‭The‬‭Solar‬‭System‬

‭●‬ ‭The‬‭Solar‬‭System‬‭consists‬‭of:‬
‭1.‬ ‭The‬‭Sun‬
‭2.‬ ‭Eight‬‭planets‬
‭3.‬ ‭Natural‬‭and‬‭artificial‬‭satellites‬
‭4.‬ ‭Dwarf‬‭planets‬
‭5.‬ ‭Asteroids‬‭and‬‭comets‬

‭The‬‭Sun‬‭&‬‭the‬‭Planets‬
‭●‬ ‭The‬‭Sun‬‭lies‬‭at‬‭the‬‭centre‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Solar‬‭System‬
‭○‬ ‭The‬‭Sun‬‭is‬‭a‬‭star‬‭that‬‭makes‬‭up‬‭over‬‭99%‬‭of‬‭the‬‭mass‬‭of‬‭the‬‭solar‬
‭system‬
‭●‬ ‭There‬‭are‬‭eight‬‭planets‬‭and‬‭an‬‭unknown‬‭number‬‭of‬‭dwarf‬‭planets‬‭which‬
‭orbit‬‭the‬‭Sun‬
‭○‬ ‭The‬‭gravitational‬‭field‬‭around‬‭planets‬‭is‬‭strong‬‭enough‬‭to‬‭have‬
‭pulled‬‭in‬‭all‬‭nearby‬‭objects‬‭with‬‭the‬‭exception‬‭of‬‭natural‬‭satellites‬
‭○‬ ‭The‬‭gravitational‬‭field‬‭around‬‭a‬‭dwarf‬‭planet‬‭is‬‭not‬‭strong‬‭enough‬
‭to‬‭have‬‭pulled‬‭in‬‭nearby‬‭objects‬
‭●‬ ‭The‬‭8‬‭planets‬‭in‬‭our‬‭Solar‬‭System‬‭in‬‭ascending‬‭order‬‭of‬‭the‬‭distance‬
‭from‬‭the‬‭Sun‬‭are:‬
‭○‬ ‭Mercury‬
‭○‬ ‭Venus‬
‭○‬ ‭Earth‬
‭○‬ ‭Mars‬
‭○‬ ‭Jupiter‬
‭○‬ ‭Saturn‬
‭○‬ ‭Uranus‬
‭○‬ ‭Neptune‬

‭Satellites‬
‭●‬ ‭There‬‭are‬‭two‬‭types‬‭of‬‭satellite:‬
‭○‬ ‭Natural‬
‭○‬ ‭Artificial‬
‭●‬ ‭Some‬‭planets‬‭have‬‭moons‬‭which‬‭orbit‬‭them‬
‭○‬ ‭Moons‬‭are‬‭an‬‭example‬‭of‬‭natural‬‭satellites‬
‭●‬ ‭Artificial‬‭satellites‬‭are‬‭man-made‬‭and‬‭can‬‭orbit‬‭any‬‭object‬‭in‬‭space‬
‭○‬ ‭The‬‭International‬‭Space‬‭Station‬‭(ISS)‬‭orbits‬‭the‬‭Earth‬‭and‬‭is‬‭an‬
‭example‬‭of‬‭an‬‭artificial‬‭satellite‬

‭Asteroids‬‭&‬‭Comets‬
‭‬ A
● ‭ steroids‬‭and‬‭comets‬‭also‬‭orbit‬‭the‬‭sun‬
‭●‬ ‭An‬‭asteroid‬‭is‬‭a‬‭small‬‭rocky‬‭object‬‭which‬‭orbits‬‭the‬‭Sun‬
‭○‬ ‭The‬‭asteroid‬‭belt‬‭lies‬‭between‬‭Mars‬‭and‬‭Jupiter‬
 ‭●‬ C
‭ omets‬‭are‬‭made‬‭of‬‭dust‬‭and‬‭ice‬‭and‬‭orbit‬‭the‬‭Sun‬‭in‬‭a‬‭different‬‭orbit‬‭to‬
‭those‬‭of‬‭planets‬
‭○‬ ‭The‬‭ice‬‭melts‬‭when‬‭the‬‭comet‬‭approaches‬‭the‬‭Sun‬‭and‬‭forms‬‭the‬
‭comet’s‬‭tail‬

