...The Planets and the Solar System Planets 2 " A planet is a celestial body that revolves around a central star and does not shine by its own light " (Grolier, 1992). The only planetary system that is known to man is our solar system. It is made up of nine planets which range in size and make-up. The nine major planets in our solar system are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. There are also many other minor planets which are also in our solar system, but they are unimportant compared to the nine major planets. In this paper I will discuss the planets and how they are each unique. Mercury which is the planet that is closest to the sun is the first planet I will discuss. Mercury is the smallest of the inner planets. It is speculated that the heat from the sun made it impossible for the gases present to become part of the planetary formation. The surface of Mercury is extremely hot. It is approximately 470 degrees celsius on the surface and is thought to be even hotter at the two " hot spots." These " hot spots " are on opposite ends of the equator. It is the heat of the surface that makes it impossible for Mercury to have any type of atmosphere. Mercury orbits the sun once every 88 days and has a true rotation period of 58.6 days. " It is the closest planet to the sun and therefore orbits faster than any other planet " (Thompson/Turk, 542, 1993). It is said that Mercury rotates three times for every two trips around the sun, so that during Planets...
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...Planetary geology This astronomical field examines the assemblage of planets, moons, dwarf planets, comets, asteroids, and other bodies orbiting the Sun, as well as extrasolar planets. The solar system has been relatively well-studied, initially through telescopes and then later by spacecraft. This has provided a good overall understanding of the formation and evolution of this planetary system, although many new discoveries are still being made.[50] The black spot at the top is a dust devil climbing a crater wall on Mars. This moving, swirling column of Martian atmosphere (comparable to a terrestrial tornado) created the long, dark streak. NASA image. The solar system is subdivided into the inner planets, the asteroid belt, and the outer planets. The inner terrestrial planets consist of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. The outer gas giant planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.[51] Beyond Neptune lies the Kuiper Belt, and finally the Oort Cloud, which may extend as far as a light-year. The planets were formed in the protoplanetary disk that surrounded the early Sun. Through a process that included gravitational attraction, collision, and accretion, the disk formed clumps of matter that, with time, became protoplanets. The radiation pressure of the solar wind then expelled most of the unaccreted matter, and only those planets with sufficient mass retained their gaseous atmosphere. The planets continued to sweep up, or eject, the remaining matter during a period...
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...PLANETS By Reanna Hinson The purpose of my project and essay is to familiarize ourselves with the different planets within our own solar system. I will present different, unique and amazing facts about each the eight planets. My project also displays a colored example of what each planet appears to look like as well as statistical information. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, are called the terrestrial planets because they have solid rocky surfaces. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune and are called gas giants. Earth is the only planet of the eight that has life forms as we know them. All other planets have extreme conditions such as temperatures, atmospheres and weather that make life as we know it impossible to exist, but we still keep looking for alien signs of life. Mercury Mercury is a small planet that spins very slowly in orbit around the sun. It is the planet closest to the sun and has extreme temperature changes. During the day the temperature can soar to 870° Fahrenheit and at night time down to -300° Fahrenheit. Mercury has no moons and a very small and weak atmosphere because the Sun’s solar winds have blown it away. This causes very little to no air on Mercury. Venus Venus and Earth are just about the same size, but Venus always has a thick cloud cover making it impossible to see the surface of the planet, and traps a lot of the Sun’s heat making it the hottest average temperature of all the planets. The average temperature is 850° Fahrenheit...
