(SOLAR SYSTEM)

The Solar System was formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago and consists of the Sun, planets, dwarf planets and other astronomical objects bound in its orbit. The formation was

cause by the collapse of a giant molecular cloud, the mass at the centre collecting to form the Sun and a flat disk of dust around it which the planets and other bodies would eventually be

formed from.99.86% of the system’s mass is found in the Sun and the majority of the remaining 0.14%

is contained within the solar system’s eight planets.The four smaller inner planets, also known as the “terrestrial planets” (Mercury, Venus, Earth

and Mars), are primarily composed of rock and metal. The four outer planets, also known as the “gas giants” (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune), are substantially larger and more massive

than the inner planets.The two innermost gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn, are the larger of the four and are composed

mainly of hydrogen and helium. The two outermost gas giants, Uranus and Neptune, are composed largely of ices, (water, ammonia and methane) and are sometimes also referred to

as the “ice giants“.Other objects of note in the Solar System are the dwarf planets (Ceres, Pluto, Haumea,

Makemake & Eris),moons, asteroids, the asteroid belt, comets and the Kuiper belt.Facts About The Solar System

The Sun or Sol, is the star at the centre of our solar system and is

responsible for the Earth’s climate and weather. The Sun is an almost perfect sphere with a difference of just 10km in diameter between the poles and the equator. The average

radius of the Sun is 695,508 km (109.2 x that of the Earth) of which

20–25% is the core.

SUN

AGE

4.6 BILLION YEARS

TYPE

YELLOW DWARF=(GNV)

DIAMETER

1,392,864 KM

CIRCUMFERENCE AT EQUATOR

4,370,005.6 KM

MASS

1,989,100,000,000,000,000,000 BILLION KG-(333,060xEARTH)

SURFACE TEMPERATURE

5500 DEGREES CELSIUS

ONE MILLION EARTH’S CAN FIT INSIDE THE SUNEVENTUALLY, THE SUN WILL CONSUME THE EARTH

THE SUN WILL ONE DAY BE ABOUT THE SIZE OF EARTHTHE SUNCONTAINS 99.86% OF THE MASS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

THE SUN IS AN ALMOST PERFECT SPHERELIGHT FROM THE SUN TAKES EIGHT MINUTES TO REACH EARTH

THE SUN TRAVELS AT 220 KILOMETERS PER SECOND.THE DISTANCE FROM SUN TO EARTH CHANGES THROUGH THE YEAR

THE SUN IS MIDDLES-AGEDTHE SUN HAS A VERY STRONG MAGNETIC FIELD

THE TEMPERATURE INSIDE THE SUN CAN REACH 15 MILLION DEGREES CELSIUSTHE SUN GENERATES SOLAR WINDS

The Moon (or Luna) is the Earth’s only natural satellite and was formed 4.6 billion years ago around some 30–50 million years after the formation of

the solar system. The Moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth meaning the same side is always facing the Earth. The first unmanned mission to the Moon was in 1959 by the Soviet Lunar Program

with the first manned landing being Apollo 11 in 1969.

MOON

CIRCUMFERENCE AT EQUATOR

10,917,.0 KM

DIAMETER

3,475 KM

MASS

73,476,730,924,573,500 MILLION KG=(0.0123xEARTH)

ORBITS

THE EARTH

AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM EARTH

383,400 KM

LENGTH OF ORBIT

27.3 EARTH DAYS

SURFACE TEMPERATURE

-233 TO -123 DEGREES CELSIUS

THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON IS THE MYTHTHE RISE AND FALL OF THE TIDES ON EARTH IS CAUSED BY THE MOON

THE MOON IS DRIFTING AWAY FROM EARTHA PERSON WOULD WEIGH MUCH LESS ON THE MOON

THE MOON HAS ONLY BEEN WALKED ON BY 12 PEOPLE THE MOON HAS NO ATMOSPHERE

THE MOON HAS QUAKESTHE FIRST SPACECRAFT TO REACH THE MOON WAS LUNA 1 IN 1959

THE MOON IS THE FIFTH LARGEST SATELLITE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEMTHE MOON WILL BE VISITED BY MAN IN THE NEAR FUTURE

DURING THE 1950’S THE USA CONSIDERED DENOTING A NUCLEAR BOMB ON THE MOON

A comet is a very small solar system body made mostly of ices mixed with smaller amounts of dust and rock. Most comets are no larger than

a few kilometres across. The main body of the comet is called the nucleus, and it can contain water, methane, nitrogen and other ices.

When a comet is heated by the Sun, its ices begin to sublimate (similar to the way dry ice “fizzes” when you leave it in sunlight). The mixture of

ice crystals and dust blows away from the comet nucleus in the solar wind, creating a pair of tails. The dust tail is what we normally see when

we view comets from Earth.A plasma tail also forms when molecules of gas are “excited” by

interaction with the solar wind. The plasma tail is not normally seen

with the naked eye, but can be imaged. Comets normally orbit the Sun, and have their origins in the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt

regions of the outer solar system.

