EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCE

Erika Lourine Kate A. Cervantes

WEEK 1
ORIGIN AND STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH
 After going through this module, learners are expected
to:
1. identify the characteristics of the Earth that supports
life
2. Expound how the characteristics of the Earth sustain
the needs of living organism.
GUESS WHAT???

IDENTIFY WHAT PLANETICIMAL CAN BE ASSOCIATED IN THE

FOLLOWING WORDS.

1. Monday
2. Hermes
3. Wars
4.Beautiful
5. Big Brother
ANSWERS

 Luna or Moon
 Mercury
 Mars
 Venus
 Jupiter
WHAT IS THE UNIVERSE?
 THE UNIVERSE
Is also known as Cosmos contains all galaxies, stars and planets.
Our Solar system is located in the Milky Way Galaxy, which is one of many galaxies in the universe.
So far there are 51 galaxies that has been discovered but there are an estimated number of about
100 to 200 billion in all.
Cosmology is the branch of science which studies the origin, evolution and fate of the universe.
WHAT ARE THE THEORIES BEHIND THE
ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE?
 BIG BANG
it is the leading explanation about how the universe began. In this theory,
energy and matter divided and became distinct from each other. After the massive
explosion, dust and portion of the condensed matter and energy spread out. It all
started with a small singularity then inflating over the next 13.8 billion years to the
cosmos that we know today.
 Steady State
It states that the universe has been present ever since and therefore has no
beginning and no end.
 Pulsating Universe
Is a combination of both Big Bang and Big Crunch as a part of cyclic
event. It is commonly known as oscillating or cyclic universe theory,
postulates that the universe goes through regular cycles of expansion and
destruction.
 Big Crunch
It state that at a certain point in time, it will stop expanding and collapse into
itself, pulling everything with it until it eventually turns into the biggest black hole
ever. Is one of the scenarios predicted by scientists in which the universe may end.
That is , if the Big Bang describes how the Universe most possibly began, the Big
Crunch describes how it will end as a consequence of the beginning.
HYPOTHESIS ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF THE
SOLAR SYSTEM
Our Solar System consists of an average star we call Sun and the planets. It includes satellites of the planets,
numerous comets, asteroids, meteoroids and the interplanetary medium.
HYPOTHESIS ON THE ORIGIN OF SOLAR
SYSTEM
Theory of Vortices
Postulated by Rene Descartes and stated that the space was entirely filled with
matter in various states, whirling around the sun like a vortex.
Nebular Hypothesis
Immanuel Kant stated that from a spinning disk, stars and planets would form
and from this type of formation, the rotation of earth and the other planets would
be explained.
Laplace’s Nebular Theory
by Pierre-Simon Laplace states that a slow rotating nebula (a cloud of vast gas
and dust) collapsed under gravity forming an oblate spheroid due to the increase in
it’s spin rate.
Leclerc- Buffon Idea
Georges-Louis Leclerc and Comte de Buffon conceived the idea that a comet
collided with the Sun sending matter off to form planets.
Chemical Composition Analysis
Harold Urey studied meteorites and its chemical composition and later associated
it with the differences of the planets.
Solar Nebular Disk Model (SNDM)
By Victor Safronov, stated that our star system was formed 4.568 billion years ago
when a small part of a giant molecular cloud experienced a gravitational collapse. Most
of the collapsing mass collected in the center forming the sun while the rest flattened
into a protoplanetary disk,out of which planets moon, asteroids etc. are formed.
HOW UNIQUE OUR PLANET IS?
The Planets
Terrestrial Planets or rocky planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth Mars
Giants
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
SUN

 Our Sun – the heart of our solar system – is a yellow dwarf star, a hot ball of
glowing gases. Its gravity holds the solar system together, keeping everything
from the biggest planets to the smallest particles of debris in its orbit. Electric
currents in the Sun generate a magnetic field that is carried out through the solar
system by the solar wind – a stream of electrically charged gas blowing outward
from the Sun in all directions.
 The Sun is the largest object in our solar system, comprising 99.8% of the
system’s mass. Though it seems huge to us, the Sun isn't as large as other types of
stars.
MERCURY

 The smallest planet in our solar system and nearest to the Sun, Mercury is only
slightly larger than Earth's Moon.
 From the surface of Mercury, the Sun would appear more than three times as
large as it does when viewed from Earth, and the sunlight would be as much as
seven times brighter. Despite its proximity to the Sun, Mercury is not the hottest
planet in our solar system – that title belongs to nearby Venus, thanks to its dense
atmosphere.
 Mercury was named after the Roman god of travel. 
Hermes
VENUS
VENUS WAS NAMED AFTER THE ROMAN GODDESS OF LOVE AND BEAUTY.

