For several hundred million years after the
Big Bang, there were no planets, only stars. Planets
couldn't form until the first stars ran out of fuel and exploded into supernovas, about 14 billion years
ago. Thesupernovas spewed out thousands of tons of carbon, oxygen, iron and other elements
into space. Planets are made out of the recycled atoms of old stars.
New stars formed wherever these atoms in space got a little thicker, and gravity began to pull them
together. When the clouds of atoms got heavy and hot enough at their centers, that set off nuclear
fusion and made a new star.
Celestial body
THE SOLAR SYSTEM
The Solar System is made up of all the planets that orbit our Sun. Betelgeuse, the sun of Orion
constellation is 800 times bigger than our sun. In addition to planets, the Solar System also
consists of moons, comets, asteroids, minor planets, and dust and gas.
Everything in the Solar System orbits or revolves around the Sun. The larger an object is, the
more gravity it has. Because the Sun is so large, its powerful gravity attracts all the other objects
in the Solar System towards it. At the same time, these objects, which are moving very rapidly,
try to fly away from the Sun, outward into the emptiness of outer space. The result of the planets
trying to fly away, at the same time that the Sun is trying to pull them inward is that they become
trapped half-way in between. Balanced between flying towards the Sun, and escaping into space,
they spend eternity orbiting around their parent star.
GALAXY
A galaxy is a group of millions of stars that are relatively near each other. Most stars seem to be
in one or another galaxy. Earth's own star, the Sun, is in theMilky Way galaxy. Small galaxies
have about ten million stars, while big galaxies sometimes have a trillion stars in them. There are
probably more than a hundred billion galaxies in the Universe.
ATMOSPHERE
The atmosphere is just a thin layer of gases that surrounds the Earth. It can act many different
ways and you need it to survive. Just as there are layers inside the Earth, there are also layers in
the atmosphere. The layers interact, heat up, and interact with the top layer of the Earth's crust.
Sometimes you feel the atmosphere as a cool breeze. Sometimes it's a really hot and humid day
that seems to push on you from all sides.
SUN
Our Sun is not unique in the universe. It is a common middle-sized yellow star which scientists
have named Sol, after the ancient Roman name. This is why our system of planets is called the
Solar System. There are trillions of other stars in the universe just like it. Betelgeuse, the sun of
Orion constellation is 800 times bigger than our sun. Many of these stars have their own systems
of planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.
It has its own light, heat, and energy. The core of the the sun consist of hydrogen and helium.
Through this thermonuclear process, this star "burn" a fuel known as hydrogen. The result is that
it creates another type of fuel known as helium. The chemical reaction can produce super duper
huge energy which can make sun keeps shining. However, stars do not burn in the same way that
a fire does, because stars are not on fire. The temperature of the surface of the sun is 6.000o C,
while the core of the sun is 14.000.000.000 o C!
MERCURY
Pluto used to be the smallest, but now, Mercury is. . Because pluto is so small, many scientists
don't consider it a planet at all. On August 24, 2006, Pluto's status was officially changed from
planet to dwarf planet. Mercury now is the smallest and the nearest planet to the sun.
This planet is often called a morning star. This is because Mercury shines brightly in the early
morning just before the sun rises. It has also been called an evening star for the same reason.
Mercury is often visible for a brief period of time just after the Sun sets.
The surface of the planet Mercury is covered with craters. These craters have been created by
ions of accidental encounters with asteroids and comets.
The planet Mercury is too small and has too little gravity to hold onto an atmosphere. Any gases
released from the planet quickly escape into space. Also, Mercury is so close to the Sun that any
atmosphere is quickly blown away by the Sun's solar winds. That means that there is almost no
air on Mercury.
Temperature Extremes
Mercury is just a little bit larger than Earth's moon. The surface of Mercury that faces the Sun
can reach about 400oC . On the other hand, the temperature on the nighttime side can plummet to
almost -170 degrees C. This is because Mercury has little to no atmosphere to help regulate
temperature.
VENUS
However, Venus' atmosphere is far thicker than that of the Earth, making it difficult for modern
science to penetrate. Venus is in many ways Earth's sister planet. It is almost identical in size,
chemistry, gravity and density as the Earth. In other words, Venus is made up of almost the exact
same types of materials as the Earth and in about the same amounts. Venus has volcanoes,
mountains and sand, just like Earth.
However, if they are twins, then Venus is the evil twin; she is the Earth gone wrong, very wrong.