‭The‬‭objects‬‭in‬‭our‬‭solar‬‭system‬

‭Exam‬‭Tip‬
‭ ou‬‭need‬‭to‬‭know‬‭the‬‭order‬‭of‬‭the‬‭8‬‭planets‬‭in‬‭the‬‭solar‬‭system.‬‭The‬‭following‬
Y
‭mnemonic‬‭gives‬‭the‬‭first‬‭letter‬‭of‬‭each‬‭of‬‭the‬‭planets‬‭to‬‭help‬‭you‬‭recall‬‭them:‬

‭My‬‭Very‬‭Excellent‬‭Mother‬‭Just‬‭Served‬‭Us‬‭Noodles‬

‭Mercury,‬‭Venus,‬‭Earth,‬‭Mars,‬‭Jupiter,‬‭Saturn,‬‭Uranus,‬‭Neptune‬

‭Accretion‬‭Model‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Solar‬‭System‬
‭●‬ ‭There‬‭are‬‭4‬‭rocky‬‭and‬‭small‬‭planets:‬‭Mercury,‬‭Venus,‬‭Earth‬‭and‬‭Mars‬
‭○‬ ‭These‬‭are‬‭the‬‭nearest‬‭to‬‭the‬‭Sun‬
‭●‬ ‭There‬‭are‬‭4‬‭gaseous‬‭and‬‭large‬‭planets:‬‭Jupiter,‬‭Saturn,‬‭Uranus‬‭and‬
‭Neptune‬
‭○‬ ‭There‬‭are‬‭the‬‭furthest‬‭from‬‭the‬‭sun‬
 ‭The‬‭eight‬‭planets‬‭of‬‭our‬‭Solar‬‭System‬

‭●‬ T ‭ he‬‭differences‬‭in‬‭the‬‭types‬‭of‬‭planets‬‭are‬‭defined‬‭by‬‭the‬‭accretion‬
‭model‬‭for‬‭Solar‬‭System‬‭formation‬
‭●‬ ‭The‬‭Sun‬‭was‬‭thought‬‭to‬‭have‬‭formed‬‭when‬‭gravitational‬‭attraction‬
‭pulled‬‭together‬‭clouds‬‭of‬‭hydrogen‬‭dust‬‭and‬‭gas‬‭(called‬‭nebulae)‬
‭●‬ ‭The‬‭Solar‬‭System‬‭then‬‭formed‬‭around‬‭4.5‬‭billion‬‭years‬‭ago‬
‭○‬ ‭The‬‭planets‬‭were‬‭formed‬‭from‬‭the‬‭remnants‬‭of‬‭the‬‭disc‬‭cloud‬‭of‬
‭matter‬‭left‬‭over‬‭from‬‭the‬‭nebula‬‭that‬‭formed‬‭the‬‭Sun‬
‭○‬ ‭These‬‭interstellar‬‭clouds‬‭of‬‭gas‬‭and‬‭dust‬‭included‬‭many‬‭elements‬
‭that‬‭were‬‭created‬‭during‬‭the‬‭final‬‭stages‬‭of‬‭a‬‭star's‬‭lifecycle‬‭(a‬
‭previous‬‭supernova)‬
‭●‬ ‭Gravity‬‭collapsed‬‭the‬‭matter‬‭from‬‭the‬‭nebula‬‭in‬‭on‬‭itself‬‭causing‬‭it‬‭to‬
‭spin‬‭around‬‭the‬‭Sun‬
‭○‬ ‭The‬‭gravitational‬‭attraction‬‭between‬‭all‬‭the‬‭small‬‭particles‬‭caused‬
‭them‬‭to‬‭join‬‭together‬‭and‬‭grow‬‭in‬‭an‬‭accretion‬‭process‬
‭●‬ ‭A‬‭rotating‬‭accretion‬‭disc‬‭is‬‭formed‬‭when‬‭the‬‭planets‬‭emerged‬
 ‭The‬‭accretion‬‭model‬‭of‬‭the‬‭creation‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Solar‬‭System‬