 Venus is the second planet from the Sun and is Earth’s closest planetary neighbor. It’s one of the
four inner, terrestrial (or rocky) planets, and it’s often called Earth’s twin because it’s similar in
size and density. These are not identical twins, however – there are radical differences between
the two worlds.
 Venus has a thick, toxic atmosphere filled with carbon dioxide and it’s perpetually shrouded in
thick, yellowish clouds of sulfuric acid that trap heat, causing a runaway greenhouse effect. It’s
the hottest planet in our solar system, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun. Surface
temperatures on Venus are about 900 degrees Fahrenheit (475 degrees Celsius) – hot enough to
melt lead. The surface is a rusty color and it’s peppered with intensely crunched mountains and
thousands of large volcanoes. Scientists think it’s possible some volcanoes are still active.
 Venus has crushing air pressure at its surface – more than 90 times that of Earth – similar to the
pressure you'd encounter a mile below the ocean on Earth.
 Another big difference from Earth – Venus rotates on its axis backward, compared to most of
the other planets in the solar system. This means that, on Venus, the Sun rises in the west and
sets in the east, opposite to what we experience on Earth. (It’s not the only planet in our solar
system with such an oddball rotation – Uranus spins on its side.)
EARTH

 Our home planet is the third planet from the Sun, and the only place we know of
so far that’s inhabited by living things.
 While Earth is only the fifth largest planet in the solar system, it is the only world
in our solar system with liquid water on the surface. Just slightly larger than
nearby Venus, Earth is the biggest of the four planets closest to the Sun, all of
which are made of rock and metal.
 The name Earth is at least 1,000 years old. All of the planets, except for Earth,
were named after Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. However, the name
Earth is a Germanic word, which simply means “the ground.”
MARS

 Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun – a dusty, cold, desert world with a very
thin atmosphere. Mars is also a dynamic planet with seasons, polar ice caps,
canyons, extinct volcanoes, and evidence that it was even more active in the past.
 Mars is one of the most explored bodies in our solar system, and it's the only
planet where we've sent rovers to roam the alien landscape.
 Mars was the Roman god of War. 
JUPITER

 Jupiter has a long history of surprising scientists – all the way back to 1610 when
Galileo Galilei found the first moons beyond Earth. That discovery changed the
way we see the universe.
 Fifth in line from the Sun, Jupiter is, by far, the largest planet in the solar system –
more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined.
 Jupiter's familiar stripes and swirls are actually cold, windy clouds of ammonia and
water, floating in an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter’s iconic Great
Red Spot is a giant storm bigger than Earth that has raged for hundreds of years.
 Jupiter was the king of the Roman gods
 SATURN
 Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest planet in our solar
system.
 Adorned with thousands of beautiful ringlets, Saturn is unique among the planets.
It is not the only planet to have rings – made of chunks of ice and rock – but none
are as spectacular or as complicated as Saturn's.
 Like fellow gas giant Jupiter, Saturn is a massive ball made mostly of hydrogen
and helium.
  Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture.
URANUS

 Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun, and has the third-largest diameter in
our solar system. It was the first planet found with the aid of a telescope, Uranus
was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel, although he originally
thought it was either a comet or a star.
 It was two years later that the object was universally accepted as a new planet, in
part because of observations by astronomer Johann Elert Bode. Herschel tried
unsuccessfully to name his discovery Georgium Sidus after King George III.
Instead, the scientific community accepted Bode's suggestion to name it Uranus,
the Greek god of the sky, as suggested by Bode.​
 Uranus was named after an ancient Greek king of the gods. 
NEPTUNE

 Dark, cold, and whipped by supersonic winds, ice giant Neptune is the eighth and
most distant planet in our solar system.
 More than 30 times as far from the Sun as Earth, Neptune is the only planet in our
solar system not visible to the naked eye and the first predicted by mathematics
before its discovery. In 2011 Neptune completed its first 165-year orbit since its
discovery in 1846.
 Neptune was the Roman god of the Sea.
MOON

