OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
OUR POWERHOUSETHE SUN
The Sun
Fast Facts:
Distance from Earth:
Diameter:
Temperatures:
Core:
Surface:
Rotation:
Composition:
Mass:
149.6 million km
1,390,000 km
16 million degrees C
6,100 degrees C
28.6 days
71% hydrogen
26.5% helium
2.5% other elements
332,900 x Earth’s
MISSIONS TO THE SUN:
Ulysses is the first spacecraft to study the unexplored
region of space above our Sun’s poles. It was launched in
Oct 1990.
The international Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
spacecraft has been keeping a steady watch on the Sun
since April 1996. Keeping the Sun under almost constant
observation, SOHO has been able to warn Earth about
approaching coronal mass ejections that could potentially
disrupt communications.
INTERESTING TIDBITS:
- The next star is almost 300,000 times the distance from the
Earth to the Sun!
-You would have to explode 100,000,000,000 tons of dynamite
every second to match the energy produced by the Sun.
- 99.8% of the mass of the solar system is in the Sun.
SOHO
There are millions of similar stars in the Milky Way
Galaxy (and billions of galaxies in the universe). Our
Sun supports life on Earth. It powers photosynthesis
in green plants and is ultimately the source of all food
and fossil fuel. The connection and interaction between
the Sun and the Earth drive the seasons, currents in
the ocean, weather, and climate.
MERCURY
The Planet Mercury
Fast Facts:
Namesake:
Diameter:
Distance from Sun:
Temperatures:
Day:
Night:
Rotation:
Revolution:
Messenger of the Roman Gods
4878 km (The Earth is 12,756 km)
57.8 million km (36 million miles)
467 degrees C
-183 degrees C
59 Earth days
88 Earth days
Biggest Temperature
Difference in the
Solar System!
MISSIONS TO MERCURY:
MESSENGER is a scientific investigation
of the planet Mercury. Understanding Mercury,
and the forces that have shaped it, is fundamental
to understanding the terrestrial planets and their
evolution.
MESSENGER's journey will include one Earth flyby,
two Venus flybys and three Mercury flybys before it
enters orbit in 2011. The flybys will help focus the
science mission when MESSENGER enters orbit.
The spacecraft is expected to orbit Mercury for one year.
Messenger
MESSENGER was launched on August 2, 2004.
INTERESTING TIDBITS:
MESSENGER is only the second spacecraft sent to Mercury.
The last one - Mariner 10 - completed its mission in 1975.
Mercury is the least explored of our solar system's inner planets.
Mariner 10
VENUS
Earth’s
Sister
Planet
The Planet Venus
Fast Facts:
Namesake:
Diameter:
Distance from Sun:
Temperature:
Rotation:
Revolution:
Atmosphere:
Roman Goddess of Love
12,100 km (The Earth is 12,756 km)
108.2 million km (67 million miles)
484 degrees C (900 degrees F)
243 days (Retrograde)
225 Earth days
The OPPOSITE of
Carbon Dioxide
the Earth’s rotation!
The HOTTEST planet
in the Solar System!
MISSIONS TO VENUS:
Mariner 2, developed to fly by Venus, studied the planet's
atmosphere and surface. It was launched in Aug 1962.
Mariner 5 flew within 4,000 kilometers (approximately
2,500 miles) of Venus. It was launched in Jun 1967.
Magellan orbited Venus and mapped 99 percent of its
surface when it was launched in May 1989.
Mariner 2
INTERESTING TIDBITS:
- Venus is only similar to the Earth in size, mass and
composition.
- It contains sulfuric acid clouds and it’s atmosphere contains
Abut 96% carbon dioxide.
- It’s atmosphere is so dense it’s surface pressure is
90 times that of Earth!
-Because of the “Greenhouse Effect” Venus is the hottest planet
in the solar system
Magellan
EARTH
The Planet Earth
(The only planet known to
contain life)
Fast Facts:
Diameter:
Distance from Sun:
Rotation:
Revolution:
Tilt:
12,756 km
149.6 million km
23.93 hours
365.26 days
23.45 degrees
INTERESTING TIDBITS:
- All of the things we need to survive are provided
under a thin layer of atmosphere that separates us
from the uninhabitable void of space.
- Oceans at least 4 km deep cover nearly 70 percent
of Earth's surface.
MISSIONS TO EARTH:
Sputnik was the opening shot in the space race between
the United States and the former Soviet Union. The
basketball-sized spacecraft was the world's first artificial
satellite. It orbited the Earth sending back a beeping signal
for 23 days. It was launched in Oct 1957.
