SCI 102 - Chapter Twenty-Four Outline - Solar System PDF

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Lecture notes and study guide for chapter twenty-four for Professor DeLeonardo's Earth science course....

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SCI 102: Introduction to Earth Science Chapter 24 Outline: Solar System The solar system includes: o Sun (~99.85 percent of mass of solar system) o Eight planets and their satellites o Dwarf planets o Asteroids o Comets o Meteoroids List each member of Solar System by name (starting with sun) in order of distance from sun. Include the 8 planets, the dwarf planets Ceres and Pluto, Asteroid Belt, Kuiper Belt, Oort Cloud, and where a Comet would be found. o Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Asteroid Belt, Ceres (in the asteroid belt), Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Kuiper Belt (where Comets can be found), Pluto, Oort Cloud Where is most of the mass of the solar system concentrated? The Sun The solar system formed from a: solar nebula - supernova, where a cloud of gas and dust in space was disturbed causing an explosion of a nearby star. o The Nebular Theory: a theory that the Sun and planets formed together from a cloud of gas and dust—a nebula  Contracted due to gravity, most of the material collected in the center to form the hot protosun  Remaining material formed a thick, flattened rotating disk around the protosun  Repeated collisions of particles in the disk formed planetesimals (asteroidsized objects)  Repeated collision of planetesimals formed protoplanets » Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars  Far from the Sun, ices/gasses (water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, methane) retained by - Jupiter, » Saturn, Uranus, Neptune As planets coalesced, the solar system experienced a period of heavy bombardment evident by large craters visible on many inner planets and moons What are the two types of planets? 1. Terrestrial planets: “Earth-like,” “inner planets” = Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars 2. Jovian planets: “Jupiter-like,” “outer planets” = Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

What is the difference between a dwarf planet and a planet? o The only difference between a planet and a dwarf planet is the area surrounding each celestial body

SCI 102: Introduction to Earth Science Chapter 24 Outline: Solar System Dwarf planets are round and orbit the Sun but are not large enough to sweep debris from their orbital paths  Pluto is a dwarf planet (Smaller than Earth’s Moon)  Other dwarf planets include Eris (a Kuiper belt object) and Ceres (largest known asteroid) o A dwarf planet has not cleared the area around its orbit, while a planet has, therefore the process didn’t complete for dwarf planets

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Mars and Venus Comparison

Distance from Sun Temperature Range on surface Volcanically Active? Atmosphere: Dense or Thin? Typical Environmental Conditions

Venus 0.7 AU = 67 Millions of Miles

Mars 142 Millions of Miles

Average 900 F day and night, surface temperature over 860 F Yes Dense Mostly CO2 atmosphere, high temperature and pressure, sulfuric acid clouds, surface mostly smooth due to lava flows but does show topographic features (mountains, rift valleys, craters)

Equatorial temperatures RANGE from 86F in day to -202F at night A little bit Thin Mars has seasons, strong evidence for liquid water in past, some active volcanoes and some inactive, glaciers, canyons, terraced plateaus near poles, flat regions putted with craters

The predominant theory of how the moon formed is that it was due to a: o Result of a collision with a Mars-sized asteroid  4.5 billion years ago  Earth was semi-molten o Debris from collision was ejected into orbit around Earth  Particles eventually coalesced into the Moon o The Moon is the largest satellite relative to its planet in the solar system • General characteristics » Diameter of 3475 kilometers - One-fourth of Earth’s diameter » Temperature variations of 107ºC to −153ºC » Density is 3.3 times that of water » Gravitational attraction is one-sixth of Earth’s List the 4 planets that are Gas Giants: 1. Jupiter 2. Saturn 3. Uranus 4. Neptune

SCI 102: Introduction to Earth Science Chapter 24 Outline: Solar System Name Jupiter’s 4 largest moons: o Lo, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto. Which moon is volcanically active? Lo Which moon may contain liquid water? Europa Name Saturn’s largest moon: and 3 interesting geologic features of this moon: o Titan: clouds and a dense, planet-like atmosphere Name 2 ways which Uranus and Neptune are alike and 2 characteristics which make them different: o They are alike because they are mostly icy without deep hydrogen mantles o However they are different because due to their gaseous structures What is cryovolcanism and where is the evidence of it in the solar system? o Cryovolcanoes will be discovered on moons of icy planets in the outer portions of our solar system such as Europa, Titan, Dione, Ganymede, and Miranda o Water ice that has just melted enough to act like magma What are the main differences between asteroids and comets? o Asteroids: Leftover Planetimals  Asteroids are small bodies » Left over from the formation of the solar system » Irregular shaped, porous bodies » “Piles of rubble”  Most orbit in the asteroid belt between Mars and jupiter » Only four asteroids with diameters greater than 400 kilometers » 1–2 million asteroids with a diameters greater than 1 kilometer » Some have very eccentric orbits -> 1000–2000 Earth-crossing asteroids o

Comets: Dirty Snowballs  Comets are also leftover material from the formation of the solar system » Loose collection of rocky material, dust, water ice, and frozen gases » Comets have frozen ice on them that could turn into a mini atmosphere  Most reside in the outer reaches of the solar system » Take hundreds of thousands of years to orbit the Sun » Some short-period comets (orbital period less than 200 years)  Halley’s Comet  Comet Holmes  Structure and composition of comets » Small central body called a nucleus » Escaping gases and dust around the nucleus is the coma » As a comet approaches the Sun, most develop a tail that points away from Sun due to:  Radiation pressure

SCI 102: Introduction to Earth Science Chapter 24 Outline: Solar System 

 Solar wind The realm of comets: The Kuiper belt and Oort cloud » The Kuiper belt exists beyond Neptune and contains comets in orbit around the Sun  Halley’s Comet originated in the Kuiper belt » The Oort cloud consists of comets distributed in all directions from the Sun  Only a tiny fraction of Oort cloud comets come into the inner solar system

Why does a comet have 2 tails? o The debris being blow black causes a tail (tail of dust) o The other tail can be created through ionized gases What is the definition of a dwarf planet? o Dwarf planets are round and orbit the Sun but are not large enough to sweep debris from their orbital paths o Dwarf planets include Pluto, Ceres (largest known asteroid), Eris (a Kuiper belt object)...