The Solar System

THE SOLAR SYSTEM

 
Introduction

The Solar System is made up of all the planets that orbit our Sun. In addition to planets, the Solar System also consists of moons, comets, asteroids, minor planets, and dust and gas.

 

Everything in the Solar System orbits or revolves around the Sun. The Sun contains around 98% of all the material in the Solar System. The larger an object is, the more gravity it has. Because the Sun is so large, its powerful gravity attracts all the other objects in the Solar System towards it. At the same time, these objects, which are moving very rapidly, try to fly away from the Sun, outward into the emptiness of outer space. The result of the planets trying to fly away, at the same time that the Sun is trying to pull them inward is that they become trapped half-way in between. Balanced between flying towards the Sun, and escaping into space, they spend eternity orbiting around their parent star.

 

THE SUN: Our Sun is not unique in the universe. It is a common middle-sized yellow star which scientists have named Sol. This is why our system of planets is called the Solar System. There are trillions of other stars in the Universe just like it. Many of these stars have their own systems of planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.

 

The Sun was born in a vast cloud of gas and dust around 5 billion years ago. Indeed these vast nebulae are the birth places of all stars. Over a period of many millions of years, this gas and dust began to fall into a common center under the force of its own gravity.

 

At the center, an ever growing body of mass was forming. As matter falls inward, it generates a tremendous amount of heat and pressure. As it grew, the baby Sun became hotter and hotter. Eventually when it reached a temperature of around 1 million degrees, its core ignited, causing it to begin nuclear fusion

 

When this happened, the Sun began producing its own light, heat, and energy.

 

PLANETS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

MERCURY:

Characteristics:

The planet Mercury is the closest of the planets to the Sun. Because this planet lies so close to the Sun, and as a result somewhat near to the Earth, it is visible to observers on Earth in the night time sky. Because of this, Mercury has become apart of the mythology and legend of almost every culture throughout the history of the Earth.

If you moved to Mercury you would not weigh as much as you do on Earth. Not because you would lose weight on the space ship, but because Mercury is smaller, and so has less gravity. If you weigh 70 pounds on Earth, you would weigh only about 27 pounds on Mercury.

Some Facts:

• Distance from the Sun: 57,909,175 km
• Equatorial Radius: 2,439.7 km
• Volume: 60,827,200,000 km3
• Mass: 330,220,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg  

VENUS:

 

 

 

 








Characteristics:

The planet Venus has long been one of the most misunderstood of all the inner planets. Like the Earth, Venus has an atmosphere. However, this atmosphere is far thicker than that of the Earth, making it difficult for modern science to penetrate.

 

Because we cannot see the surface of the planet Venus visually, there is much we still do not know about how this planet looks, and what it is like. However, using special instruments and probes scientists have in recent years unlocked many of the secrets long hidden by this mysterious world.

Because Venus and the Earth are almost the exact same size, you would weigh almost exactly the same on either planet. If you weighed 70 pounds on Earth you would weigh 63 pounds on Venus.

  

Some Facts:

• Distance from the Sun: 108,208,930 km
• Equatorial Radius: 6,051.8 km
• Volume: 928,400,000,000 km3
• Mass: 4,868,500,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg

VENUS:

 

 

Characteristics:

Earth is an ocean planet. Our home world's abundance of water - and life - makes it unique in our solar system. Other planets, plus a few moons, have ice, atmospheres, seasons and even weather, but only on Earth does the whole complicated mix come together in a way that encourages life - and lots of it.

 

The Earth is the biggest of all the terrestrial planets. A terrestrial planet is a dense planet found in the inner Solar System.

Some Facts:

• Distance from the Sun: 149,597,890 km
• Equatorial Radius: 6,378.14 km
• Volume: 1,083,200,000,000 km3
• Mass: 5,973,700,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg

MARS: 

 

 

 

Characteristics:

Mars is a cold desert world. It is half the diameter of Earth and has the same amount of dry land. Like Earth, Mars has seasons, polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons and weather, but its atmosphere is too thin for liquid water to exist for long on the surface. There are signs of ancient floods on Mars, but evidence for water now exists mainly in icy soil and thin clouds.

If you weighed 70 pounds on the Earth, you would weigh about 27 pounds on Mars.

Some Facts:

• Distance from the Sun: 227,936,640 km
• Equatorial Radius: 3,397 km
• Volume: 163,140,000,000 km3
• Mass: 641,850,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg

JUPITER:

Characteristics:

Jupiter, the most massive planet in our solar system -- with dozens of moons and an enormous magnetic field -- forms a kind of miniature solar system. Jupiter does resemble a star in composition, but it did not grow big enough to ignite. The planet's swirling cloud stripes are punctuated by massive storms such as the Great Red Spot, which has raged for hundreds of years.

 

This giant planet has no solid surface. Under its atmosphere is a large liquid ocean of hydrogen and water. What lies in between that ocean and the atmosphere? Actually there is no in between. The atmosphere slowly gets thicker and thicker until it becomes part of the ocean. In other words Jupiter's ocean has no surface on which you could float a boat. The sky slowly becomes the ocean.

