The solar system - Phoenix University Guide

PRESENTATION NAMEStudents

Formation of the Solar System

Photo credit: Bothun G. via http://zebu.uoregon.edu/

• The nebular theory is about how the solar system formed.

• Made from 98% helium and hydrogen• 2% of other elements also helped create

the solar system.• Earth and other terrestrial worlds were

made from the other heavier elements.• The motion the planets orbit in was caused

by gravity, heating, spinning, and flattening.

• Began as a spherical cloud of cold and low-density gas.

Terrestrial Planets’ Geology & Atmosphere

• Internal heat, primarily from radioactive decay can cause volcanic and tectonic activity.

• Only large planets retain enough internal heat to stay geologically active today.

Geology Atmosphere

Crust

Mantle

• Upper- Lithosphere

• Lower- Asthenosphere

Outer Core

Inner Core

Earth’s Geology & Atmosphere

Troposphere

Stratosphere

Mesosphere

Ionosphere

Picture

Credit:

NASA 2013

(Taken

March 1,

2013 by the

Messenger

Spacecraft)

• Named after the Roman God of Commerce, Mercury

• One of the most notable features of its geography is the

Caloris Basin

• Sun-scorched surface

• Only slightly larger than the Earth’s Moon

• Has very little atmosphere and is covered in craters

• Temperatures can range from 800 degrees Fahrenheit to -290

degrees Fahrenheit

• 2nd Most Dense Planet after Earth

• Large Metallic Core

Photo Credit: NASA,

2013

Photo Credit:

NASA, 2013

• 2nd Planet From the Sun

• Closest Planet to Earth

• Brightest Object in the Sky

other the Sun and Moon

• Surface covered with

craters, volcanoes,

mountains and large plains

of lava

• Atmosphere is mainly

carbon dioxide

• Clouds are sulfuric acid

• One of the hottest planets

in the Solar System

• Rotates backwards

Photo

Credit:

George

Dvorsky

via

io9.com

2012

• Cold Desert World

• Half the Diameter of Earth

• Has seasons, polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons, and

weather

• Atmosphere too thin for water to exist in liquid form for any

length of time

• Signs indicate ancient floods

• No magnetic field around the globe

• Has two moons: Phobos and Deimos

• Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are comets and asteroids that have been nudged by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits that allow them to enter the Earth's neighborhood. (NASA, 2013)

Photo Credit: (NASA/JPL Public Domain) 2004

Large mass and size

Far from the Sun

Made of H, He, and

hydrogen compounds

Rings and many

moons

Great Red SpotPicture retrieved from: Bennett, J. O., Donahue,

M., Schneider, N. O., & Voit, M. (2010). The

cosmic perspective (6th ed.). Boston, MA:

Addison Wesley. Page 207

Image courtesy

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/20

10/15/

References

• Bennett, J. O., Donahue, M., Schneider, N. O., & Voit, M. (2010) The Cosmic Perspective. (6th ed.) Boston, MA: Addison

Wesley.

• Bothun, G. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://zebu.uoregon.edu/~imamura/121/lecture-5/lecture-5.html

• HubbleSite. (2010). Hubble Finds Star Eating a Planet. Retrieved from http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/

2010/15/

• NASA. (2013). Colors of Mercury. Retrieved from http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130301.html

• NASA. (2013). Mars. Retrieved from http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm? Object=Mars&Display=OverviewLong

• NASA. (2013). Mercury. Retrieved from http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?

Object=Mercury&Display=OverviewLong

• NASA. (2013). Near-earth object program. Retrieved from http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/neo/

• NASA. (2013). The Planet Venus. Retrieved from http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/

F_The_Planet_Venus_5-8.html

• NASA. (2013). Venus. Retrieved from http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm? Object=Venus&Display=OverviewLong