What is a Solar System?
A ______and all of the objects that travel in ______around it
The area of space that is influenced by the ______of a star
Our solar system is one of many others.
Objects in Our Solar System
The Sun
Planets
Dwarf Planets
Satellites/Moons
Comets
Asteroids
Meteoroids
Layout of our Solar System(Moving out from the center)
Sun
Inner Planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Asteroid Belt – asteroids anddwarf planet Ceres
Outer Planets- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Kuiper Belt-Pluto, Eris, 800 other objects (AKA Trans-Neptunian Objects or TNOs)
Oort Cloud- comets, ice,and dust at the outer limits of the solar system
Motions of our Solar System
All planets orbit the sun in almost-circular elliptical orbits on approximately the same plane (the ______).
Dwarf Planets, comets, asteroids, and meteoroids also orbit the ______
Most Satellites/Moons orbit ______(some orbit dwarf planets or even asteroids)
Almost all planets, dwarf planets, and moons rotate and revolve______
The Sun, our star
A massive sphere of gas held together by ______
______light and heat generated by nuclear fusion
What is a Planet?
In 2006, the IAU defined a planet as a celestial body that:
◦Is in ______around the sun
◦Has sufficient ______to assume a (nearly) ______shape
◦Has ______the neighborhood around its orbit
Two kinds of planets:
Terrestrial ______Planets (Earth-like)
◦Mercury
◦Venus
◦Earth
◦Mars
Jovian ______Planets(Jupiter-like)
◦Jupiter
◦Saturn
◦Uranus
◦Neptune
Terrestrial (Inner) Planets
Closer to the sun
Relatively small ______and ______as compared to outer planets
______surface
Craters present to some degree on all inner planets
Jovian (Outer) Planets
Further from the sun
Very ______
______Giants and ______Giants
Lower average ______than terrestrial planets
All have ______
What is a Dwarf Planet?
In 2006, the IAU defined a dwarf planet as a celestial body that:
◦Is in orbit around the sun
◦Has sufficient mass that it assumes a (nearly) round shape
◦Has not______the neighborhood around its orbit
◦Is NOT a ______
Dwarf Planets
Smaller than planets
Have “company” in their ______areas
Can have ______
Most are located in the ______Belt, but Ceres is in the ______Belt
What is a Satellite?
A satellite (moon) is an object that ______around a planet or dwarf planet (or an asteroid)
As of 2008, there are ______confirmed moons in our solar system
Most are located around the ______planets
Small Bodies
In addition to planets, dwarf planets, and moons, there are many smaller objects that also orbit the sun
Asteroids
◦Asteroids are small, rocky, and ______(up to 1000 km)
◦Sometimes called “minor planets”
◦Most ______in a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter known as the Asteroid Belt
◦Combined, they would be about half the size of ______
Comets
◦An ______and rock core (nucleus) that melts as it approaches the sun and gets blown into space by solar wind pressure (coma and tail).
◦Highly ______orbits originate in deep space
Meteoroids are small irregular grains of rock, most are asteroid pieces and comet dust (up to a few meters in diameter)
◦If they collide with Earth’s atmosphere, they form visible streaks of light as they burn up and are called ______ (shooting stars)
◦If a meteor reaches Earth’s______, it is then classified as a meteorite