 There is no established lower limit on what is considered a "moon". Every natural

celestial body with an identified orbit around a planet of the Solar System, some
as small as a kilometer across, has been considered a moon, though objects a
tenth that size within Saturn's rings, which have not been directly observed, have
been called moonlets. Small asteroid moons (natural satellites of asteroids), such
as Dactyl, have also been called moonlets.
 Do you know all 219 moons (so far) of the planets in our solar system? Well here
they are! Every so often new moons are discovered for the outer planets and the
dwarf planets. 
 ☿ Mercury moons = 0
 Mercury is too close to the Sun to hold on to a moon.
 ♀ Venus moons = 0
 Venus may have had a moon in the distant past, which collided with another object and
then impacted Venus.
 ♁ Earth moons = 1 Luna
 Earth also has several quasi-satellites - asteroids 2020 CD3 and 2020 HO3 being the closest
with the most stable temporary orbits.
 ♂ Mars moons = 2
 Both moons of Mars may be captured asteroids. Deimos and Phobos are difficult to see
except in very large telescopes due to being so close to Mars.
 ⚳ Dwarf Ceres moons = 0
 Dwarf Hygiea moons = 0

Ceres and Hygiea are the only dwarf planets located in the asteroid belt and have
no moons surprisingly. A number of smaller asteroids (also called minor planets)
do have moons, but they are all too faint to see in any amateur telescope.
 Notable asteroids with moons include:
 Sylvia with 2 moons Romulus & Remus; Eugenia with 2 moons Petit-Prince & S\
2004; Daphne with moon Peneius, Kalliope with moon Linus; Minerva with 2
moons Aegis & Gorgoneion; Kleopatra with 2 moons Alexhelios & Cleoselene;
and Ida with moon Dactyl.
 ♃ Jupiter moons = 79
 Known moons of Jupiter are listed in order of size. The first four moons listed, the Galilean
moons, are visible in binoculars. Jupiter may have 600 moons total, but most of these are very
small.
 ♄ Saturn moons = 82
 Moons of Saturn are listed in order of size. The first seven moons are viewable using a telescope,
and the largest moon Titan, is visible through good binoculars. Saturn also has hundreds to
thousands of moonlets embedded in its ring system.
 ♅ Uranus moons = 27
 Moons of Uranus are listed in order of size. The first four are visible in medium to large (8-12
inch) telescopes.
 ♆ Neptune moons = 14
 Moons of Neptune are listed in order of size. Triton is visible using a medium to large (8-12 inch)
telescope. Triton is believed to be a dwarf planet from the Kuiper Belt captured by Neptune.
THE PLANET EARTH
WHAT IS EARTH?

Earth otherwise known as the world, is

the 3rd planet from the Sun and the only
object in the universe which can harbor
life. It is the densest planet and largest
of the four terrestrial planets.
WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT EARTH?

 Existence of water ( not too much nor too little)

 Proximity to the sun ( not to near not too far)
 System of the plate tectonics that enables the carbon silicate cycle regulating
temperature.
 Right size (large enough to hang on to its atmosphere, but not so large to hold on
too much atmosphere and consequently too much heat.
 Protection by “big brother” Jupiter whose gravity vacuum up incoming debris and
keep Earth Safe
 Has only 1 moon named Luna stabilizing the planetary rotation and prevents the
poles from shifting unexpectedly and controls the tides.
WHAT MAKES EARTH CAPABLE OF
SUPPORTING LIFE?
 Water- is an excellent solvent, capable of dissolving many
substances, 70% of Earth’s Surface is covered with water.
 Plate tectonics- vital to host life. It covers the entire Earth’s
surface and the boundaries play an important role in geologic
events.
 Atmosphere-contains 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1%
argon. It blocks some of the Sun’s dangerous rays from
reaching Earth.
MAJOR SYSTEMS OF THE EARTH

 Geosphere
 Hydrosphere
 Atmosphere
 Biosphere
GEOSPHERE
 It makes up the solid portion of the Earth’s layer
CRUST- thin layer composed of solid rocks and minerals. Divided into 2 forms.
* Oceanic Crust
* Continental Crust
MANTLE- 85% of the total weight of the Earth
* Upper Mantle
* Lower Mantle
CORE- huge ball of liquid and solid iron. It protects us from the dangerous
radiation of space.
* Outer Core
* Inner Core
HYDROSPHERE

 The combined mass of water found on under and above the surface of a planet.
 Mostly 70% of Earth is composed of water, 97% is in the form of ocean (salty) and
the rest is fresh water (non-salty)
CRYOSPHERE – frozen part of the hydrosphere.
ATMOSPHERE
 The air that we breathe and the gas which serves as a blanket to our planet.
 78% nitrogen
 21% oxygen
 0.9% argon
LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
Troposphere- all weather types are in this region
Stratosphere- where you can find the ozone layer
Mesosphere- meteors are usually burn up in this region
Thermosphere- aurora and satellites are located
Exosphere- Upper limit of the atmosphere
Ionosphere- ionized atoms and layers of electron and molecules occur.
BIOSPHERE

 ZONE OF LIFE