EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCE HANDOUTS

( first week )

Our View of the Cosmos - the story of scientific models

 Astronomy has seen 3 scientific revolutions in cosmology:
- 2nd Century: Claudius Ptolemy
Model: Earth-centered Cosmology
Big Idea: Different laws for Earth and the cosmos
- 16th Century: Nicolaus Copernicus
Model: Sun-centered Cosmology
Big Idea: Universal physics; same laws everywhere
- 20th Century: Edwin Hubble
Model: Big Bang Cosmology
Big Idea: Universe is changing, evolving
 Geocentric Model– Earth is the center of the solar system
 Heliocentric Model – the Sun is the center of the solar system.
 Nebula- is where a solar system is formed in space.
- is a cloud of gas and dust in space
 THE EXISTING GASES IN A NEBULA- Hydrogen and Helium
 DUST PARTICLES – Carbon and Iron
 TWO IMPORTANT FORCES - Gravity and Pressure
 GRAVITY- Pulls the objects that make up the nebula, keeping them together.
 “Sol” is the Latin name of the Sun- Solar System means “system of the Sun”
 This star system is constituted by the- Sun, Eight Planets, Dwarf and Planetary debris
 The sun is a star, a hot ball of glowing gases at the heart of our solar system
-Mean radius: 109.2 x that of Earth’s
-Volume: 1,301,018.805 Earths
-Mass: 333,060.402 x Earth's
-Maximum Surface Temp: 5,500 °C
 THE SUN (Solar Interior)
- Core: Consist of plasma 27, 000,000 ˚C energy of the Sun comes from
- Radiative Zone : 7, 000,000 ˚C, thickness ,app. 300, 000km
- Convection Zone: 200,000km thick
 THE SUN’S ATMOSPHERE
- Photosphere: Consists of convection cells that give the sun its grainy appearance 4400 - 9000 ˚C
- Chromosphere: 2000km thick, turns red as it receives heat from the photosphere. 4000 – 10,000˚C
- Corona : sun’s halo or crown, 2,000,000 to 5,000,000 ˚C
 THE SUN’S SURFACE
- Sunspots: Darker cooler areas, produced when the magnetic fields of the sun slows down the
movement of the gases.
- Solar Flare: enormous explosion, capable of emitting electrical particles
- Solar Wind : plasma of these charged particles
- Solar Prominence: Larger gaseous feature.
 ENERGY OF THE SUN- Nuclear Fusion creates energy by converting hydrogen into helium.
 The word “planet” means wanderer
 IAU(2006) defines planet as any celestial body that:
- a.is in orbit around the sun;
- b.has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic
equilibrium (nearly round shape)
- c.*has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit
 The four innermost planets are called terrestrial (meaning ‘Earth-like’)
- the larger outer planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune—are known as the gas giants or Jovian
planets, because their outer layers composed of gases
 MERCURY- The smallest planet--only slightly larger than Earth's Moon.
- The planet closest to the Sun
-The fastest revolving planet--revolves around the sun every 88 days
- Very little atmosphere
 - Extreme temperature variation
 Facts about Mercury:
- Mercury has been known to humanity since ancient times.
- A year in Mercury is 88 days, yet a Mercury day is 176 Earth days.
- Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system.
- After the Earth, Mercury is the second densest planet.
- Mercury is named after the messenger of the Roman gods, who is also known as Hermes in Greek
mythology.
- Mercury has 38% of the gravity on Earth. Mercury has no moons or rings.
- Mercury has a weak magnetic field. Mercury is the second hottest planet. Mercury does not
experience any seasons. .
 VENUS- Hottest planet—world of intense heat and volcanic activity. Thick and toxic atmosphere traps
heat in a runaway
- “VEILED PLANET” – Earth’s twin sister. Similar in structure and size of the Earth
- Spins slowly in the opposite direction.
 Facts about Venus:
- Venus is sometimes referred to as the “morning star” and “evening star”.
- One day on Venus is longer than one year. Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love and
beauty.
- Venus is sometimes called Earth’s sister planet. Venus has a very weak magnetic field.
- Billions of years ago, the climate of Venus may been similar to that of Earth.
- Venus rotates in the opposite direction to other planets.
- Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system with an average surface temperature of 462°C (863°F).
- The atmospheric pressure of Venus is 92 times stronger than Earth’s.
 EARTH- Presence of water and life.
- an old English word means the ground: eor(th)a and ertha
- Oceans, Atmosphere and Lithosphere
- Has one moon, LUNA
- Tide, Seasons and Eclipse
 MARS- The Red Planet
- Seasons, Polar Ice Caps, Volcanoes, Canyons and Weather. The next Earth
- Olympus Mons- Largest volcano in the solar system, 3x higher than Mt. Everest
- Moons of Mars are called Deimos and Phobos
 Facts about Mars:
- The planet is named after Mars, the Roman god of war.
- The landmass of Mars and Earth is very similar.
- Mars was once believed to be home to intelligent life.
-The tallest mountain known in the solar system is on Mars.
- Mars experiences huge dust storms – the largest in our solar system.
-Mars is the only other planet besides Earth that has polar ice caps.
- Mars has seasons like Earth, but they last twice as long.
- The orbit of Mars is the most eccentric of the eight planets. Mars does not have a magnetic field.
 JUPITER- The biggest planet in the Solar System.
- Strongest surface gravity
- Fastest Rotation and
- Most number of moons
 Facts about Jupiter:
- The planet is named after king of the Roman gods and god of the Sky.
- Jupiter has the shortest day of the eight planets.
- Jupiter has a faint ring system around it.
- Jupiter has at least 67 moons in satellite around the planet.
- The largest of Jupiter’s moons, Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system.
- Jupiter has a very strong magnetic field. Jupiter has a very unique cloud layer.
- Jupiter does not experience seasons like other planets such as Earth and Mars.
- Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is an enormous storm that has been raging for over 300 years.
 SATURN- Elegant Planet, thousands of beautiful ringlets made of chunks rocks and ice.
- Density is less than of the water.
 Facts about Saturn:
- In Roman mythology Saturn was the father of Jupiter, king
of the gods.
- The most common nickname for Saturn is “The Ringed
Planet”.
- Saturn has the fastest winds of any other planet in our
solar system.
-Saturn is the least dense planet in the solar system.
- Saturn is the flattest of the eight planets.
-Saturn appears a pale yellow color because its upper atmosphere contains ammonia crystals.
- The magnetic field on Saturn is slighter weaker than Earth’s magnetic field.
 URANUS
 Facts about Uranus:
- William Herschel discovered Uranus in
1781.
- Like Venus, it turns in a retrograde
direction .
- A collision may have caused the unusual
tilt of Uranus.
- Uranus is often referred to as the “ice
giant”.
- Uranus is the second least dense planet in
the solar system.
- Uranus has 13 presently known rings.
 NEPTUNE - The chemical element Uranium,
discovered in 1789, was named after the
newly discovered planet Uranus.
 Facts about Neptune:
- Uranus is the coldest planet in the solar
• Neptune was discovered by Jean system, with surface temperature of -
Joseph Le Verrier. 224°C.
• Neptune is the Roman God of the
Sea..
• Neptune has the second largest
gravity of any planet.
• Neptune has a storm similar the Great
Red Spot on Jupiter.
• Neptune also has a second storm
called the Small Dark Spot.
• Facts about Neptune:
• Neptune spins very quickly on its axis.
• The climate on Neptune is extremely
active.
• Like the other outer planets, Neptune
possesses a ring system.
• Neptune has an average surface
temperature of -214°C –
approximately -353°F.