‭‬ A
● ‭ s‬‭the‬‭Sun‬‭grew‬‭in‬‭size‬‭it‬‭became‬‭hotter‬
‭●‬ ‭Where‬‭the‬‭inner‬‭planets‬‭were‬‭forming‬‭near‬‭the‬‭Sun,‬‭the‬‭temperature‬‭was‬
‭too‬‭high‬‭for‬‭molecules‬‭such‬‭as‬‭Hydrogen,‬‭Helium,‬‭water‬‭and‬‭Methane‬‭to‬
‭exist‬‭in‬‭a‬‭solid‬‭state‬
‭○‬ ‭Therefore,‬‭the‬‭inner‬‭planets‬‭are‬‭made‬‭of‬‭materials‬‭with‬‭high‬
‭melting‬‭temperatures‬‭such‬‭as‬‭metals‬‭(e.g.‬‭iron)‬
‭○‬ ‭Only‬‭1%‬‭of‬‭the‬‭original‬‭nebula‬‭is‬‭composed‬‭of‬‭heavy‬‭elements,‬‭so‬
‭the‬‭inner,‬‭rocky‬‭planets‬‭could‬‭not‬‭grow‬‭much‬‭and‬‭stayed‬‭as‬‭a‬
‭small‬‭size,‬‭solid‬‭and‬‭rocky‬
‭●‬ ‭The‬‭cooler‬‭regions‬‭were‬‭further‬‭away‬‭from‬‭the‬‭Sun,‬‭and‬‭temperature‬
‭was‬‭low‬‭enough‬‭for‬‭the‬‭light‬‭molecules‬‭to‬‭exist‬‭in‬‭a‬‭solid‬‭state‬
‭○‬ ‭The‬‭outer‬‭planets‬‭therefore‬‭could‬‭grow‬‭to‬‭a‬‭large‬‭size‬‭up‬‭and‬
‭include‬‭even‬‭the‬‭lightest‬‭element,‬‭Hydrogen‬
‭○‬ ‭These‬‭planets‬‭are‬‭large,‬‭gaseous‬‭and‬‭cold‬

‭Exam‬‭Tip‬
‭ hen‬‭referring‬‭to‬‭the‬‭accretion‬‭model‬‭for‬‭the‬‭formation‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Solar‬‭System,‬
W
‭make‬‭sure‬‭your‬‭answer‬‭has‬‭the‬‭following:‬

‭(a)‬‭the‬‭model’s‬‭dependence‬‭on‬‭gravity‬

‭(b)‬‭the‬‭presence‬‭of‬‭many‬‭elements‬‭in‬‭interstellar‬‭clouds‬‭of‬‭gas‬‭and‬‭dust‬

‭(c)‬‭the‬‭rotation‬‭of‬‭material‬‭in‬‭the‬‭cloud‬‭and‬‭the‬‭formation‬‭of‬‭an‬‭accretion‬‭disc‬

‭Light‬‭Speed‬
‭●‬ T ‭ he‬‭planets‬‭and‬‭moons‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Solar‬‭System‬‭are‬‭visible‬‭from‬‭Earth‬‭when‬
‭they‬‭reflect‬‭light‬‭from‬‭the‬‭Sun‬
‭○‬ ‭The‬‭outer‬‭regions‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Solar‬‭System‬‭are‬‭around‬‭5‬‭×‬‭10‬‭12‬ ‭m‬‭from‬
‭the‬‭Sun,‬‭which‬‭means‬‭even‬‭light‬‭takes‬‭some‬‭time‬‭to‬‭travel‬‭these‬
‭distances‬
‭●‬ ‭The‬‭light‬‭we‬‭receive‬‭on‬‭Earth‬‭from‬‭the‬‭Sun‬‭takes‬‭8‬‭minutes‬‭to‬‭reach‬‭us‬
‭○‬ ‭The‬‭nearest‬‭star‬‭to‬‭us‬‭after‬‭the‬‭Sun‬‭is‬‭so‬‭far‬‭away‬‭that‬‭light‬‭from‬‭it‬
‭takes‬‭4‬‭years‬‭to‬‭reach‬‭us‬
‭○‬ ‭The‬‭Milky‬‭Way‬‭galaxy‬‭contains‬‭billions‬‭of‬‭stars,‬‭huge‬‭distances‬
‭away,‬‭with‬‭the‬‭light‬‭taking‬‭even‬‭longer‬‭to‬‭be‬‭seen‬‭from‬‭Earth‬
‭●‬ ‭The‬‭speed‬‭of‬‭light‬‭is‬‭a‬‭constant‬‭3‬‭×‬‭10‬‭8‬ ‭m/s‬
‭○‬ ‭Therefore,‬‭using‬‭the‬‭equation:‬
 ‭○‬ T
‭ he‬‭time‬‭taken‬‭to‬‭travel‬‭a‬‭certain‬‭distance‬‭can‬‭be‬‭calculated‬‭by‬
‭rearranging‬‭to:‬

