SOLAR SYSTEM:

PROPERTIES AND
CURRENT
INFORMATION
SUN
 Is the star of the solar system. It emits energy as well as
particles outward and in all directions.

 The sun makes up 99.86 % of the mass of the entire solar

system. It is the main sequence star.
ASTEROIDS
 Are made up of rocks and are sometimes referred to as
minor planets in many ways.
 They tend to congregate in what is known as

main asteroid belt.

MAIN ASTEROID BELT
 Are located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
NEAR-EARTH ASTEROIDS (NEAS)
 These are asteroids that can be perturbed out of their main belt
and may especially come close to the earth.
 The NASA is monitoring these asteroids because of the
possibility of them hitting Earth, which could have catastrophic
consequences.
COMETS
 Are composed mainly of ice (frozen water and gas) and
nonvolatile dust (silicate minerals and carbon grains)
they only become active when their orbits take them near
the sun.
KUIPER BELT
Is often called the solar system’s “final frontier”
because it is at the outermost region of the solar system.
OORT CLOUD
 Is located farther than the Kuiper belt and therefore
remained unexplored. Long period comets are thought to
originate from the Oort cloud.
THE PLANETS ARE GROUPED INTO 2
CATEGORIES
TERRESTRIAL
-they referred to as inner
planets.
-they are composed of most
dense, rocky, and metallic
materials
-they are relatively small, has
a very few moon, and they
also don’t have ring.
 MERCURY
JOVIAN
-they are referred to as gas
planets and are made up
mostly of hydrogen and
helium.
-they have a multiple moons,
no solid surfaces, immense in
size, and support ring
systems.
 JUPITER

 VENUS  SATURN

 EARTH  URANUS

 MARS  NEPTUNE
WHY DO PLANETS COMING FROM THE SAME
CLOUD OF GAS HAVE DIFFERENT COMPOSITIONS?
 This is explained by where these planets are formed in
relation to the distance from the sun defined by the frost
line.

FROST LINE
-Is the distance of the solar nebula from the protostar
increases, temperature decreases.

At a cooler temperatures, more materials condense. The

frost line divides the inner warm regions (where Jovian
planets are formed).
OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS OF PLANETS ARE BASED
ON THEIR POSITIONS RELATIVE TO THE SUN OR
EARTH.

1. Position relative to the sun:

 Inner planets include Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.

 Outer planets include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and

Neptune.
 Asteroid belt between Mars, and Jupiter form the
boundary between the inner and outer planets.
OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS OF PLANETS ARE BASED
ON THEIR POSITIONS RELATIVE TO THE SUN OR
EARTH.

2. Position relative to Earth

 Inferior planets are located inside the orbit of Earth,

which include Mercury, and Venus.
 Superior planets are located outside the orbit of Earth,
which includes Mars, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
ATMOSPHERE ON DIFFERENT PLANETS
 Mercury- Has very thin, almost undetectable
atmosphere composed of sodium and potassium gas. It is
the smallest planet, it also has the shortest orbit in about
3 earth months.

 Venus- is composed mainly of carbon dioxide with

minor amounts of nitrogen and trace amounts of
nitrogen, helium, neon, and argon. It is the hottest planet
because of its extensive lava flow.
ATMOSPHERE ON DIFFERENT PLANETS
 Earth’s atmosphere primarily composed of nitrogen,
and oxygen. Minor gases include gases and carbon
dioxide, ozone, argon, and helium.

 Mars atmosphere is a thin layer composed mainly of

carbon dioxide, nitrogen, argon, and small traces of
oxygen and water vapor are also present.
ATMOSPHERE ON DIFFERENT PLANETS
 Jupiter’s atmosphere contains mainly of helium and
hydrogen with trace amounts of water, ammonia,
methane, and other carbon compounds. It is the largest
planet in our solar system.

 Saturn- has thick atmosphere composed of hydrogen

and helium. The ratio of hydrogen to helium ratio
decreases with depth. Methane and ammonia are also
present.
ATMOSPHERE ON DIFFERENT PLANETS
 Uranus atmosphere is composed mainly of hydrogen
and minor amounts of helium. Methane is present in
minor amounts, and probably forms most of clouds seen
by space probes and telescopes.

 Neptune- consists mainly of hydrogen and helium, but

about 2.5 -3 % of the atmosphere is methane.
ANSWER THE QUESTION BELOW.
½ CROSSWISE

 How could future human beings bring life to other

planets and beyond? What are your thoughts on this?