Explorer 1 was the first spacecraft successfully launched by
the U.S. It orbited Earth every 115 minutes. It carried
instruments to measure cosmic rays, micrometeorites, and
its own temperature, transmitting this data until February 28,
1958. Explorer 1 found a radiation belt around Earth.
The Galileo spacecraft found evidence of life on Earth. Not a
surprising discovery, but the use of instruments to detect traces
of life in a planet's atmosphere will be useful as future space
probes continue to seek evidence of life beyond Earth.Galileo's
cameras captured unique never-before-seen views of
Antarctica and also the Earth and Moon together - a glimpse
at what someone from another world might see as they
approached our little piece of the solar system. Galileo was
launched in Oct 1989.
Sputnik
Explorer 1
From the vantage point of space we are able to observe our planet globally, as we do
other planets, to understand the delicate balance among its oceans, air, land, and life.
THE MOON
The Moon
Fast Facts:
Diameter:
Mass:
Rotation:
Revolution:
Average Distance
from Earth:
Temperature:
Day:
Night:
Gravity:
3,476 km
1/81the Mass of Earth
27.3 days
27.3 days
384,400 Km (238,850 mi)
123 degrees Celsius
-233 degrees Celsius
1/6th of Earth’s
So, if you can jump 2 feet
on the Earth you can jump
12 feet on the moon!
How would the temperature,
and the absence of
- Galileo made the first telescopic observationsgravity
of the moon.
- Temps range from -387 to 253 °F
an atmosphere affect human
- About 842 pounds of Moon rocks and soil have been returned
colonization?
by Apollo astronauts.
INTERESTING TIDBITS:
MISSIONS TO THE MOON:
-Pioneer 4 was the first successful U.S. mission to the
Moon and the first U.S. spacecraft to escape Earth's
gravity. It was the first American spacecraft to achieve
an orbit around our Sun. It was launched in Aug 1958.
-The Apollo program was designed to land humans on
The Moon and bring them safely back to Earth.
Six of the missions achieved this goal and two circled the
Moon and took photos of it’s surface. The program lasted
from 1963-1972.
- Other past programs: Ranger, Explorer, Surveyor,
Clementine, Lunar Prospector.
Apollo 12 Mission
CURRENT PROGRAMS TO STUDY THE MOON:
- Two Japanese and one European Space Agency probes.
FUTURE MISSIONS:
The proposed Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter would use
powerful instruments and cameras to identify future landing
sites for future robotic and human explorers. It would be
launched in Sep 2008.
Ranger 7
MARS
The Planet Mars
Fast Facts:
Namesake:
Diameter:
Distance from Sun:
Temperature:
Rotation:
Revolution:
Atmosphere:
Moons (2):
Gravity:
Roman God of War
6,786 km (The Earth is 12,756 km)
253 million km (142 million miles)
-143 degrees C to 17 degrees C
24.6 hours
Man-made,
Alien-made
687 Earth
days
naturally occurring? :-)
Carbon or
Dioxide
Phobos and Deimos
1/3 of Earth’s
MISSIONS TO MARS:
Four Mariner satellites took pictures and orbited Mars from
1964-1972.
Vikings 1 and 2 landed on Mars in the fall of 1976.
Spirit is the first of the twin Mars Exploration Rovers to reach
Mars in January 2004. Its robotic twin- Opportunity landed on the opposite side of the planet.
Spirit
Launched in Aug 2005, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
will track changes in Mars' atmosphere,look for more evidence
of ancient seas and hot springs and study surface minerals.
Five other Mars missions are planned for the future to study it’s
ice caps, soil and to bring back samples to Earth.
INTERESTING TIDBITS:
- Mars has the highest volcanic mountain in the solar system 27 km high and 600 km accross
- It also has a canyon that stretches the distance from New
York to Los Angeles
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
ASTEROIDS
Mathilde, Gaspra and Ida
ASTEROIDS
- Asteroids are rocky fragments left over from the
formation of the solar system
- Most are fragments of ancient space rubble
- They orbit the Sun in a belt between Mars and Jupiter
- They range in size from Ceres, which at 940 km in
diameter (about one-quarter the diameter of our Moon),
to bodies that are less than 1 km across. There are more than
90,000 numbered asteroids and over a million total.
TERRESTRIAL
PLANETS:
- Solid surfaces
- Similar densities
JOVIAN
PLANETS:
- Gas giants
- Have rings
JUPITER
The Planet Jupiter
This storm has been
around for about
300 years!
Over 12 Earth
Fast Facts: diameters!
