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Jun 1, 1576
Mars
400 B.C. Babylonians examined Mars. In 1576 Tycho Brahe calculated how Mars is positioned with his eyes. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and it's about 142 million miles from the Sun. What makes the planet red is the iron in the rock. Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system and largest canyon. It has an atmosphere, seasonal changes, and polar ice caps. Mars is the only other planet, besides Earth, that we know of, that could possibly support life. Mars is an inner planet. -
Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion.
Kepler's law states that a planet stays in the same place and stays at the same time as it goes around the Sun. He found that the planets didn't move at the same speed. A planet closer to the Sun goes faster and farther on its path then a planet farther from the Sun, it moves at a slower pace and covers less distance. Kepler also discovered that the orbit of each planet is an ellips. An ellipse is egg shaped rotation. -
Venus
Galileo was the first to observe Venus in 1610. It's the second closest planet to the Sun. Venus' atmosphere has carbon dioxide gas in it and very little water vapor. It's about the same size as Earth. It never rains on Venus because it's too hot. Venus rotates backward unlike the other planets. The surface temperature is around 462'C. There is no water on Venus, but it's coved by volcanic plains, and has a few volcanic peaks and craters. Venus has no rings or moons. It's an inner planet. -
Saturn
Galileo Galilei saw "ears" on Saturn when he first looked at it with his telescope.(see "Saturn and it's Characteristics") -
Jupiters Moons
Four of Jupiters moons were discovoered by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei. -
Saturn and it's Characteristics
The "ears" that Galilei saw were really rings that are around Saturn. By using an improved telesscope Christian Huygens dicovered they were rings, in 1655. Saturn is the seconed largest planet in our solar system. All the other planets are denser than Saturn, and it has a four ring system. The rings were most likely formed several thousand years ago by two of saturns satellites smashing into each other. Saturn has an atmosphere, 52 named moons, but it has 60 in all. Saturn is a Gas Giant Planet. -
Comets
The first recording of a comet was in the fifteenth century B.C. They're called the "dirty snowballs" because they are small and made of dust and ice. The home of comets is called the Oort Cloud. It's 40,000 au from the sun. They are mostly invisible to us. An averge of only on comet is seen per year by the naked eye. They have hardly any light, are tiny, and have no tail. The first scientist to show that comets have a repeating orbit was Edmond Haley in 1682. -
Uranus
In 1781 William Herschel found Uranus by accident. With a cloud cover and an atmosphere made of helium, hydrogen, methane(gives it it's blue color), and ammonia it's very cold. Uranus has 11 rings and 27 moons.
What makes Uranus interesting is that it turns on it's side. Uranus is an ocean of gas that is 5,000 miles deep. Uranus is a Gas Giant. -
Finding Asteroids
Ceres was discovered by an Italian monk Giuseppe Piazza in 1801, Juno in 1804, and Vesta in 1807. William Herschel named these little things Asteroids.
They are rocky, found mostly in the Asteroid Belt, and act just like planets. That's why they are called dwarf planets. -
Neptune a Gas Giant
Neptune, the fourth largest planet, was discovered by Jonhann Galle in 1846. Neptune has eight moons and lots of rings. It is amlost completely made up of water, has and stmosphere, and is one of the windiest planets. Neptune is made up of hydrogen, silicates, water, and helium. There are three primary patterns in the weather. Neptune has a storm nera the size of earth, it's called The Great Dark Spot. There is also The Small Dark Spot. -
Inertia and Gravity Keep Planets in Orbit
Gravity forces all planets to eachother. Inertia is an objucts tendency to move in a continuas pattern. The more mass a planet or any objuct has the more inertia it has. Gravity and Inertia are the two things that keep the planets in their orbit. -
Meteorite
Interesting fact: A dog was the only thing killed by a meteorite at Nakhla, Eqypt, in 1911.
They are known has a meteor or shooting star. Meteorites are small stones from asteroids or other planets. They can come into Earths orbit. After entering Earths orbit a trail of smoke or dust follows the planet. 120 or more craters have been made by meteorites on Earth. -
Pluto
Tombaught started working at Lowell Observatory Astronomers in 1928. No one thought he was going to find another planet in our solar system. But on February 18, 1930, Tombaugh dicovered a new planet by comparing two photos to see if any of the stars moved. One did, which is now known as Pluto. -
Why Pluto is Different then the Other Planets
Pluto is the only planet discovered in the 20th century, The planet is so small our moon and six other moons are bigger then it. Pluto is the only planet made of ice and rock, and it's atmosphere freezes and falls to the ground. (see Pluto's Biggest Difference) -
Venus
U.S. Mariner was the first spacecraft to study Venus up close. -
Jupiter
In 1973 Pioneer 10 came 130,354 km from Jupiter and got images of moons and cloud tops. Jupiter has a huge atmoshere, a liquid/solid core, and a liquid mantle. The Great Red Spot is gient storm that has been ongoing for three centuries. Jupiter has the most moons in the solar system:63. Jupiter is a Gas Giant Planet. -
Seeing Jupiter
Pioneer 10 took pictures of cloud tops and moons. It passed 130,354 km of Jupiter. -
Mercury
Mercury was explored by Mariner 10 spacecraft. Mercury is 36 million miles from the sun making it the closest planet to the Sun. Mercury is a small and hot planet. The side facing the Sun is 932 degrees F. The night time temperature drops to minus 328 degrees F. Big holes on Mercury were made by asteroids and comets crashing into the surface. Since there is no atmosphere the planet has no air or life on it. Mercury has no moon or rings. (see Mercury Continued) -
Seeing Jupiter Better
Pioneer 11 showed first pictuers of polar regions by going about 43,000 km from Jupiter. -
Mercury Continued
Mercury holds one of the largest craters in the solor system. Mercury is samll, gray, and hardly reflects any light it absorbs. Mercury has steep cliffs, flat plains, and craters. It is an inner planet. -
The Voyagers going to Jupiter
Voyager 1 found a ring and three moons on Jupiter. The same year Voyager 2 took better pictuers of the ring and volcanos. -
Galileo Spacecraft Launched
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Close Incoters with Asteroids
An asteroid 1,000 feet long came 500,000 miles of Earth, almost a collision. -
Voyager 2 visiting Neptune
Neptune is one of the only planets you can't see with the naked eye. It has only been visited once, by Voyager 2. -
Galileo stuyding
Jupiter's rings, magnetoshere, and satellites were studyed by the spacecraft Galileo as it orbited Jupiter. -
Pluto's Biggest Difference
August 24, 2006 was the day that a real definition for the word "planet" was agreed on. After that, Pluto was not considered an official planet.