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...INNER PLANETS DATA | MERCURY | VENUS | EARTH | MARS | 1. DIAMETER | 3,032m (4,879km) | 7,521m (12,104km) | 7,926m (12,756km) | 7,926m (12,756km) | 2. AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM THE SUN | 57.9 million kms/36 million miles | 108.2 million kms/67.2 million miles | 150 million km (93 million miles) | 228 million km (142 million miles) | 3. ROTATION PERIOD | 59 Earth Days | 0.615 Earth Years (243 days) | 23.93 Hours | 24.63 Hours | 4. ORBITAL PERIOD | 88 Earth days | 225 Earth days | 365 days | 687 Earth days | 5. SURFACE TEMPERATURE | -183 °C to 427 °C (-297 °F to 800 °F) | 880 degrees Fahrenheit, 471 degrees Celsius (730 K) | -127°F to 136°F (-88°C to 58°C; 185 K to 311 K) | -130 °C (-202 °F) | 6. NUMBER OF MOONS/THEIR NAMES | ZERO | ZERO | One moon (Earth’s moon) | Two moons(Diemos and Phobos) | 7. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF ATMOSPHERE/GASES | Atmosphere, or exosphere, is composed mostly of oxygen (O2), sodium (Na), hydrogen (H2), helium (He), and potassium (K). | Atmosphere is made up mostly of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N2), with clouds of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) droplets. | 78 % nitrogen, 21% oxygen, | Atmosphere made up mostly of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2) and argon (Ar) | 8. NATURE OF THE ATMOSPHERE | Very thin; Since the atmosphere is so slight, the sky would appear pitch black (except for the sun, stars, and other planets, when visible), even during the day. Also has no greenhouse effect. | Thick and toxic atmosphere, hot...
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...Mercury is a very rocky planet, its surface is like the Earths moon. It lacks an atmosphere, but experiences extreme temperature anywhere between 90 to 700 Kelvin. It is geologically dead, however it does have a magnetic field which is generated inside the planets core, it magnetic field is only around one 500th of Earths. Mercury is dominated by its core, it has a radius of around 1800 Kilometres and has a less dense mantle which has a depth of 500-600 kilometres. 60 percent of Mercury's mass in inside it's iron core, the ratio of mercury's core volume to the total planet volume is the greatest in the solar system. Mercury always has one side facing the sun so not only is Mercury and the moons surface alike, but they both have one side always...
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...Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third-largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is somewhat more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times the mass of Earth but not as dense.[12] On average, Neptune orbits the Sun at a distance of 30.1 AU, approximately 30 times the Earth–Sun distance. Named for the Roman god of the sea, its astronomical symbol is ♆, a stylised version of the god Neptune's trident. Neptune was the first planet found by mathematical prediction rather than by empirical observation. Unexpected changes in the orbit of Uranus ledAlexis Bouvard to deduce that its orbit was subject to gravitational perturbation by an unknown planet. Neptune was subsequently observed on 23 September 1846[1] by Johann Galle within a degree of the position predicted by Urbain Le Verrier, and its largest moon, Triton, was discovered shortly thereafter, though none of the planet's remaining 12 moons were located telescopically until the 20th century. Neptune has been visited by only one spacecraft, Voyager 2, which flew by the planet on 25 August 1989. Neptune is similar in composition to Uranus, and both have compositions which differ from those of the larger gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn. Neptune's atmosphere, while similar to Jupiter's and Saturn's in that it is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, along with traces ofhydrocarbons and possibly nitrogen, contains...
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...The mission is worth all the money we have Luckily I am in favor of spending money in order to explore space. Exploring space and trying to find new planets that could even possibly have other life forms. This could answer so many questions that humans have always had about space and what every human speculates through life. With all the money we blow on nonsense things or the money we blow that actually destroys our planet this would be a much better cause to spend money on. Spending money on new telescopes like the Kepler telescope, it can go into space and take pictures a lot closer. The only way we can find out if there are new planets like ours, we have to have equipment like the Kepler telescope this telescope can see things that others can’t. Just like in our power point we can’t see other planets that might already be here or are forming due to how bright the stars are that are near it with the distance. We have to wait for the planet to orbit that star and create a black shadow in order to see it. We wouldn’t know things like this unless we have the funds for it. There are so many reasons to spend money on space exploration. We get to see how a human body can with stand the space environment like the astronauts that are in space now. We also get to investigate other planets and this could lead to so much more discoveries. We could find out about new materials, maybe even new medicine, and even new ways to improve our own environment like having cleaner water...
