The Solar System: An Introduction to Comparative Planetology
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This document provides an introduction to the Solar System, including summaries of each planet and some key facts. It discusses the Sun, the eight major planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune), Pluto, and compares their properties. It also includes diagrams showing the relative sizes of planets and layout of the Solar System, as well as descriptions of different types of space missions like flybys, orbiters, landers, rovers, aeroplanes, balloons, and subsurface explorers.
The Solar System: An Introduction to Comparative Planetology
- 1. The Solar System: AN INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE PLANETOLOGY
- 7. SUN Our Sun is just one of billions of stars in the disk- shaped galaxy called the Milky Way. Bright star clusters are visible along with darker areas of dust and gas. Our Sun is located in one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way.
- 8. FACT or BLUFF? The approximate temperature of the Sun’s surface is 5800 K, while the sunspot’s temperature is approximately 8100°F. FACT
- 9. MERCURY Mercury orbits closer to the Sun than any other planet, making it dry, hot, and virtually airless. Although the planet’s cratered surface resembles that of the Moon, it is believed that the interior is actually similar to Earth’s, consisting primarily of iron and other heavy elements. This composite photograph was taken in 1974 by Mariner 10, the first probe to study Mercury in detail.
- 10. FACT or BLUFF? The planet Mercury turns clockwise (east to west). BLUFF counterclockwise (west to east)
- 11. VENUS Venus is the brightest object in our sky, after the sun and moon. Swirling clouds of sulfur and sulfuric acid obscure Venus’s surface and inhibited study of the planet from Earth until technology permitted space vehicles, outfitted with probes, to visit it. These probes determined that Venus is the hottest of the planets, with a surface temperature of about 460° C (about 860° F).
- 12. FACT or BLUFF? Venus is the brightest object in the sky. It is often called the morning and the evening star. FACT
- 13. EARTH An oxygen-rich and protective atmosphere, moderate temperatures, abundant water, and a varied chemical composition enable Earth to support life, the only planet known to harbor life. The planet is composed of rock and metal, which are present in molten form beneath its surface. The Apollo 17 spacecraft took this snapshot in 1972 of the Arabian Peninsula, the African continent, and Antarctica.
- 15. MARS Scientists have determined that the planet’s atmosphere consists primarily of carbon dioxide, with small amounts of nitrogen, oxygen, water vapour, and other gases. Because the atmosphere is extremely thin, daily temperatures can vary as much as 100°C. In general, surface temperatures are too cold and surface pressures too low for water to exist in a liquid state on Mars. The planet resembles a cold, high- altitude desert.
- 16. FACT or BLUFF? Phobos & Deimos are named after the sons of the Roman God, Mars. In which, Phobos sets in the East while Deimos sets in the West. FACT
- 17. JUPITER Jupiter is the largest of the planets, with a volume more than 1,300 times greater than that of Earth. Jupiter’s colorful bands are caused by strong atmospheric currents and accentuated by a dense cloud cover. The massive planet comes with its four largest satellites: Io, Ganymede, Europa and Callisto.
- 18. FACT or BLUFF? Closer to Jupiter the strong field traps the charged particles. The entire region of particle-fields interactions is known as the magnetosphere. FACT
- 19. SATURN Saturn, distinguished by its rings, is the second largest planet in the solar system. This processed Hubble Space Telescope image shows the planet’s cloud bands, storms, and rings as they would appear to the human eye.
- 20. FACT or BLUFF? The discovery of the 9 moons of Saturn were reported in 2007 and these are in irregular shape and small. BLUFF 9 moons were announced in June 2006 and an additional 4 moons were reported in 2007.
- 21. URANUS Uranus’s blue-green colour comes from the methane gas present in its cold, clear atmosphere. The dark shadings at the right edge of the sphere correspond to the day-night boundary on the planet. Beyond this boundary, Uranus’ northern hemisphere remains in a four-decade-long period of darkness because of the way the planet rotates.
- 22. FACT or BLUFF? Astronomers have identified 13 rings of debris encircling Uranus’ equator. Five from the innermost rings were called D, C, B, A and F. BLUFF 5 rings of Uranus called Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon.
