SOLAR SYSTEM

By:
Delfin, Aldous John P.
Palada, Ezekiel John E.
San Felipe, Hazelle Anne E.
Verdan, Aaron John S.
Soto, Bryce Elvin A.
 Origin of the Solar System
Nebular hypothesis
- maintains that 4.6 billion years ago, the Solar System formed
from the gravitational collapse of a giant molecular cloud
which was light years across.
- Several stars, including the sun, formed within the collapsing
cloud.
- The gas that formed the Solar System was slightly more
massive than the Sun itself.
- Most of the mass collected in the center, forming the Sun: the
rest of the mass flattened into a protoplanetary disc, out of
which the planets and other bodies in the Solar System
formed.
 The Planetesimal and Tidal Theories
Planetesimal theory
- is a theory of global creation which assumes that
solid objects exist within protoplanetary disks and
debris disks.
- the original theory, proposed by Viktor Safronov,
posits that cosmic dust grains, as they collide
together, stick. This forms the core, or center layer
of planetary mass.
- As they accumulate they form larger and larger
bodies.
Gravity pull is created once the body of particles,
located near the center of the protoplanetary
debris disk gain density.

 When the body reaches a breadth of

approximately a kilometer, they attract one
another by mutual gravity, causing the mass to
grow further reaching a moon-sized mass, or
protoplanet.
 The basic theory introduced by Safronov has been
applied to the formation of the known solar system
which contains Earth.
 It is believed that approximately 3.8 billion years ago a
period of time known as the Late Heavy
Bombardment shot many of the larger planetesimal
objects out of the solar system, which forced them to
collide with larger planetary objects, like Jupiter.
 This was also likely the time when smaller planets,
with high gravity pulls, captured moons.
 Example: Mars captured the moons Phobos and
Deimos.
THE LATE HEAVY BOMBARDMENT
Planetesimal bodies that remain are valuable to
scientists because they contain information about
how the solar system formed, and what basic
chemicals and solid compounds they are made up
from.
The exterior layer of the phantasmal bodies are
altered by the intense radiation of the sun, it is
believed the inner core remains largely unchanged
from its moment of creation.
 “Planetesimal” is translated as“infantismal fraction
of a planet.” It is derived from the mathematical
concept of infantismal numbers of infinity.
 Tidal Theory
- proposed by James Jeans and Harold Jeffreys in
1918.
- is a variation of the planetesimal concept.
- it suggests that a huge tidal wave, raised on the
sun by a passing star, was drawn into a long
filament and became detached from the principal
mass.
- as the stream of gaseous material condensed, it
separated into masses of various sizes, which, by
further condensation, took the form of the planets.
 Contemporary Theories
- Return to a form of the nebular hypothesis to
explain the transfer of momentum from the
central mass to the outer matrerial.
Nebula is seen as a dense nucleus, or
protosun, surrounded by a thin shell of
gaseous matter extending to the edges of the
solar system.
NEBULA
Theory of protoplanets
- proposed by Gerard P. Kuiper
- the nebula ceased to rotate uniformly and,
under the influence of turbulence and tidal
action, broke into whirlpools of gas, called
protoplanets, within the rotating mass.
- In time the protoplanets condensed to form
the planets. Although Kuiper’s theory allows
for the distribution of angular momentum, it
does not explain adequately the chemical and
physical differences of the planets.
 H. C. Urey
- has given evidence that the terrestrial planets were formed at
low tempertures, less than 2,200 F (1,200 C).
- He proposed that the temperatures were high enough to drive off
most of the lighter substances, (e.g., hydrogen and helium) but
low enough to allow for the condensation of heavier substances,
(e.g., iron and silica) into solid particles, or planetesimals.
- The planetesimals pulled together into protoplanets, the
temperature increased, and the metals formed a molten core.
- At the distances of the Jovian planets the methane, water, and
ammonia were frozen, preventing the earthly materials from
condensing into small solids and resulting in the different
composition of these planets and their great size and low density.
The discovery of extrasolar planetary systems, beginning
with 51 Pegasi in 1995, have given planetary scientists
pause.
- Because it was the only one known, all models of planetary
systems were based on the characteristics of the solar
system – several small planets close to the star, several
large planets at greater distances, and nearly circular
planetary orbits.
- However, all of the extrasolar planets are large, many
much larger than Jupiter, the largest of the solar planets;
many orbit their star at distances less than that of Mercury,
the solar planet closest to the sun; and many have highly
elliptical orbits. All of this has caused planetary scientists to
revisit the contemporary theories of planetary formation.
SOLAR SYSTEM
Our solar system consists of an average star we call the SUN.
The planets:
• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune
• Pluto
It includes the satellites of the planets; numerous comets,
asteroids and meteoroids and the interplanetary medium.
 THE SUN
Sun
 is the richest source of electromagnetic energy (mostly in the form of heat
and light) in the solar system.
 the sun’s nearest known stellar neighbour is a red dwarf star called Proxima
Centauri, at a distance of 4.3 light years away.
Milky Way
- a spiral disk of 200 billion stars; the whole solar system, together with the
local stars visible on a clear night, orbits the center of our home galaxy.
- has two small galaxies orbiting it nearby, which are visible from the southern
hemisphere: the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Andromeda Galaxy
- the nearest large galaxy.
- It is a a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way but is 4 times as massive and is 2
million light years away.
 Our galaxy, one of billions of galaxies known, is traveling through intergalactic
space.
PROXIMA CENTAURI
MILKY WAY
ANDROMEDA GALAXY
The planets, satellites of the planets and the asteroids
REVOLVE around the Sun in the same direction, in nearly
circular orbits.
When looking down from above the Sun’s north pole, the
planets orbit in a counter-clockwise direction.
Ecliptic
-the planets orbit the Sun in or near the same plane.
Pluto is a special case in that its orbit is the most highly
inclined (18 degrees) and the most highly elliptical of all the
planets.
 Because of this, Pluto is closer to the Sun than in Neptune.
The axis of rotation for most of the planets is nearly
perpendicular to the ecliptic. The exceptions are Uranus
and Pluto, which are tipped on their sides.
COMPOSITION OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

