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General Science & ability by Umer Saeed 44th CTP

 Key Terms to know
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1. Revolution - one complete circle made around something. The orbit made by a
planet or satellite around another body.
2. Rotation - the turning motion of a planet spinning on its axis.
3. Star - a glowing, hot, gaseous mass in space such as the Sun ranging in size from
that of a planet to larger than the Earth’s orbit. It generates energy by
thermonuclear reactions.
4. Planet - a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient
mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a
hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape and (c) has cleared the
neighborhood around its orbit.
5. Density- The amount of matter contained within a given volume. Density is
measured in grams per cubic centimeter (or kilograms per liter). The density of
water is 1.0, iron is 7.9, and lead is 11.3.
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Parts of Sun
The Core of the sun is considered to extend
from the center to about 25% of the solar
radius. It has a density of about 150 times
the density of water. The Core is the only
section of the sun that produces heat
through fusion. The temperature is 15
Million degree Celsius.

The Radiative Zone, from 25% to 70% of

the solar radius, the Radiative material is
hot and dense enough that thermal radiation
(not fusion) transfers the intense heat of
the Core outward. Heat is transferred by
photon radiation. 
4 Parts of sun
 The third part of the solar interior is named the convective (or convection) zone. It is also
named after the dominant mode of energy flow in this layer; heat moves upward convection.
The convection plasma is not dense or hot enough to transfer the heat energy of the interior
outward through radiation. As a resuLT, THERMAL CONVECTION OCCURS.  

 THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE SUN'S INTERIOR AND THE SOLAR

ATMOSPHERE IS CALLED THE PHOTOSPHERE. IT IS WHAT WE SEE AS THE
VISIBLE "SURFACE" OF THE SUN. THE PHOTOSPHERE IS NOT LIKE THE
SURFACE OF A PLANET.

 Did you know that the sun has an atmosphere? The lower region of the solar atmosphere is
called the chromosphere. Its name comes from the greek root chroma (meaning color), for
it appears bright red when viewed during a solar eclipse. A thin transition region, where
temperatures rise sharply, separates the chromosphere from the vast corona above.
5 Parts of sun
 THE UPPERMOST PORTION OF THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE IS CALLED THE
CORONA, AND IS SURPRISINGLY MUCH HOTTER THAN THE SUN'S
SURFACE (PHOTOSPHERE)!

 The upper corona gradually turns into the solar wind, a flow of plasma IN THE
FORM OF Streams of charged PARTICLES THAT moves outward through our
solar system into interstellar space.

 Sunspots are cool, dark patches on the Sun’s surface. They are caused by
disturbances in the sun’s magnetic field which make them cooler than the
surrounding area.
 Important Physical Features of the Sun
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1. Diameter of sun is 1,391,940 km (870,000 miles)
2. Mass of sun is 1.989 x 1030 kg or 330,000 times of Earth.
3. Sun is composed of 74% H2, 24% He
4. Age of the sun is about 4.5 billion years.

Sun 5. Density of sun is 1.41 g/cm3.

6. Temperature at surface of sun is 5500 C
7. Temperature at Core of the sun is 15 million C
8. Mean distance from earth is 150 million km
9. Sun has very large and active magnetic field.
10. Sun revolves around Milky Way in about 250 million years.
11. Sun’s rays reach earth surface in 8 minutes and 20 seconds.
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Creation &
Evolution of a Star
 Nuclear Fusion in the Sun
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The Sun is basically a huge ball of hydrogen gas held together

by the gravity created by its own mass. Under the intense
pressure created at the center of the Sun by gravity, hydrogen
nuclei are fused together to produce helium nuclei.
Four hydrogen nuclei are fused into one helium nucleus,
however one helium atom has less mass than four hydrogen
atoms. The fusion process releases enough energy to account
for the lost mass.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are the inner planets.
They are also known as terrestrial planets.
PLANET
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Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and are the outer planets.