A comet is a relatively small solar system body that orbits the Sun. When close enough to the Sun they display a visible coma (a fuzzy outline or atmosphere due to

solar radiation) and sometimes a tail.

The coma is created as the comet gets closer to the Sun, causing water, carbon dioxide and other compounds to sublime (quickly changing from solid to gas) from its

surface.

Comets are made of ice, dust and small rocky particles.

The name comet comes from the Greek word meaning ‘hair of the head’, it came from the Greek philosopher Aristotle who observed comets as ‘stars with hair’.

Short term comets (also known as periodic comets) have orbital periods of less than 200 years while long term comets have orbital periods of over 200 years.

Asteroids are small, rocky solar system bodies that populate interplanetary space out to the orbit of Jupiter. There are millions of

them, and they are often grouped by their composition. The planetary science community refers to them as minor planets, a general term

applied to solar system bodies smaller than moons. Asteroids are mainly made of materials left over from the formation of the inner solar

system words. Most of them orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, although there are groups of them that orbit closer. Asteroids come in three composition classes. C-types (chondrites) are made of clay and

silicate rocks. S-types are the so-called “stony” asteroids and are made mostly of silicate rocks and nickel-iron mixtures. M-types are metallic

nickel-iron. These categories indicate how far from the Sun they formed in the early solar system.

Asteroids aren’t the only things that hit Earth. Each day, more than 100 tons of material from asteroids and comets falls toward Earth. Most of it is destroyed by

friction as it passes through our atmosphere. If something DOES hit the ground, it is known as a meteorite.

While asteroid impacts were more common in the past, they aren’t as frequent today.

An asteroid impact some 65 million years ago contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs. (It was one of several factors that affected all life on Earth at that time.)

Earth suffers an impact from an object the size of a football field about once every 2,000 years.

A car-sized meteoroid (a piece of asteroid) falls into Earth’s atmosphere about once a year. The result is a beautiful fireball, but the meteoroid usually burns up before

reaching the ground.

Asteroids are rich in precious metals and other metals, as well as water.

Some asteroids have moons of their own!

Most asteroids orbit the Sun in the Asteroid Belt, which lies between Mars and Jupiter.

Earth is bombarded with millions of tons of space material each day. Most of the objects vaporize in our atmosphere, but some of the larger pieces (from pebbles to

boulder-sized rocks) actually fall to the ground. Most of the objects come from asteroids, which are objects made of various types of rock and have existed since the

origin of the solar system. A small rocky or metallic chunk of material that travels through space is called a meteoroid. Very small meteoroids (the size of dust) are often referred to as micrometeoroids or space dust. These fragments may also be leftover

comet debris, or were ejected in collisions between other solar system bodies such as the Moon or Mars.

As a meteoroid travels through our atmosphere, it is heated by friction. That causes it to glow, and if this happens at night, we see a long streak of light known as a meteor.

If the object survives the trip and falls to Earth’s surface, it is known as a meteorite. Many of these fall into the ocean (since about 71% of Earth’s surface is covered by

water). The rest fall on land, where they await discovery by meteorite hunters.

Millions of meteoroids travel through Earth’s atmosphere each day.

When a meteor encounters our atmosphere and is vaporized, it leaves behind a trail. That “burning” meteoroid is called a meteor.

The appearance of a number of meteors occurring in the same part of the sky over a period of time is called “meteor shower”.

Many meteor showers are associated with comets, which leave behind debris as they orbit through the solar system. Showers occur when

Earth’s orbit crosses the path of a comet’s orbit.

Most meteorites are one of three types: stony, stony-iron, or iron. These compositions tell us where the meteoroid existed in its parent

body. An iron or stony iron was close to the core of an asteroid, while a stony object was closer to the surface.

A meteor shower occurs when a number of meteors flash seem to radiate (or shoot out

from) the same point in the sky. They are usually named for the constellation in which their radiant appears. The meteoroids in a

shower usually come from the trail of debris left behind by a comet. In the case of the Geminids and Quadrantids, those meteor showers come from the debris scatted by

orbiting asteroids. When Earth’s orbit intersects the dust trail, we see more

meteors flaring as the cometary debris encounters our planet’s atmosphere.

Most meteor showers are caused by debris from comets. When Earth moves through those debris trails, we see increased numbers of comets.

Two meteor showers are caused by debris shed by asteroids. The Quadrantids are very likely caused by debris from the minor planet 2003 EH1. The Geminid meteor

shower comes from debris shed by asteroid 3200 Phaethon.

The Orionid Meteor shower (which occurs in late October each year) is created by dust and debris left behind by the passage of Comet 1P/Halley.

Meteors fall to Earth during the day, although we can’t see them.

It is very rare that a meteorite will strike a human being. It’s more likely that it will fall into the ocean.

The best time to view a meteor shower is in the early morning hours, preferably on a dark, moonless night.

The earliest record of the Perseids meteor shower is found in Chinese annals from 36 AD.