Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1
Warm Up Questions
2
Why are there only 8 planets now?
Three
Three types
types of
of objects
objects orbit
orbit our
our Sun:
Sun:
1.
1. Planets
Planets
2.
2. Dwarf
Dwarf Planets
Planets
Plutoids
Plutoids
3.
3. Small
Small solar
solar system
system bodies
bodies
3
What is a planet?
*Eris is the largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the ninth largest
body known to orbit the Sun. Its distance from the Sun is 97 AU.
**Ceres is the smallest identified dwarf planet in the Solar System and,
4
because its the largest asteroid, the only dwarf planet in the asteroid belt.
What is a Dwarf Planet?
Celestial
Celestial body
body orbiting
orbiting the
the Sun
Sun
Massive
Massive enough
enough to to be
be rounded
rounded byby its
its
own
own gravity
gravity
BUT
BUT has
has NOT
NOT cleared
cleared its
its neighboring
neighboring
region
region ofof planetesimals
planetesimals
Is
Is not
not aa satellite
satellite
A plutoid is a dwarf planet beyond the orbit
of Neptune
5
Only 5 Dwarf Planets recognized so far but
there may be as many as 200
Haumea is the
Hawaiian goddess
of childbirth and
fertility.
The the moons
"Hiiaka" and
"Namaka are
named after after
two of Haumea's
daughters.
7
Pacific Island Names for Planetary Objects
Makemake is the
creator of humanity
in the mythos of the
Rapanui, the native
people of Easter
Island. The name
choice preserves
the planetary
object's connection
with Easter.
8
3. What are Small Solar System Bodies?
9
Terrestrial vs. Gaseous Planets
Terrestrial Gaseous
Mars Venus
Mercury
11
From Nick Strobels Astronomy Notes at www.astronomynotes.com
Jovian Planets, or Gas Giants
Uranus Neptune
Saturn
Jupiter
12
From Nick Strobels Astronomy Notes at www.astronomynotes.com
Do you see patterns or anomalies in these data?
13
On which planet would you
weigh the most?
14
The Milky Way Galaxy
15