The Solar System

Version 1.0

Created by Vincent Sapone

Answer

• Remember how small the earth’s atmosphere is.

• Reference: “How big is the earth ppt”.

The Sun

The Sun Questions

• What are the dark spots?

• Sunspots. Why do they appear darker?

• They appear darker because they are cooler.

• In actuality they are very hot but the rest of the surface is much hotter so they appear dark.

June 9th 2002 Solar Prominence

Sun X-Ray (GOES SXI (10/19/01-11/04/01)

Mariner 10 Mercury

Mercury Mariner 10 Question

• What do you notice about Mercury?

• Like our moon….

• Mercury is heavily cratered.

• How about an atmosphere?

Mercury Question

• Mercury is the closest Planet to the sun.

• It gets extremely hot during the day (about 800°F ) and cold at night.

• How is it possible that ice could survive on Mercury—even during the day?

Scarp on Mercury (Mariner 10)

Some 2 km high!

This one 500 km long

Relief 1km

Cuts across Rameau crater with a D of 50 km

Scarp on Mercury Is called Rupes (Latin for Cliff)

Scarp on Mercury

How did the Scarp Form?

• Scientists believe that when Mercury cooled early in its history is contracted.

• This contraction fractured or buckled the surface.

Video of Mercury’s Surface

Venus

Venus Observation

• Venus is the brightest planet.

• All we see are clouds (thick atmosphere).

• We use radar to map its surface.

• In addition we landed a craft on it.

Earth the Blue Planet

Earth the Blue Planet

Mars The Red Planet

Mars Topography

Mars Question

• Mars has the highest elevated point in the solar system at 88,500 feet.

• What is this object and what is its name?

Martian Ice Caps (are they shrinking?)

Global Warming on Mars?

Martian Moons

Phobos (Fear) Diemos (Panic)

Martian Moons

Phobos• Closest moon to planet in

the SS (< than 6000 km)• Our moon 384,400 km• Cratered Surface• Striated surface from Large

impact crater that almost shattered the moon

Deimos• One of smallest known

moons in the SS• Cratered surface• Shallow craters due to

partial filling.

Captured asteroids? Some scientists say yes but their low density suggests that the are not purely rocks but a mixture of ice and rock.

King Jupiter the Jovian Giant!

Jupiter from Voyager 1

What do you notice about Jupiter?

• It appears banded or striped.

• There is a big red spot on it.

LS9 Comet Impact (1994)

• Desktop/jup.flv

Saturn

Why Galileo didn’t see Saturn’s rings

Mimas --2006 Cassinni—(Deathstar?)

Deathstar vs Mimas

Mimas

• Heavily cratered surface• Herschel: Largest crater (D=80 mi; Depth: 6mi,

Rim Height: 3 mi, Center Peak: 4 mi

• There are fracture lines on opposite side.• Thus the Herchel impact almost broke the

moon to pieces as evidence• Few Spole craters, scientists unsure why.

Moons vs Planets

Moon Maria

• Why does the far side of the moon have less maria (dark dried up lava)?

• Shouldn’t it have more since the side facing us was protected from impacts by the earth?

Moon Maria Answer

• One reason may be that the far side maria has been covered by later impacts whereas the near side was shielded by its synchronous rotation and revolution around the earth.