Namesake:
King of Roman Gods
Diameter:
143,200 km
Distance from Sun: 778.3 million km
(484 million miles)
Temperature:
-148 degrees C
Rotation:
9 hrs 55 min
Revolution:
11.9 Earth years
Io, Europa, Ganymede
Atmosphere:
Hydrogen and Helium
and Callisto - moons of
Moons:
63
Jupiter
Rings:
4
By far the most
in the solar system!
MISSIONS TO JUPITER:
-Pioneer 10 - the first spacecraft to travel
through the asteroid belt and take images and
other data about Jupiter.It launched in 1972
- Voyagers 1 and 2 - Both examined in detail
the active moons of Jupiter. Both were
launched in 1977. Voyager 1 is continuing
its journey toward interstellar space, and
is now farther from Earth than any other
spacecraft.
INTERESTING TIDBITS:
- More than 1,000 Earths would fit inside
Jupiter.
- It’s moon Io, is the most volcanically
active body in the solar system.
- It consist of the same material as the
Sun: hydrogen and helium
- It’s interior pressure may reach 100
million times the surface pressure on
Earth
Voyager 1
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
impact scars
PROMETHEUS ONE
NASA's proposed Prometheus One spacecraft could orbit three of Jupiter’s
most intriguing moons - Callisto, Ganymede and Europa. All three
planet-sized moons may have oceans beneath their icy surfaces. Prometheus
One could study the moons' makeup, history and potential for sustaining life in
unprecedented detail.
The spacecraft also could pioneer the use of electric propulsion powered
by a nuclear fission reactor. The propulsion system will provide enough
power to enter and leave the orbits of the moons. The engine development
is part of NASA's Prometheus initiative to pioneer new methods of space
propulsion. NASA is hoping for a launch around the year 2015.
SATURN
The Planet Saturn
“The Jewel of the Solar System”
Fast Facts:
Namesake:
Diameter:
Distance from Sun:
Temperature:
Rotation:
Revolution:
Atmosphere:
Number of Moons:
Rings:
Roman God of Agriculture
120,536 km (Earth is 12,756 km)
1.4 billion km (886 million miles)
-178 degrees C
10 hrs 40 min
29.5 Earth years
Hydrogen and Helium
46
Thousands
Saturn’s rings were
first discovered by
Galileo in 1610.
Saturn and one of its moons
MISSIONS TO SATURN:
- Pioneer 11 - The first to visit Saturn and
took close-up pictures. Launched in 1973,
it made to Saturn in 1979.
- Like Jupiter, Voyagers 1 and 2 also
collected data on Saturn.
INTERESTING TIDBITS:
- Saturn’s moon Titan is larger than Mercury
and Pluto.
- Thousands of rings made of up billions
of particles of ice and rock orbit Saturn. The
particles range in size from a grain of
sugar to the size of a house.
- The wind speeds at Saturn's equator can reach
1,100 mph. Earth's most violent tornadoes hit
200 mph.
Pioneer 11
Cassini
Cassini-Huygens
Cassini is the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn. The NASA orbiter is studying
the intriguing features of Saturn's system of rings and moons. It also
delivered the European Space Agency's Huygens Probe into the
atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan. The spacecraft reached speeds of
70,700 mph on its way to the ringed planet after being launched in 1997.
Just hours after it arrived at Saturn,
the orbiter sent back surprising science
data and images that shed new light on
the structure of Saturn's beautiful rings.
The orbiter's 4-year primary mission
should reveal much about Saturn and
its intriguing system of rings and moons.
One of the First images
of Titan’s Surface
URANUS
The Planet Uranus
“The Sideways Planet”
Fast Facts:
Namesake:
Diameter:
Distance from Sun:
Temperature:
Rotation:
Revolution:
Atmosphere:
Rings:
Moons:
Uranus rotates
Roman God, Father of the Titans “sideways”!
51,120 km (The Earth is 12,756 km)
2.9 billion km (1.8 billion miles)
-216 degrees C (-357 degrees F)
17 hrs 14 min
84 Earth years
Hydrogen and Helium
11
27
Saturn’s “beat up”
moon Miranda
MISSIONS TO URANUS:
- In 1986, Voyager 2 flew by Uranus at a
distance of 50,600 miles.
- No other missions have been to Uranus
and none are planned.
Voyager 2
INTERESTING TIDBITS:
-Uranus gets its blue-green color from methane
gas above the deeper cloud layers. Methane
makes up only 2% of the atmosphere.
- It is the only planet that is tilted on its side.
