8.1 the solar system - flippedaroundphysics.com · 8.1 the solar system the solar system consists...
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8.1TheSolarSystemTheSolarSystemconsistsoftheSunandobjectsinmotionaroundtheSun.ObjectsarekeptinorbitaroundtheSunbytheforceofgravity.TheSunisa‘mainsequence’star(onethatisfusinghydrogeninitscore).Thefusionofhydrogenreleasesavastamountofenergywhichcausesthestartheshine.(1)!Aswellaslight,whatelsedoestheSunemit?
TheSunisoneofaround300billionstarsinourgalaxycalledtheMilkyWay.Theimage,leftisanartist’simpressionoftheMilkyWayasviewedfromseveralhundedthousandlightyearsaway,lookingdown.TheMilkyWayisdiskshaped.
AsweareinsidetheMilkywayweseethediskofstarsedgeonwhichmeansthatstarsareconcentratedinapathacrossthesky. TheMilkywayisjustoneof100billiongalaxiesinthevisibleuniverse. (2)!Allthestarsthatweseeinthenightskyarefromourowngalaxy.Whydon’tweobserveindividualstarsinothergalaxies? TheplanetsThereareeightplanets,Mercury,Venus,Earth,Mars,Jupiter,Saturn,UranusandNeptune.Onewaytoremembertheorderofplanetsis: MyVeryEducatedMotherJustServedUsNoodles
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Pluto(onceclassifiedasaplanet)isnowknownasa‘dwarfplanet.Thefourinnerplanetsarerockyplanets,becausetheyhavearockysurface.(3)!Listthefour,inner,rockyplanets.Theouterfourplanetsaremuchlargerandprinciplymadeofgas.Theyarereferredtoas‘gasgiants’.(4)!Listthefour,outer,gasgiantplanets.TheplanetsorbittheSuninellipticalorbitswhichareclosetobeingcircular.(5)!Whatcouldhappeniftheplanetshadmuchmoreellipticalorbits?MoonsApartfromMercuryandVenus,alltheplanetshavemoonsinorbitaroundthem.Earthhasonemoon–theMoon!(6)!Whatforcekeepsmoonsinorbitaroundaplanet?OtherobjectsorbitingtheSunAsteroidsarelumpsofrockwhichlieinabroadbeltbetweentheorbitsofMarsandJupiter(calledthe‘asteroidbelt’).Cometsarelumpsoficeandrock.TheyoriginatebeyondtheorbitofNeptune.TheytendtoorbittheSuninveryellipticalorbits. WhentheyareclosetotheSun,theydevelopcharacteristicgasanddusttails.
(7)!WhydoesacometdevelopatailwhenitisclosetotheSun?
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OriginoftheSolarSystemThesolarsystemdeveloped4.6billionyearsago.Acloudofdustandgascollapsedduetotheattractiveforceofgravity.Thisspinningclumpofdustandgasformedadiskshape.Atthecentreofthedisk,wheretemperaturesandpressuresincreasedtoahighenoughtemperature,nuclearfusionstartedandastar(theSun)wasborn.Theremainingdustandgasformedintoclumpsandeventuallyplanetswereformed. (8)!WhydoyouthinktheplanetsorbittheSuninthesamedirection?