Venus is a deadly world where the surface temperature is hot enough to cook a meal in mere
minutes. There is nowhere to hide from this ever present furnace. And with the atmosphere
containing mostly carbon dioxide, it makes Venus a highly toxic place. No living thing would
ever be able to survive on Venus.
Venus is Dry
The Earth has a protective layer known as the Ozone Layer. This important shield protects the
Earth from the Sun's ultraviolet radiation. Venus does not have an ozone layer. As a result, the
ultraviolet radiation from the Sun finds its way directly into Venus' atmosphere. Over many
billions of years this radiation has slowly broken down water molecules into hydrogen and
oxygen. As a result, there is today very little water left on Venus.
Geography
Venus has many, many volcanoes. We don't know for sure, but it is possible that Venous has
more volcanoes than any of the other planets in our Solar System. But unlike the volcanoes on
Earth that can sometimes erupt in an explosive manner, the volcanoes on Venus are believed to
erupt in a less violent way. In fact, it is believed that they don't erupt at all. Instead, it is thought
that the lava just slowly flows out onto the surface.
MARS
The Planet
Mars excites scientists because its mild temperament is more like the Earth's than any of the
other planets. Evidence suggests that Mars once had rivers, streams, lakes, and even an ocean. As
Mars' atmosphere slowly depleted into outer space, the surface water began to permanently
evaporate. Today the only water on Mars in either frozen in the polar caps or underground.
You may sometimes hear Mars referred to as the "Red Planet." This is because the surface of
Mars is red. If you stood on the surface of Mars, you would see red dirt and rocks everywhere.
Mars has higher mountains, and deeper canyons than any other planet. The largest canyon on
Mars would stretch from New York City to Los Angeles on the Earth. That makes the Grand
Canyon look tiny. It Also has the Solar Systems biggest volcano, Olympus Mount.
JUPITER
The Planet
Jupiter is by far the largest planet in our Solar System. The Earth could fit inside Jupiter more
than 1000 times.
Jupiter is a very stormy planet. There are storms found throughout the atmosphere, and most of
the storms seem to never end. The many different cloud formations and storms in the atmosphere
also make Jupiter a very colorful planet.
Jupiter's great red spot, visible in the picture above to the right, is where a giant storm has been
raging for at least 300 years. This red spot is also called "The Eye of Jupiter" because of its
shape. This storm's super hurricane winds blow across an area larger than the Earth. This storm
can suck two planets as big as earth at the same time.
Jupiter is considered a gas giant because it does not have a solid surface. Under its atmosphere is
a large liquid ocean of hydrogen and water. What lies in between that ocean and the atmosphere?
Actually, there is no in between. The atmosphere slowly gets thicker and thicker until it becomes
part of the ocean. In other words, Jupiter's ocean has no surface on which you could float a boat.
The sky becomes the ocean.
Rings
Did you know Jupiter has rings? They are faint and are only able to be viewed when Jupiter
passes in front of the Sun. This is because the light from the Sun lights them up for us to see here
on Earth. There are three rings in all. They are named Gossamer, Main and Halo.
Moons:
Jupiter has 50 official moons and 12 provisional (unofficial) moons. The four largest and most
well-known were discovered by Galileo in the year 1610. Van Gogh Beethoven Monet
SATURN
The Planet
In many ways, Saturn is similar to Jupiter, but it is much smaller. It is the second largest planet in
our Solar System and it is a gas giant like Jupiter. Under the clouds of methane, hydrogen and
helium, the sky gradually turns into liquid until it becomes a giant ocean of liquid chemicals.
Saturn is the least dense planet in our Solar System. It is made up of mostly hydrogen and
helium, which are the two lightest elements in the universe and thus make Saturn the lightest
planet that we know of. This is why you wouldn't weigh as much on Saturn as you think you
would because of its size. And because Saturn is so light, it does not have as much gravity.
Interestingly, it is believed Saturn would actually be able to float in water because the hydrogen
and helium that make up the planet are so lightweight.
Because Saturn is such a lightweight planet and it spins so fast, Saturn is not perfectly round like
most of the other planets. Like Jupiter, Saturn is wider in the middle and more narrow near its
top and bottom.
The Rings
Saturn is most well-known for its rings. However, it is not the only planet with rings. Jupiter,
Uranus and Neptune also have rings. Saturn is a favorite object for many observers. Its beautiful
rings are 169,800 miles wide (approx 273,266 km). But the rings are amazingly thin. If you
turned the rings on their side, they would be able to fit between the goal posts on a football field.
