Chapter 23.1
- 1. Chapter 23.1 The Solar System
- 2. Our solar system consists of 8 planets All planets travel in a elliptical orbit
- 3. Terrestrial planets Earth like, small and rocky Mercury Venus Earth Mars
- 4. Jovian planets Jupiter like, huge gas giants Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto fits into neither category
- 5. Size is the main difference between terrestrial and Jovian planets Earth’s mass is only 1/17 as great as Neptune’s Density, chemical makeup, and rate of rotation are different Density of terrestrial planets average about 5 times the density of water Planet Sizes
- 6. The Interiors of the Planets Substances that make up the planet are divided into 3 groups Gases Rock Ice: Ex. ammonia, methane, carbon dioxide, and water Terrestrial planets are mostly rocky and have metallic substances Jovian planets have large amounts of gases and ices
- 7. The Atmosphere of the Planets Jovian planets have thick atmospheres of helium, methane, and ammonia A planet’s ability to retain an atmosphere depends on its mass and temperature Jovian planets have greater surface gravities
- 8. Formation of the Solar System Nebular Theory – the sun and the planets formed from a rotating disk of dust and gases As the speed of rotation increased, the center began to flatten out causing matter to become more concentrated in the center, which is the sun
- 9. Bits of matter began to clump together, called accretion. Colliding matter formed small, irregularly shaped bodies called planetesimals. In the inner solar system, close to the sun, temperatures were high Only metal and silicate minerals could form. In the outer solar system, it was cold enough for ices to form.