List of the mass distribution within our Solar

System.
• Sun: 99.85%
• Planets: 0.135%
• Comets: 0.01%?
• Satellites: 0.00005%
• Minor Planets: 0.0000002%?
• Meteoroids: 0.0000001%?
• Interplanetary Medium: 0.00000015?
 TERRESTRIAL PLANETS (MVEM)
The terrestrial planets are the 4 innermost planets
in the solar system:
• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars
 They are called terrestrial because they have a
compact, rocky surface like the Earth’s. The
planets, Venus, Earth and Mars have significant
atmospheres while Mercury has almost none.
MERCURY VENUS EARTH MARS
 JOVIAN PLANETS (JSUN)
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are known
as the Jovian (Jupiter-like) planets, because
they are all gigantic compared with Earth, and
they have a gaseous nature like Jupiter’s.
The Jovian planets are also referred to as the
gas giants, although some or all of them might
have small solid cores.
CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH
PLANETS
 MERCURY
- is named after the messenger of the Gods of
ancient Rome.
- It is the smallest planet.
- Its surface temperature is about 427 C.
- is a dry, barren planet. Because it has very
little atmosphere, falling meteors would crash
full force into its surface.
 VENUS
- it is the brightest planet in the sky.
- It appears in the east as the “morning star” and
as “evening star” and in the west.
- The surface temperature on Venus is about 462
C.
- The atmosphere is made up mostly of carbon
dioxide.
- There is liquid water and oxygen.
 EARTH
- is the only planet known to have living things.
- Its atmosphere is composed mostly of oxygen and
nitrogen.
- The earth’s atmosphere protects it from the sun’s
harmful rays.
- The atmosphere also keeps heat as well as water from
escaping into space.
- Earth is a rocky planet.
- Beneath its surface lie solid iron and nickel surrounded
by rocks.
- Temperatures range from as high as 7000 to about 870
C.
 MARS
- This planet is similar to earth in some ways.
- It has seasons, an approximately 24 hour day,
and an atmosphere with clouds and icecaps.
- The atmosphere on Mars contains only small
amount of oxygen.
- Mars has two moons—Deimos and Phobos.
 JUPITER
- is the biggest of all the planets.
- Its temperature can be as high as 30000 C.
- is made up of gas, liquid hydrogen and helium.
- Sixteen moons orbit Jupiter.
- The four largest are the Galilean moons, name
after Galileo Galilei, the Italian astronomer who
first observed the Galilean moons in 1610.
- A thin ring of fine dust particles surrounds Jupiter.
 SATURN
- has a hot, solid inner core of iron and rocky material.
- Its temperature averages 178 C.
- Seven rings encircle Saturn at the equator.
- The rings are thin and flat. Each ring consists of ice particles
arranged in ringlets and bands. Some rings are wary while
others are sharp-edge.
- Saturn has 18 moons.
- Phoebe is the farthest moon.
- It orbits Saturn at a distance of about 12,950,000 kilometers.
- Saturn’s largest satellite is Titan. It is 1 ½ time as large as the
earth’s moon. It is even larger than Mercury and Pluto. Titan
has an atmosphere consisting mostly of nitrogen.
7 RINGS OF SATURN
PHOEBE
 URANUS
- was discovered in 1781 by William Herschel.
- Uranus does not seem to have an internal source of heat.
- The planet’s temperature is about 216 C.
- Uranus has 27 moons.
- They all orbit near the plane of the planets equator.
- also has 11 thin rings surrounding it. The rings consist of
chunks of unknown black material.
Name of 11 rings:
- Ring 1986 U2R, Ring 6, Ring 5, Ring 4, Alpha Ring, Beta
Ring, Eta Ring, Gemma Ring, Delta Ring, Ring 1986 U1R
and Epsilon Ring
 NEPTUNE
- was discovered in 1846 by two astronomers,
Adams and Leverrier.
- Its composition is similar to that of Uranus.
- There is a central core of rock and ice.
- Neptune’s atmosphere is gaseous.
- has a ring system.
- It consists of one faint ring and three bright
rings.
- Neptune has eight moons.
RINGS OF NEPTUNE
THE SUN
 is by far the largest object in the solar system.
 It contains more than 99.8% of the total mass
of the Solar System (Jupiter contains most of
the rest).
 It is often said that the Sun is an “ordinary”
star. That’s true in the sense that there are
many others similar to it. But there are many
more smaller stars than larger ones.
 the Sun is in the top 10% by mass. The median
size of stars in our galaxy is probably less than
half the mass of the Sun.
 The Sun is personified in many mythologies: the Greeks
called it Helios and the Romans called it Sol.
 The Sun is, at present, about 70% hydrogen and 28%
helium by mass everything else (“metals”) amounts to
less than 2%. This changes slowly over time as the Sun
converts hydrogen to helium in its core.
 The outer layers of the Sun exhibit differential rotation:
- at the equator the surface rotates once every 25.4 days;
near the poles it’s as much as 36 days.
- This odd behavior is due to the fact that the Sun is not a
solid body like the Earth. Similar effects are seen in the
gas planets. The differential rotation extends considerably
down into the interior of the Sun but the core of the Sun
rotates as a solid body.
 Conditions at the Sun’s core (approximately the inner 25% of its
radius) are extreme.
 The temperature is 15.6 million Kelvin and the pressure is 250
billion atmospheres.
 At the center of the core the Sun’s density is more than 159 times
that of water.
 The Sun’s power (about 386 billion billion megaWatts) is
produced by nuclear fusion reactions.
 Each second about 700,000,000 tons of hydrogen are converted
to about 695,000,000 tons of helium and 5,000,000 tons
(=3.86e33 ergs) of energy in the form of gamma rays.
 As it travels out toward the surface, the energy is continuously
absorbed and re-emitted at lower and lower temperatures so
that by the time it reaches the surface, it is primarily visible light.
 For the last 20% of the way to the surface the energy is carried
more by convection than by radiation.
Photosphere
- the surface of the Sun
- is at a temperature of about 5800 K.
Sunspots are “cool” regions, only 3800 K (they look dark only by
comparison with the surrounding regions).
- can be very large, as much as 50,000 km in diameter.
- are caused by complicated and not very well understood
interactions with the Sun’s magnetic field.
Chromosphere
- a small region that lies above the photosphere.
Corona
- the highly rarefield region above the chromosphere, that extends
millions of kilometers into space but is visible only during a total
solar eclipse. Temperatures in the corona are over 1,000,000 K.
SUNSPOTS
 SOLAR ECLIPSE
 It just happens that the Moon and the Sun
appear the same size in the sky as viewed
from the Earth. And since the Moon orbits the
Earth in approximately the same plane as the
Earth’s orbit around the Sun sometimes the
moon comes directly between the Earth and
the Sun. This is called a solar eclipse.
Partial Eclipse
- if the alignment is slightly imperfect then the
Moon covers only part of the Sun’s disk and the
event.
- are visible over a wide area of the Earth but the
region from which a total eclipse is just a few
kilometers (though it is usually thousands of
kilometers long).
When it lines up perfectly the entire solar disk is
blocked and it is called a total eclipse of the Sun.
Eclipses of the Sun happen once or twice a year.
 PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