The rings are split into categories, Ring A, Ring B, Ring C, Ring D, Ring E, Ring F and Ring G,
totaling 7 in all. The rings are not solid but rather are made up of particles of ice, dust and rocks.
The rings are held in place around Saturn by the moons that also orbit this large planet. The
gravity of these moons also cause the gaps that are seen in between the rings.
Moons:
Saturn has 53 official moons and 9 provisional (unofficial) moons. The most well-known of
Saturn's moons is probably Titan. It is the second largest moon in the Solar System next to
Jupiter's Ganymede. Titan is larger than the planet Mercury. Some of the other moons are Atlas,
Calypso, Dione, Enceladus, Hyperion, Iapetus, Janus, Mimas, Phoebe, and Tethys.
URANUS
The Planet
Like Jupiter and Saturn, Uranus is a gas giant. But Uranus is a little different. Unlike all the other
planets and most of the moons in our Solar System, Uranus spins on its side. It is believed that
long ago a very large object smashed into this planet. The degree slope of Uranus reaches 98
degrees. The crash was so powerful that it completely changed the direction of Uranus' planetary
rotation. However, a more recent theory is that the extreme tilt of Uranus' axis may have been
caused by a large moon that was slowly pulled away from the planet by another large planet long
ago when our Solar System was still new. It is thought that the gravitational pull of this moon
moving away from Uranus may have caused it to tilt on its side.
Like Saturn, the thick atmosphere of Uranus is made up of methane, hydrogen and helium. But
Uranus is an extremely cold planet. It has been called the "ice giant." It is believed that Uranus is
made up of rock and ice and has a large rocky core. Because of the tremendous planetary
pressure of Uranus, there could possibly be trillions of large diamonds in or on the surface of this
planet.
Scientists also believe that on the surface of Uranus there may be a huge ocean. And,
interestingly, it is thought that the temperature of this ocean may be extremely hot, maybe even
as hot as 5000 degrees Fahrenheit (2760 Celsius).
Uranus is almost identical to the planet Neptune.
Rings
Uranus also has rings, though they don't stretch out as far as the rings of Saturn. The rings of
Uranus are made up of black dust particles and large rocks.
Moons:
Uranus has 27 moons. Five of these moons are large and the rest are smaller. The largest moon is
Titania, followed by Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel and Miranda.
NEPTUNES
Neptune is the smallest of the four gas giants in our Solar System. Much like Saturn and Uranus,
Neptune's atmosphere contains hydrogen, helium and methane.
Not much was known about Neptune until it was visited by the spacecraft Voyager 2 on August
25, 1989. Voyager 2 took many pictures of the planet, and much of what we know today about
Neptune came from this single visit. These pictures show a brilliant blue planet with a few thin
white clouds laced around its surface.
In Neptune's atmosphere, there is a large white cloud that moves around rather quickly. The
"scooting" of this cloud around the atmosphere has led it to be named "Scooter."
When Voyager 2 visited Neptune, its pictures showed a giant storm much like the storm on
Jupiter. This storm is called the "Great Dark Spot" because it appears as a dark oval shape on the
surface of the planet. We do not know how long this storm has been active or if it is still present.
More recently, the Hubble Space Telescope sent pictures back to Earth and there was no sign of
the Great Dark Spot. These pictures did show two other dark spots that eventually faded away.
Neptune is a very windy place. No other planet in the Solar System has winds that are as strong
as Neptune's. The winds near the Great Dark Spot were believed to have reached nearly 1,200
miles per hour (approx 1931 km per hour). Perhaps this extremely windy atmosphere contributes
to the appearance and disappearance of the great dark spots.
Rings
Neptune has six rings which circle the planet. These rings are believed to be fairly new. The
rings are more irregular than the rings of other planets. There are areas of varying thickness
throughout the rings.
Moons:
Neptune has 13 moons that we know of. Because Neptune is so far away, it is difficult to see any
of these worlds.
PLUTO
The Dwarf Planet
Pluto was the only planet to be named by a kid. After the planet was discovered in 1930, an 11-
year-old girl who lived in Oxford, England, by the name of Venetia Burney, suggested that this
new planet needed to be named after the Roman god of the underworld. Venetia's grandfather
sent this suggestion to the Lowell Observatory and the name was accepted.