- 23. NEPTUNE This image of Neptune, taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, shows the planet’s most prominent features. The large, dark oval surrounded by white clouds near the planet’s equator is the Great Dark Spot, a storm similar to Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. The smaller dark oval with a bright core below and to the right of the Great Dark Spot is another storm known as Dark Spot 2.
- 24. FACT or BLUFF? Neptune is also classified as an ice giant planet, mainly made of the ice-forming molecules water, ammonia and methane. FACT
- 25. PLUTO Pluto is farther from the Sun than the major planets in the solar system, although it occasionally moves in closer than Neptune due to an irregular orbit. The small, rocky, and cold world takes 247.7 years to revolve around the Sun.
- 26. FACT or BLUFF? Charon, the moon, is about half of Pluto’s size and would appear in Pluto’s sky to be about six times the size of the Earth’s moon. FACT
- 27. BLACK
- 28. • Count 1 to 6 from your right side. • From the 6th, count 1 to 4 from your left side. • Then, KISS him/her (anywhere on his/her face).
- 29. • Count 1 to 10 from your left side. • From the 10th, count 1 to 3 from your right side. • Then, DESCRIBE him/her in 5 words (whether + or -).
- 30. • Turn back, count 1 to 4 from your right side. • From the 4th, count 1 to 2 from your right side. • Then, SMELL his/her foot in 10 sec.
- 31. • Simple... • Make a BIG MOLE near to your nose (like GMA’s mole).
- 32. • Hmmm... • Yummy... • Just SIP this!
- 33. • What makes your day? • NESCAFÉ... • POUR this into your mouth (mix it).
- 34. • Look! There’s a tornado! • Please TURN 10x in your area.
- 35. • Be happy! • You are lucky! • Simply, EAT this.
- 36. • Be proud! • RECITE the new Vision of BU. • Then say “Darna” (shout it please!).
- 37. BLACK • Sassy! Sossy! • PUT a powder into your face. • Then, share to your 2 favourite classmates (without using your hand, only face).
- 39. MAJOR PLANETARY POINTS MERCURY Scorched, heavily cratered VENUS Dense, Corrosive cloud cover EARTH Life Supporting MARS Great dust storms JUPITER Great Red Spot SATURN Spectacular ring systems URANUS Tilted on its side NEPTUNE Interesting Moons PLUTO Highly eccentric orbit With the exception of Pluto, all the planets are effectively in the equatorial plane of the Sun
- 40. OVERALL LAYOUT of the SOLAR SYSTEM
- 41. OVERALL LAYOUT of the SOLAR SYSTEM
- 42. OVERALL LAYOUT of the SOLAR SYSTEM
- 44. TYPES OF SPACE MISSION FLYBY The flights of the spacecraft close enough to celestial bodies to gather scientific data. Mariner 10 MESSENGER Spacecraft
- 45. TYPES OF SPACE MISSION A spacecraft designed to orbit a planet to examine its environment without landing on it. ISRO Indian Mars Orbiter Manglayaan 635 ORBITER
- 46. TYPES OF SPACE MISSION A space vehicle designed to land on a celestial body to explore its surface. Phoenix Lander LANDER
- 47. TYPES OF SPACE MISSION ROVER A crewed or uncrewed vehicle used in exploring the terrain of a planet and its satellites. Mars Exploration Rover
- 48. TYPES OF SPACE MISSION A heavier-than-air powered flying vehicle with fixed wings used to gather better images of the planet’s surface. NASA Airplane by William and Mary AEROPLANE
- 49. TYPES OF SPACE MISSION Venus’ Balloon Probe An impermeable bag, designed to float in the atmosphere to provide views of much broader areas of the surface. BALLOON
- 50. TYPES OF SPACE MISSION Martian Subsurface Explorer A spacecraft with radar that gives 3D understanding of how water may be distributed in the planet’s surface. SUBSURFACE EXPLORER
- 54. SATURN CalypsoAtlas Dione Enceladus Epimetheus Helene Hyperion Iapetus Janus Methone Mimas Pandora Phoebe Prometheus Rhea Telesto Tethys Titan
- 55. URANUS Ariel Miranda Oberon Titania Umbriel NEPTUNE Proteus Triton