• The Sun’s magnetic field is very strong (by terrestrial
standards) and very complicated. Its magnetospgere
(also known as the heliosphere) extends well beyond
Pluto.
• In addition to heat and light, the Sun also emits a low
density stream of charged particles (mostly electrons
and protons) known as the solar wind which
propagates throughout the soalr system at about 450
km/sec.
• The solar wind and the much higher energy particles
ejected by solar flares can have dramatic effects on the
Earth ranging from power line surges to radio
interference to the beautiful aurora borealis.
 Recent data from the spacecraft Ulysses show that during
the minimum of the solar cycle the solar wind emanating
from the polar regions flows at nearly double the rate, 750
kilometers per second, than it does at lower latitudes.
 The composition of the solar wind also appears to differ
in the polar regions. During the solar maximum, however,
the solar wind moves at an intermediate speed.
 Further study of the solar wind will be done by the
recently launched Wind, ACE and SOHO spacecraft from
the dynamically stable vantage point directly between the
Earth and the Sun about 1.6 million km from Earth.
 The solar wind has large effects on the tails of comets and
even has measurable effects on the trajectories of
spacecraft.
The Sun’s output is not entirely constant. Nor is
the amount of sunspot activity.
There was a period of very low sunsport activity
in the latter half of the 17th century called the
Maunder Minimum.
- It coincides with an abnormally cold period in
northern Europe sometimes known as the Little
Ice Age. Since the formation of the solar system
the Sun’s output has increase by about 40%.
The Sun is about 4.5 billion years old.
Since its birth it has used up about half of the
hydrogen in its core. It will continue to radiate
2“peacefully” for another 5 billion years or so
(although its luminosity will approximately
double in that time).
But eventually it will run out of hydrogen fuel.
THANK
YOU!