SOLAR SYSTEM

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SOLAR SYSTEM
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THE PLANETS AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM
I. THE INNER PLANETS TOPIC 1 Two groups of
planets A. Inner or terrestrial planets -
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars B. Outer or Jovian
planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
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MERCURY
TOPIC 2 MERCURY Characteristics 1. Size -
Diameter of 1/3 of Earth 2. Distance from sun -
.39 AU 3. Magnetic field - slight 4. Surface
Temperature - 400 C to -200 C 5. Surface
Features - 75 cratered
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MERCURY
TOPIC 2 (CONT.) 6. Sidereal period - 88 days
(note rotates once every 5 days) 7. Moons or
Rings - none 8. Other - Virtually no atmosphere
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MERCURY
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MERCURY
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MERCURY
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VENUS
TOPIC 3 VENUS Characteristics - phases 1.
Size - Same as Earth 2. Distance from sun -
.7AU 3. Magnetic field - yes 4. Surface
Temperature - 475 C a. why? Greenhouse effect
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VENUS
TOPIC 3 CONT. 5. Surface Features - Volcanoes,
Mountains, Craters, Plateaus 6. Sidereal Period
- 273 Days 7. Moons or Rings - No 8. Other -
Atmosphere 95 CO2 2N, Rotates Backwards
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VENUS
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VENUS
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VENUS
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VENUS
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EARTH
EARTH RISE
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MARS
TOPIC 5 MARS Characteristics 1. Size - 1/2
diameter of Earth 2. Distance from sun - 1.5
AU 3. Magnetic Field - yes 4. Surface
Temperature - 27 C to -125 C 5. Surface
Features - CO2 Polar Ice caps, Craters, Dormant
Volcanoes
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MARS
TOPIC 5 CONT. 6. Sidereal Period - 687 days 7.
Moons or rings - 2 moons, Phoebes Deimos. Both
are very small and very close! Captured
Asteroids? 8. Other - Atmosphere very thin -
95CO2, 5N
Life? 1/150
Atmospheric pressure
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MARS
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MARS
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MARS
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MARS
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MARS
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PHOBOS AND DIEMOS
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JOVIAN PLANETS
II. THE OUTER PLANETS TOPIC 6 THE JOVIAN
PLANETS A. Definition - Large, Gaseous, beyond
asteroid belt B. General Characteristics - Made
of lighter elements H, He vs. O, Si,
Fe Consists of 3 layers - core, liquid mantle,
gaseous outer layer. Rings - Moons
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JUPITER
TOPIC 7 JUPITER A. Visiting Spacecraft - 4
Spacecraft, Pioneer, Voyager I II B.
Characteristics 1. Size - Largest planet 2.
Distance from sun - 5.2 AUs 3. Magnetic field
- Yes, strongest of all planets 4. Surface
Temperature - 5. Surface Features - Red Spot
3Xs the size of Earth Bands
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JUPITER
TOPIC 7 JUPITER 6. Sidereal Period - 11.9
yrs 7. Moons or Rings Many, at least 16,
Almathea, IO (Volcano), Europa (Life?), Ganymede
(Largest), Callisto 8. Other - Lightning
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Jupiter and its moons
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THE GREAT RED SPOT
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SATURN
TOPIC 8 SATURN Characteristics 1. Size -
Comparable to Jupiter 2. Distance to sun - 9.5
AUs 3. Magnetic field - yes 4. Surface
Temperature - -235 F 5. Surface Features -
Rings, Bands 6. Sidereal Period 29.5 Years
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SATURN
TOPIC 8 CONT. 7. Moons and Rings - Many Moons,
at least 20! Titan, Mimas, Rhan, Dione, Tethys,
Iuputus, etc. MANY RINGS! 8. Other Least
dense planet, less dense than water.
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Saturn and its moons 
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URANUS
TOPIC 9 URANUS A. Discovery - William Herschel,
1781 1st to be discovered Galileo saw it but
did not know it was a planet B. Characteristics
- 1. Size 3RD Largest 2. Distance from sun
- 19 Aus 3. Magnetic field - yes, upside
down 4. Surface Temperature - -200 C
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URANUS
TOPIC 9 URANUS 6. Sidereal Period- 84 years 7.
Moons or Rings - Many (at least 15 small
moons) Many (5 thin rings) 8. Tilt -
Pole tilts toward sun 9. Other
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URANUS
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URANUS AND RINGS
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NEPTUNE
TOPIC 10 NEPTUNE A. Neptune 1. Discovery
John Adams, England 1845 2. Visiting Spacecraft
- Voyager 2 1989 3. Characteristics - a.
Size - Twin to Uranus b. Distance from sun - 30
Aus c. Magnetic Field - Yes
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NEPTUNE
TOPIC 9 CONT. D. Surface Temperature - -214
C E. Surface Features - Greenish Blue, H2 CH4
Detected F. Sidereal Period - 165 years, 16 hrs/
1 day G. Moons or Rings - Triton, Nereid H.
Other
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Neptune gets its blue color from methane gas
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PLUTO
TOPIC 9 CONT. 1. Discovery 1930 2. Visiting
Spacecraft - None 3. Characteristics - a. Size
smallest planet b. Distance from sun - 34
Aus c. Magnetic field d. Surface
Temperature- -220 C
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PLUTO
TOPIC 10 CONT. E. Surface Features - Rocky? F.
Sidereal Period - 248 yrs. G. Moons or Rings
-Charon H. Has a very elliptical orbital
pattern. Will actually orbit inside of Neptune at
times!
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SOLAR SYSTEM
http//liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/space/solarsy
stem/solarsystemjava.html
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OUR SUN
CHARACTERISTICS MADE UP OF 92 HYDROGEN (MOST
ABUNDANT GAS IN THE UNIVERSE) SUNS CORE TEMP IS
15,000,000 DEGREES CELCIUS MAIN SEQUENCE (ADULT
STAR) 300,000 TIMES MORE MASSIVE THAN THE EARTH
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OUR SUN
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Asteroids

• Small rocky objects that revolve around the sun
  (name means starlike bodies) also minor planets
  or planetoids
• Move in highly elliptic orbits between the inner
  and outer planets

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MILKY WAY
GALAXY WHICH OUR SOLAR SYSTEM IS
LOCATED. CONTAINS 100 BILLION STARS. SPIRAL
GALAXY CLOSEST NEIGHBOR MEGELLANIC CLOUDS
(IRREGULAR GALAXIES) 150,000 LIGHT YEARS AWAY
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