Solar System

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Solar System
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Solar Family

• The Earth is part of a solar system.
• 1 star the Sun
• 8 planets
• Dwarf planets
• Smaller objects

• The Sun, Moon, and five planets were known before
  the telescope.
• There are over 400,000 known objects today.

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Orbital Map

• Keplers laws set the relative sizes of the
  orbits from the period.
• Transit of Venus for scale
• Now precision radar

• The Earth is part of the inner solar system.
• Mercury 88 day period
• Mars 687 day period

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Outer Reaches

• Most objects are in the outer solar system.

• The solar system is 100s of times larger than
  Earths orbit.
• Jupiter 12 year period (5.2 AU)
• Eris 560 year period (98 AU)

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Size

• Planet size is determined by measuring the
  angular width.
• Compare to distance
• Mass from gravity on other objects

• Planets are small compared to the Sun.
• Earth 1/100 Sun
• Jupiter 1/10 Sun

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Terrestrial

• Planets in the inner solar system have a lot in
  common with Earth.
• Rocks and iron
• Solid surface
• Atmosphere
• Terrestrial comes from the Latin word for Earth.

• There are major differences among terrestrial
  planets.
• Different atmospheres
• Cratered surfaces
• Rotation rates
• Magnetic fields

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Jovian

• Planets in the outer solar system have a lot in
  common with Jupiter.
• Jovian is from another Roman word for Jupiter.

• Jovian planets have major differences with
  terrestrials.
• Large mass
• Large size
• Mostly gas, no surface
• Low density
• Fast rotation
• Many moons

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Interplanetary Debris

• The remainder of the solar system is made up of
  small bodies.
• Different types rocky, icy
• The sizes range from dust to dwarf planets.

NASA