‭Worked‬‭example‬
‭The‬‭radius‬‭of‬‭Mercury's‬‭orbit‬‭around‬‭the‬‭Sun‬‭is‬‭5.8‬‭×‬‭10‬‭9‬ ‭m.‬

‭ alculate‬‭the‬‭time‬‭taken‬‭for‬‭light‬‭from‬‭the‬‭Sun‬‭to‬‭reach‬‭Mercury.‬
C
‭Step‬‭1:‬‭State‬‭the‬‭equation‬‭for‬‭the‬‭time‬‭taken‬‭for‬‭light‬‭to‬‭travel‬‭a‬‭certain‬
‭distance‬

‭Step‬‭2:‬‭Substitute‬‭in‬‭the‬‭values‬

‭○‬ ‭The‬‭distance‬‭travelled‬‭is‬‭the‬‭radius‬‭of‬‭the‬‭orbit‬
‭■‬ ‭Distance,‬‭d‬‭=‬‭5.8‬‭×‬‭10‬‭9‬ ‭m.‬
‭○‬ ‭Speed‬‭=‬‭the‬‭speed‬‭of‬‭light,‬‭v‬‭=‬‭3.0‬‭×‬‭10‬‭8‬ ‭m/s‬

‭Step‬‭3:‬‭Round‬‭up‬‭the‬‭answer‬‭and‬‭include‬‭units‬

‭Exam‬‭Tip‬
‭ he‬‭speed‬‭of‬‭light‬‭is‬‭very‬‭fast.‬‭This‬‭is‬‭why‬‭in‬‭our‬‭everyday‬‭life‬‭things‬‭like‬
T
‭switching‬‭on‬‭a‬‭light‬‭seem‬‭to‬‭be‬‭instant.‬‭However,‬‭this‬‭is‬‭only‬‭because‬‭the‬‭light‬
‭travels‬‭very‬‭fast‬‭and‬‭the‬‭distances‬‭are‬‭very‬‭small.‬‭In‬‭large,‬‭astronomical‬
‭distances‬‭which‬‭can‬‭be‬‭millions‬‭or‬‭even‬‭billions‬‭of‬‭kilometres,‬‭the‬‭limit‬‭of‬‭the‬
‭speed‬‭of‬‭light‬‭starts‬‭to‬‭have‬‭an‬‭effect.‬

‭ or‬‭example,‬‭it‬‭takes‬‭light‬‭8‬‭minutes‬‭to‬‭travel‬‭from‬‭the‬‭Sun‬‭to‬‭the‬‭Earth.‬‭This‬
F
‭means‬‭we‬‭are‬‭seeing‬‭the‬‭Sun‬‭as‬‭it‬‭was‬‭eight‬‭minutes‬‭ago.‬‭If‬‭the‬‭Sun‬‭was‬‭to‬
‭disappear,‬‭we‬‭would‬‭not‬‭notice‬‭till‬‭eight‬‭minutes‬‭later.‬‭Although,‬‭by‬‭that‬‭time,‬
‭time‬‭delay‬‭would‬‭be‬‭the‬‭least‬‭of‬‭our‬‭worries...‬

‭p.s.:‬‭The‬‭Sun‬‭is‬‭not‬‭going‬‭to‬‭vanish!‬