

47. The Planets Name Distance (A.U.) Period (yr) Mass (M  ) Density (water) Temp (C) min/max Rotation (time) Tilt Mercury0.390.240.0565.4  170/+430 58 d 7°7° Venus0.720.610.824.2472  243 d 2°2° Earth1.0 5.55  50/+50 24 h 23° Moon0.0123.35  170/+130 29 d 6°6° Mars1.51.90.113.3  140/+20 24 h 37 m 24° Jupiter5.211.93181.34  130 9 h 50 m 1°1° Saturn9.529.4950.69  180 10 h 39 m 2°2° Uranus19.28414.51.29  220 17 h 14 m 98° Neptune30.116517.21.66  216 16 h 03 m 2°2° -------------------------------- Comets ------------------------------

48. Comets Kuiper belt Oort Cloud Comets notes: composition similar to dirty iceballs; many are in the Kuiper belt, outside the orbit of Neptune; most are in the Oort Cloud between 20,000 and 100,000 A.U. from the Sun; the comets we see are in highly elliptical orbits

49. The Kuiper Belt Kuiper Belt notes: predicted in 1951; sometimes called Trans- Neptunian Objects; many, many icy bodies (comets) in torus; Pluto is a (large) example of a Kuiper Belt object.

50. The First Kuiper Belt Object: Pluto Pluto notes: double object (with Charon); very small; discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh (if discovered today, would never be called a planet); orbit around the Sun is very elliptical, and is sometimes closer than Neptune); icy, similar to moons of outer planets

51. The Biggest Kuiper Belt Objects (So Far) Xena Gabrielle

52. The Oort Cloud

53. Next time -- Formation of the Solar System