Pluto is smaller than 7 of the moons in the Solar System. It is about two-thirds smaller than
Earth's moon. Because it is so small, many scientists don't consider it a planet at all. In 1999, a
group of scientists attempted to re-classify Pluto as a comet. On August 24, 2006, Pluto's status
was officially changed from planet to dwarf planet. For decades, children have been taught in
school that there are nine planets in our Solar System. However, with this change, there are now
only eight planets. Also because of this change, there is a new category of small planets known
as plutoids.
The only spacecraft to get somewhat close to Pluto was the Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble
was able to take pictures of Pluto and its moons for scientists to study. Little is known about
Pluto and its moons because it is so far away.
Moons:
Pluto has 3 moons. The largest is named Charon. Charon is only slightly smaller than its parent
Pluto.
Pluto revolves around the Sun in an orbit that is not exactly circular like the rest of the planets.
Rather, Pluto's orbit is more of an oval or egg shape. Because of this, Pluto will orbit inside of
Neptune's orbit, which makes Pluto closer to the Sun than Neptune at times. Also, its orbit does
not lie flat in the same plane as the rest of the planets. Pluto's orbit is tilted so it orbits above and
below the other planets' orbits in our Solar System.
Earth
The Planet
Our planet is an oasis of life in an otherwise desolate universe. The Earth's temperature,
weather, atmosphere and many other factors are just right to keep us alive.
The Blue Planet
As we leave the shrouded mysteries of Venus behind us, we find ourselves presented with what
could only be described as the most beautiful sight in the entire solar system. Sparkling before us
is a bright blue gem of dazzling complexity. Delicate white clouds dance above its surface of
brilliant blues, greens, and browns. This is the next stop on our tour, the planet Earth. It is the
third planet from the Sun, and it is our home. Only slightly larger than Venus, Earth is the largest
of the four terrestrial, or rocky planets. There are two very important factors that distinguish this
planet from all others in the Solar System. First, it is the only planet known to contain liquid
water on its surface. It is the availability of this water that gives rise to Earth's second unique
feature. It is the only known planet to support life!
Apollo 16 closeup photo of Hurricane Isabel as seen from Galileo spacecraft image
Earth showing North America the International Space Station showing Africa & the Arabian
(NASA/JPL) (NASA) peninsula
(NASA/ JPL)
Planet of Water, Planet of Life
The surface of Earth is literally covered with water. Nearly 3/4 of the planet's surface is liquid
water. Water is also found in abundance as ice in the planet's poles and as water vapor in the
atmosphere. Most of this water was thought to have been deposited by billions of years of
volcanic activity. Some scientists believe that water may also have been brought to Earth by
early comets. It is this water, combined with Earth's perfect distance from the Sun, that has given
rise to the Solar System's only known life forms. The atmosphere also played an important
factor, providing the right mixture of gases and helping to protect the surface from meteor
impacts. Because of these perfect conditions, Earth has evolved an unimaginable diversity of
millions of different life forms. Life on Earth has adapted to all types of environments, including
the land, oceans, and air. At least one of these has become self-aware and has begun to explore
its surroundings. We humans have become the first form of life to leave their planetary home and
explore the universe.
The Sun reflects off the Earth's vast, blue oceans in this stunning image captured by the space
shuttle. Earth is
the only planet in the Solar System known to have liquid water on its surface. (NASA/JPL)
Features of Earth
Earth is a rocky world that is still very much alive and active. Volcanic activity continually
creates new land and Earthquakes frequently reshape the landscape. Earth's surface is constantly
changing. The crust is divided up into several "plates" (somewhat like a cracked eggshell) that
float on a sea of molten rock. Where these plates collide, the land is thrust upwards to create
enormous mountain ranges. The tallest of these mountains, Mt. Everest, rises 29,028 feet (8850
m) above sea level. In some places, one plate sinks underneath another forming deep valleys and
trenches. The deepest of these, the Marianas trench, plunges seven miles (11 km) beneath the
sea. Uneven heating of Earth's atmosphere, combined with its rotation causes complex weather
patterns. Wind and rain gradually erode the mountains and create vast sandy plains. Even though
the planet was bombarded by asteroids and meteors throughout its early history, erosion has
wiped out most of the craters. Some can still be found, however. Meteor crater in Arizona is over
a mile (1.6 km) wide and almost 600 feet (183 m) deep. It is believed that large meteors may
have caused mass extinctions throughout Earth's history. One of these may have been responsible
for wiping out the largest animals that ever lived - the dinosaurs. Although the planet may seem
calm and tranquil now, its surface is highly active and ever changing on the wider geologic scale
of time.