 

If you traveled to Jupiter on vacation you would be very heavy. If you weigh 70 pounds on the Earth, on Jupiter you would weigh 185 pounds.

Some Facts:

• Distance from the Sun: 778,412,020 km
• Equatorial Radius: 71,492 km
• Volume: 1,425,500,000,000,000 km3
• Mass: 1,898,700,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg

SATURN:

 

 

 

Characteristics:

Adorned with thousands of beautiful ringlets, Saturn is unique among the planets. All four gas giant planets have rings - made of chunks of ice and rock - but none are as spectacular or as complicated as Saturn's. Like the other gas giants, Saturn is mostly a massive ball of hydrogen and helium.

 

Saturn is a favorite object for many observers. Its beautiful rings are 169,800 miles wide, but less thick than a football field. In many ways Saturn is similar to Jupiter, but it is much smaller. Under the clouds of methane and helium the sky gradually turns into liquid until it becomes a giant ocean of liquid chemicals.

Because Saturn is bigger than the Earth, you would weigh more on Saturn than you do here. If you weigh 70 pounds on Earth you would weigh 82 pounds on Saturn.

Some Facts:
Distance from the Sun: 1,426,725,400 km

Equatorial Radius: 60,268 km
Volume: 827,130,000,000,000 km3
Mass: 568,510,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg

 

URANUS:

  

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Characteristics:
 
Uranus is the only giant planet whose equator is nearly at right angles to its orbit. A collision with an Earth-sized object may explain Uranus' unique tilt. Nearly a twin in size to Neptune, Uranus has more methane in its mainly hydrogen and helium atmosphere than Jupiter or Saturn. Methane gives Uranus its blue tint.

 

Uranus is very odd. Unlike all the other planets and most of the moons in our Solar System Uranus spins on its side. It is believed that long ago a very large object smashed into this planet. The crash was so powerful that it completely changed the direction of Uranus' spin.

 

Uranus may have an ocean of water beneath its clouds. It has a large rocky core, and because of the tremendous pressure could possibly contain trillions of large diamonds.

 

Uranus is almost identical to the planet Neptune.

 

It would take you many years to fly a rocket to Uranus. When you arrived you would weigh more because Uranus is bigger than the Earth . If you weigh 70 pounds on the Earth you would weigh 82 pounds on Uranus.

 

 

Some Facts:

• Distance from the Sun: 2,870,972,200 km
• Equatorial Radius: 25,559 km
• Volume: 68,330,000,000,000 km3
• Mass: 86,849,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg

NEPTUNE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Characteristics:

 

Dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds, Neptune is the last of the hydrogen and helium gas giants in our solar system. More than 30 times as far from the Sun as Earth, the planet takes almost 165 Earth years to orbit our Sun. In 2011 it will complete its first orbit since its discovery in 1846.

 

Neptune has a giant storm much like the storm on Jupiter. This storm is often called The Great Dark Spot. We do not know how long this storm has been active, because it is so far away that we could not get a good view of Neptune until modern times when we began to send robot explorers.

 

For many centuries people did not know that this planet even existed. It was discovered by Johann Galle and Heinrich D'Arrest in 1846.

 

Neptune has six rings which circle the planet.  If you weigh 70 pounds on the Earth you would weigh 84 pounds on Neptune.

 

Some Facts:

• Distance from the Sun: 4,498,252,900 km
• Equatorial Radius: 24,764 km
• Volume: 62,526,000,000,000 km3
• Mass: 102,440,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg

PLUTO:

Characteristics:

Discovered in 1930, Pluto was long considered our solar system's ninth planet. But after the discovery of similar intriguing worlds deeper in the distant Kuiper Belt, icy Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet. This new class of worlds may offer some of the best evidence about the origins our solar system.



Pluto is smaller than 7 of the moons in the Solar System. Because it is so small many scientists don't consider it a planet at all. In 1999 a group of scientists attempted to redesignate Pluto as a comet.On August 24th, 2006 Pluto's status was officially changed from planet to dwarf planet. For decades children have been taught that there are nine planets in the Solar System. However, with this change, there are now only eight planets.

Pluto has never been visited by space craft. Because we have never sent probes to this planet we know very little about it.

Because Pluto is so small you would be very light if you visited. If you weigh 70 pounds on Earth, you would only weigh 4 pounds on Pluto.
 
 
CONCLUSION:
 
Everything in the Solar System orbits or revolves around the Sun. The Sun contains around 98% of all the material in the Solar System.
 
The larger an object is, the more gravity it has. Because the Sun is so large, its powerful gravity attracts all the other objects in the Solar System towards it. At the same time, these objects, which are moving very rapidly, try to fly away from the Sun, outward into the emptiness of outer space.
 
The result of the planets trying to fly away, at the same time that the Sun is trying to pull them inward is that they become trapped half-way in between. Balanced between flying towards the Sun, and escaping into space, they spend eternity orbiting around their parent star.


We have learned a lot today.