NEPTUNE
The Planet Neptune
Fast Facts:
Namesake:
Diameter:
Distance from Sun:
Temperature:
Rotation:
Revolution:
Atmosphere:
Number of Rings:
Number of Moons:
Roman God of the Sea
49,500 km (The Earth is 12,756 km)
4.5 billion km (2.8 billion miles)
-214 degrees C (-353 degrees F)
16 hours
165 Earth years
Hydrogen and Helium
4
13
MISSIONS TO NEPTUNE:
- In 1989, Voyager 2 skimmed the north
pole of Neptune by a mere 4800 kilometers
(3000 miles), and determined basic
characteristics of Neptune and its largest
moon Triton: color, cloud-top features,
size, mass, composition, temperature,
and rotation rate.
- No other missions are planned.
INTERESTING TIDBITS:
-Neptune is actually the farthest planet
from the Sun for a 20-year period out of
every 248 Earth years.
- Neptune may be the windiest planet in
the solar system. Winds tear through the
clouds at more than 1,200 mph (2,000 kph).
Saturn’s moon,
Triton
PLUTO
The Planet Pluto
Fast Facts:
Namesake:
Diameter:
Distance from Sun:
Temperature:
Rotation:
Revolution:
Moons:
Roman God of the Underworld
2,400 km (The Earth is 12,756 km)
5.9 billion km (3.7 billion miles)
-233 degrees C (-387 degrees F)
6.4 days
248 Earth years
1
MISSIONS TO PLUTO:
NEW HORIZONS
- This spacecraft would use imaging instruments
and conduct other experiments, to characterize
the geology of Pluto and its moon Charon, and
map their surface composition. New Horizons is
programmed to be launched in January 2006
and will reach Pluto around 2016.
INTERESTING TIDBITS:
- Pluto, the smallest planet, is the only planet
not yet visited by a spacecraft.
- Pluto and Charon are so far away they are
difficult to see - even with powerful telescopes.
Even the best pictures are very fuzzy. We can
only guess what Pluto's surface looks like.
New Horizons
Pluto and Charon
Taken by Hubble
COMETS
- Comets are big chunks of ice, rock and gas. They are dirty
snowballs leftover from the beginning of our solar system.
- Comets get their name from the Greek word "kometes" (long
hair) - a reference to their tails.
- Comets orbit the Sun like planets. Most comets orbit way out
beyond the orbit of Pluto.
MISSIONS TO COMETS:
- DEEP IMPACT: This spacecraft impacted
with comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005.
Debris from the impact is being studied.
- STARDUST: On January 2, 2004, Stardust
flew within 236 kilometers of Comet Wild 2
Deep Impact’s impact!
and captured thousands of particles for return
on Earth in January 2006.
- ROSETTA: Rosetta is on a 10-year mission
to explore a distant comet. It will orbit the comet
around 2014 and make observations for about
two years as the comet approaches the Sun.
Rosetta will also release a small lander packed
with scientific instruments to make the first-ever
Rosetta
landing on the surface of a comet.
OUR TENTH PLANET?
This artist's concept shows the planet catalogued as 2003UB313 at the lonely outer fringes of our
solar system. Our Sun can be seen in the distance. The new planet, which is yet to be formally
named, is at least as big as Pluto and about three times farther away from the Sun than Pluto. It is
very cold and dark. The planet was discovered by the Samuel Oschin Telescope at the Palomar
Observatory near San Diego, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2005.
WHAT IS THE KUIPER BELT?
The artist's rendition shows the
newly discovered planet-like object,
dubbed 'Sedna,' in relation to other
bodies in the Solar System, including
Earth and its Moon; Pluto; and Quaoar,
a planetoid beyond Pluto that was until
now the largest known object beyond Pluto.
The Kuiper Belt is made up of millions of icy and rocky objects that orbit our Sun beyond the
orbits of Neptune and Pluto. It's hard to say exactly what's going on in the Kuiper Belt. Even the
biggest of the Kuiper Belt Objects is smaller than the United States and it is billions of miles away
where the Sun's light is weak. After it flies past Pluto and Charon, the New Horizons spacecraft
will head into the Kuiper Belt. It will be the first spacecraft to explore this mysterious region.
OTHER PLANETS IN OUR GALAXY
In 1991, the nine worlds of our own solar system were the
only known planets. In 1991 radio astronomers detected the
first extrasolar planets orbiting a dying pulsar star. Since then
more than 100 planets have been found orbiting other stars.
“Hubble Takes First Image of a Possible Planet around
Another Star and Finds a Runaway World”
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has given astronomers their
first direct look at what is possibly a planet outside our solar
system — one apparently that has been ejected into
deep space by its parent stars. The image was taken on
August 4, 1997.
All information and images in this presentation was derived from
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).