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...Mercury is a very rocky planet. It is heavily cratered and is scattered with boulders and pulverized dust. Mercury has been geologically dead for a long time according astronomers. The planet has no signs of any type of weather such as clouds, rivers, and dust storms. The planet of Mercury closely resembles Earth's Moon. Mercury's surface shows intercrater plains, basins, smooth plains, craters, and tectonic features. Many of the smooth plains located on Mercury seem to be a result from flood volcanism. Some other features of Mercury geology are vents that are a result from magma-carved valleys and "hollows" that are believed to be from collapsed magma chambers. There are mineral deposits and thrust faulting near the poles of Mercury. Overall, the planet of Mercury is a very barren planet with not much geology to study. The atmosphere of Venus is made up of different components. It is made up of 96.5% carbon dioxide and 3.5% of nitrogen. Though almost all of the atmosphere of Venus is made up of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, there are traces of carbon monoxide, argon, helium, and neon. The atmosphere...
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...Planet Trojan X is approximately 110,546,002 Miles from the sun. Trojan X is very much similar to desert regions on earth with some exceptions. Such as instead of there being climate region changes, the entire planet has the same climate. Since the entire planet has the same climate type there was not much pressure on choosing the location to settle. There were a few things that proved to be necessary though such as a reliable water source and good food source nearby. We had found a great water source with an even greater wildlife and food source nearby. The timespan between night and day is very similar to earth’s timeframe with a few exceptions. Daytime lasts for only 8 hours and nighttime last for an average time of 16 hours due to the position of the planets in between Trojan X and the sun. In the region that we settled in there is a constant breeze that occurs, but on some nights there is a greater breeze that comes through and lowers the temperature drastically. Much like how the temperature in deserts on earth would be. It is very often that it rains on this hemisphere but that doesn’t mean it never rains. There is a timespan from where we will go 12 months with no rain and then the other twelve months of almost constant rain which makes crops a bit of a hassle for half the year. With the majority of Trojan X being a desert planet, there is an overabundance of sand. There are quite a bit of mountains a wild plants growing on them but over all its almost all sand. ...
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...Running Head: LIVING ON ANOTHER PLANET Living On Another Planet: Venus and the Aerial City of Euphuria Tommy Patterson GS1140 Living On Another Planet: Venus The population of earth is growing increasing over populated and the need to search and find a new planet to colonize and settle on has become a dire issue. The planet Venus is a perfect choice because of its similarities to Earth’s atmospheric and gravitational characteristics. Listed are some of the main characteristics positive and negative: Positive * Has gravity roughly similar to Earth and a think atmosphere that would protect you from radiation * The atmospheric pressure is the same as earth’s at an altitude of 50 – 60 kilometers from the surface * Possible to float in the skies in a balloon of breathable air because the breathable air on the planet is like a lifting gas * Take advantage of sunlight in regular gravity because of similarities Negative * Surface temperature – 462 degree oven like temperature * Surface pressure – 92 times that of earth * Atmosphere is entirely carbon dioxide with clouds of sulphuric acid * You would die faster on the surface of Venus than almost anywhere in the solar system The planet Venus is approximately 26,000,000 miles away from earth and would take 153 days of travel time to get there by normal means of space travel. So to remedy this issue the means of transportation will be by space vehicles equipped with warp drives which...
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...New Planet Jane Doe Some University New Planet Coming into this technologically and scientifically-advanced time has gradually become a constructive and exciting time for scientists and the rest of humankind. In addition to the new technology that has come about, over time there’s no denying that we have uncovered an increasing number of planetary bodies; be it stars and or planets that could possibly sustain life or not at all. Since 2005, scientists have found a vast amount of “super-Earths” which is defined as “…a planet with a mass between 1 and 10 times that of Earth, but less than the mass of the solar systems giant gas planets such as Saturn, Neptune and Jupiter (Live Science, 2011). In some cases the super-Earths are surrounded by water which could verify the likelihood of life forms inhabiting these areas, this information excites astronomers due to the chance that the super-Earths could be fit for the habitation of life in contrast to the gas giants. The search for these Earth-like planets continues to be one of the most sought after missions in the world with new findings every-day in the making, as stated by Keck Observatory, scientists from the Universities of California, Berkeley and Hawaii have come together and mathematically came to the conclusion that 20% of the Sun-like stars in our galaxy have Earth-sized planets that could in fact contain life (Keck Observatory, 2013). The article goes on to state that upon coming to this assumption from the...