These are also known as gas giants or Jovian planets.
10 Terrestrial Planets Jovian Planets
•Mercury, Venus, Earth •Jupiter, Saturn,
and Mars Uranus, and Neptune
•Close to Sun •Far from Sun
•Small masses, radii •Large masses and radii
•Rocky, solid surfaces •Gaseous surface
•High densities •Low densities
•Slow rotation •Fast rotation
•Weak magnetic field •Strong magnetic field
•No rings •Many rings
•Few moons •Many moons
 Relative position: 1st planet out from the sun.
Mercury Density: 5.43 g/cm3
Atmosphere: Almost no atmosphere. Size: .054 the
volume of the Earth
Planetary satellites (Moons): None
Rotation: 58.65 days (very slow rotation)
Revolution: 88 days to go around the Sun once.
Temperatures: High: 450 °C on the sunny side of the
planet. Low: -170 °C on the dark side of the planet.
Venus (Planet) Relative position: 2nd planet out from the sun.
Appearance: It is covered by thick, rapidly spinning clouds. Due
to its thick cloud layer reflecting sunlight, it is the brightest
planet in the sky

Density: 5.24 gm/cm3

Atmosphere: Consists mainly of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and
droplets of sulfuric acid; it contains almost no water vapor. This
thick atmosphere traps immense amounts of heat in a large-scale
greenhouse effect.

Planetary satellites (Moons): None

Rotation: -243 days (retrograde)

Revolution: 225 Earth days. Its day is longer than its year.
Temperature: 450 °C. It’s hotter than Mercury due to the
greenhouse effect. It is actually hot enough to melt lead.
Earth (Planet)

Relative position: 3rd planet out from the sun.

Density: 5.52 gm/cm3
Atmosphere: Mostly oxygen (21%) and nitrogen
(78%). Some argon, carbon dioxide, and water
vapor.
Planetary satellites (Moons): 1 - The Moon
Rotation: 23 hours, 56miutes (1 day)
Revolution: 365.25 days
Temperature: Mean surface 15 °C to 20 °C
 Distance
Period of Average Mean
from the Period of
Name of Diameters rotation temperature Density Atmospheric No of Prominent
sun revolution Rings
the planet (km) (earth g/cc composition moons Features
(million (earth time) C
14 km) time) (water=1)

Mercury 58 4900 88 days 59 days -170 to 450 5.43 No air 0 No Smallest & fastest
revolving planet

Venus 110 12100 225 days 243 days 480 5.25 CO2 0 No Hottest, brightest &
morning/ evening star

Earth 150 12756 365.25 days 24 hours 15 5.52 N2 & O2 1 No Heaviest and most
dense planet

Mars 228 6780 1.88 years 24 hours & -30 3.93 CO2 2 No Red plane & 2nd
40 mints smallest planet

Jupiter 780 142800 11.86 years 9 hours & -150 1.33 H2 & He 67 Yes Biggest, most massive
55 minutes & fastest rotating
planet
Saturn 1430 120800 29.46 years 10 hours & -180 0.71 H2 & He 62 Yes Ring planet, least
15 minutes dense & 2nd largest
planet
Uranus 2870 51800 84 years 17 hours -210 1.24 H2 & He 27 Yes Green planet

Neptune 4500 49400 164.79 years 16 hours -220 1.67 H2 & He 13 Yes Coldest and slowest
revolving planet
The Moon • The Moon is the Earth’s only natural satellite.

• The Moon contains no water and has no atmosphere

• Its has about 1/6 the mass of the Earth, therefore it has
1/6 the gravitational pull of the Earth.
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• It is 384 401 km from the Earth.

• It takes 27.32 days to orbit the Earth once.

• The gravitational pull of the Moon is responsible for the

Earth’s tides.

• The surface of the Moon is covered with craters and

flatlands. The craters are due to repeated meteorite
bombardments while the dark, flatlands are the result of
ancient lava flows.
Mars (Planet)
Relative position: 4th planet out from the sun.
Appearance: Mars appears red due to the iron
oxide in its soil. It has polar ice caps that
grow and recede with the seasons, and it has
dust storms, which cause giant dunes, wind
streaks, and wind-carved features.
Density: 3.94 gm/cm3
Atmosphere: Mostly carbon dioxide, nitrogen,
and argon.
Planetary satellites (Moons): 2 Moons
Rotation: 24 hours, 33 minutes.
Revolution: 686.67 days.
Temperature: -87 °C to -5 °C
Moons of Mars
Phobos Deimos
Jupiter (Planet)

Relative position: 5th planet out from the sun.

Appearance: It is sometimes called a “mini-solar
system” because of its numerous moons and several
rings. Jupiter appears striped because light and dark
belts are created by strong east-west winds.
General composition: It is a gas giant, meaning it is
mostly made of gases. Jupiter's core is probably not
solid but a dense, hot liquid with a consistency like
thick soup.
Density: 1.76 gm/cm3
Atmosphere: Mostly hydrogen, helium and methane.
Planetary satellites (Moons): 67 Moons; some of them
have been named and some have alphanumeric
designations.
Rotation: 9 hours, 54 minutes
Revolution: 11.86 Earth years
Temperature: -108 °C
 Saturn (Planet)
Special feature: Saturn's ring system is
the most extensive and complex in our
solar system; it extends hundreds of
thousands of kilometers from the planet.
The rings are mostly water ice with
particles ranging in size from a few
micrometers to several tens of meters.
Relative position: 6th planet out from the sun.
Appearance: Saturn has a large system of rings, and the yellow
and gold bands in its atmosphere are caused by super-fast
winds combined with heat rising from its interior.
General composition: It is a Gas giant, meaning it is mostly made
of the gases hydrogen and helium.
Density: 0.70 gm/cm3 (This low density means that Saturn could
float on water if their was a body of water big enough).
Atmosphere: Mostly hydrogen and helium.
Planetary satellites (Moons): 62 Moons; some have been named
and others have alphanumeric designations
Rotation: 10 hours, 38 minutes
Revolution: 29.45 Earth years
Temperature: -180 °C
Uranus (Planet)

Relative position: 7th planet out from the sun.

Appearance: It has a blue-green color from the methane gas
above the deeper clouds. Methane absorbs red light and
reflects blue light. It does have a small system of rings.
General composition: It is a Gas giant, meaning it is mostly
made of the gases hydrogen and helium, with a small
amount of methane and traces of water and ammonia. It has
no solid surface, but it does contain a liquid core made
mostly of “icy” materials (water, methane, and ammonia)
Density: 1.30 gm/cm3
Atmosphere: Mostly hydrogen, helium, and methane.
Planetary satellites (Moons): 27 Moons
Rotation: 17 hours, 11 minutes
Revolution: 84.02 Earth years
Temperature: -197 °C
 Neptune (Planet)
Special features: Neptune is actually the
farthest planet from the Sun for a 20-year
period out of every 248 Earth years due to
Pluto’s unusual elliptical orbit.
Relative position: 8th planet out from the sun.
Appearance: Neptune has a blue color because of the methane
in its atmosphere. The methane reflects blue light while it
absorbs red light. It has a small system of rings and
periodically Great Dark Spots (hurricane-like storms) appear.
General composition: It is a Gas giant, meaning it is mostly
made of the gases hydrogen, helium, and methane. It has no
solid surface, but its liquid core is composed of water and
other “melted ices.”
Density: 1.76 gm/cm3
Atmosphere: Mostly hydrogen, helium, and methane.
Planetary satellites (Moons): 13 Moons
Rotation: 16 hours, 4 minutes
Revolution: 164.79 Earth years
Temperature: -200 °C
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Dwarf Planet
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) most recently defines a
planet as a celestial body that:
• is in orbit around a star, but is not itself a satellite
• has sufficient mass so it is nearly spherical in shape
• has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit

On the other hand, a dwarf planet is defined as a celestial body that:

• is in orbit around a star, but is not itself a satellite
• has sufficient mass so it is nearly spherical in shape
• has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit

The only difference between a planet and a dwarf planet is the area
surrounding each celestial body. A dwarf planet has not cleared the area
around its orbit, while a planet has.
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Small Solar system Bodies
A small Solar System body (SSSB) is an object in the Solar System
 that is neither a planet, nor a dwarf planet, nor a satellite. The term was
first defined in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union.

All other objects, except satellites, orbiting the Sun

shall be referred to collectively as "Small Solar System
Bodies"

These currently include most of the Solar System

asteroids, Meteoroids, most Trans-Neptunian Objects
(TNOs), comets, and other small bodies
Asteroids
Asteroids are either rocky or metallic objects that
orbit the Sun. They are too small to considered
planets but are sometimes called planetoids.

They can be anywhere from the size of a pebble

up to a 1000km (620 miles) in diameter; the
asteroid Ceres is an example of an asteroid that
is this large.

They have been found inside Earth’s orbit and all

the way out past Saturn’s orbit. Most asteroids,
however, are located in the asteroid belt which
exists between the orbit’s of Mars and Jupiter.
 Meteoroids – interplanetary rocky
material smaller than 100m (down to
grain size).
•called a meteor as it burns in the
Earth’s atmosphere
•if it makes it to the ground, it is a
meteorite

Most meteor showers are the result of

the Earth passing through the orbit of a
comet which has left debris along its
path
 Comets
 A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, heats up and
begins to outgas, displaying a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These
phenomena are due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the
comet. 

Comets usually have highly 

eccentric elliptical orbits, and
they have a wide range of 
orbital periods, ranging from
several years to potentially
several millions of years. 

Halley’s Comet in 1986

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