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...Name: Raj Patel Class: 12.3 Title: Pluto-: Planet or Not? Pluto-: Planet or Not? Pluto is one of the nine planets of our solar system. Some people argue whether it is worthy of having its title as a planet. In 1930 Clyde W. Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona discovered the planet Pluto. After serving 76 long years as the ninth planet in our solar system, Pluto was controversially demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006.This has raised many debates on whether Pluto was categorized unfairly or not. Astronomers from both sides of the debate have legitimate arguments making it tough to decide whether Pluto should be classified as a planet or a dwarf planet. Pluto’s title as a planet was questioned when Mike Brown, Professor of Planetary Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology discovered an object in 2005 that was further out than the orbit of Pluto. The object was also 25% more massive than Pluto. This object was later named Eris. It is located along with Pluto in the Kuiper Belt. There are plenty of other mysterious objects located in the Kuiper Belt that are more or less the same size as Pluto and Eris. This troubled the International Astronomical Union because this meant that there are tens to hundreds of objects that could very soon be known as planets. There are approximately more than 1,000 objects composed of the same icy mixture located in the Kuiper Belt. Many astronomers, scientists, and the International Astronomical Union...
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...Evidence of New Planet For years, we have known only about the 8 planets in our solar system, well 9 if you are like me and are still counting our most missed Pluto. These planets have been there for years and will be there for more years to come. However, new findings have discovered evidence of the forming of a planet approximately 335 light-years from Earth in a star. This discovery is a huge one, for that the new planet is said to grow at least three sizes the planet Jupiter. The group of astronomers that made such discovery is an international team led by Clemson University in California. These astronomers found the planet orbiting the star named HD 100546. However, what makes the scientists believe this is in fact a new planet? The reason is that, the team found carbon-monoxide emission that is the leading fact of the creation of a planet and because new studies have confirmed activity around the HD 100546 star. This new finding is a big to all astronomers for that this would allow them to test their theories in terms of the creation of solar systems, such as our very own. According to the article, since the proximity of this new forming planet is closer than other disk systems, it is easier to study in detail the process of formation. Meaning we would be able to have front role seats to such a fascinating event, at least hopefully for part of our lifetime. (Clemson University, 2014). Scientists excitedly state that once they understand what is going on in terms...
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...Mars is a fascinating planet full of interesting surprises. Mars is the 4th planet from the Sun, right after Earth. When Mars is the very closest to Earth it can be only 33.9 million miles from Earth (54.6 million kilometers). This happens every two years and is the best time to send a spacecraft to Mars. Even at its closest point a trip to Mars is 300 days or 10 months. However, when it is the furthest away it’s almost 250 million miles from Earth (401 million km). But on average it is about 140 million miles (225 million km). This is much further than the Earth’s other neighboring planet, Venus. Which, on average, is only 25 million miles away. From the Sun, Mars is on average 141 million miles (228 million kilometers). The farthest distance goes up to 154 million miles(249 million km) but, at the lowest down to 128 million miles (206 million km)....
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...With humanity coming closer and closer to finally having the ability to visit another planet, many have questioned whether or not, once we can visit Mars, if we should. Whatever one’s position on the topic, one thing can be agreed upon, that sending a manned mission to The Red Planet will be very difficult, and cost an extremely large amount of money and resources. Sending actual live people to Mars is something that is coming closer to a reality, with the chance approaching extremely fast, in the coming years, it must be determined if we should currently put the resources and effort towards sending people to our neighbor planet. Earth has many problems currently, none of which will be fixed with a mission to Mars, and because of this those resources which would be used to enable the possibility of this mission could be used in far better ways towards fixing what we already have....
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