National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Transcription

1 This set contains the following lithographs: Our Solar System Mars Jupiter Neptune Our Star The Sun Asteroids Galilean Moons Pluto and Charon Mercury Meteors and of Jupiter Comets Venus Meteorites Saturn Kuiper Belt Earth Moons of the Moons of Saturn and Oort Cloud Solar System Earth s Moon Uranus Educators Educational Product Grades K 12+ LS HQ JPL A 12/05

2 Solar System Lithograph Set NASA EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES NASA s Central Operation of Resources for Educators (CORE) was established for the national and international distribution of NASA-produced educational materials in multimedia format. Educators can obtain a catalogue and an order form by one of the following methods: NASA CORE Lorain County Joint Vocational School Route 58 South Oberlin, OH Phone: (440) FAX: (440) nasaco@leeca.org Home Page: /education/core Educator Resource Center Network (ERCN) To make additional information available to the education community, NASA has created the NASA Educator Resource Center (ERC) network. Educators may preview, copy, or receive NASA materials at these sites. Phone calls are welcome if you are unable to visit the ERC that serves your geographic area. A list of the centers and the regions they serve includes: AK, Northern CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY NASA Educator Resource Center NASA Ames Research Center, Mail Stop Moffett Field, CA Phone: (650) IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI NASA Educator Resource Center NASA Glenn Research Center, Mail Stop Brookpark Road Cleveland, OH Phone: (216) CT, DE, DC, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT NASA Educator Resource Center NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Mail Code Greenbelt, MD Phone: (301) CO, KS, NE, NM, ND, OK, SD, TX NASA Educator Resource Center NASA Johnson Space Center Space Center Houston, 1601 NASA Road One Houston, TX Phone: (281) FL, GA, PR, VI NASA Educator Resource Center NASA Kennedy Space Center, Mail Code ERC Kennedy Space Center, FL Phone: (321) KY, NC, SC, VA, WV NASA Educator Resource Center NASA Langley Research Center Virginia Air and Space Center, 600 Settlers Landing Road Hampton, VA Phone: (757) ext. 757 AL, AR, IA, LA, MO, TN NASA Educator Resource Center NASA Marshall Space Flight Center U.S. Space and Rocket Center, One Tranquility Base Huntsville, AL Phone: (256) MS NASA Educator Resource Center NASA Stennis Space Center, Building 1200 Stennis Space Center, MS Phone: (228) Toll Free: (800) Opt. #2 CA NASA Educator Resource Center NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Village at Indian Hill 1460 East Holt Avenue, Suite 20 Pomona, CA Phone: (909) AZ and Southern CA NASA Educator Resource Center NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Office of Academic Investments Sierra Highway, Suite A Palmdale, CA Phone: (661) VA and MD s Eastern Shores NASA Educator Resource Center GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center Building J-17 Wallops Island, VA Phone: (757) Regional Educator Resource Centers offer more educators access to NASA educational materials. NASA has formed partnerships with universities, museums, and other educational institutions to serve as regional ERCs in many states. A complete list of regional ERCs is available through CORE, or electronically via the NASA Portal at education. nasa.gov/ercn. The NASA Portal serves as the gateway for information regarding content, programs, and services offered by NASA for the general public and, specifically, for the education community with the goals to inform, involve, and inspire. NASA s goal is to improve interactions for students, educators, and families with NASA and its education resources. Visit the NASA Portal and begin a journey of personal discovery.. NASA s Education Home Page serves as the education portal for information regarding educational programs and services offered by NASA for the American education community. This high-level directory of information provides specific details and points of contact for all of NASA s educational efforts, Field Center offices, and points of presence within each state. Visit this resource at education.nasa.gov.. NASA features electronic resources specifically developed for the educational community. To locate these resources, visit the NASA home page at ; click on the For Educators bar, then click on the grade level in which you are interested. NASA Television (NTV) features International Space Station (ISS) and Space Shuttle mission coverage, live special events, interactive educational live shows, electronic field trips, aviation and space news, and historical NASA footage. Programming includes the Video (News) File, NASA Gallery, and Education File, beginning at noon Eastern and repeated four more times throughout the day. Check the Internet for program listings at /multimedia/nasatv/. For more information on NTV, contact: NASA TV, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC , phone: (202) NTV Weekday Programming Schedules (Eastern Times): Video File 6 7 a.m., a.m., 12 1 p.m., 3 4 p.m., 6 7 p.m., p.m., 12 1 a.m. NASA Gallery 1 6 a.m., 1 3 p.m. Education File 8 10 a.m., 4 6 p.m., 8 10 p.m. ISS Mission Coverage 7 8 a.m., 11 a.m. 12 p.m., 7 8 p.m., 11 p.m. 12 a.m. Saturday and Sunday: The weekday schedule repeats on Saturday and Sunday with one exception: the 8 a.m. Education File runs an additional two hours, until noon instead of 10 a.m. Live feeds preempt regularly scheduled programming. How to Access Information on NASA s Education Program, Materials, and Services (EP HQ) This brochure serves as a guide to accessing a variety of NASA materials and services for educators. Copies are available through the ERC network or through the NASA Education home page at education.nasa.gov.. EDUCATORS Please take a moment to evaluate this product at ehb2.gsfc.nasa.gov/edcats/lithograph_set/ Your evaluation and suggestions are vital to continually improving NASA educational materials. Thank you. LS HQ JPL A 12/05

3 Our Solar System Jupiter Uranus Neptune Mercury Earth Mars Venus Pluto Saturn

4 OurSolarSystem 0 WHATTOSEE TheSun TheSunisastarthatlivesatthecentreoftheSolarSystem.Itshugegravityholds theplanetsinplace. Theplanets TheplanetsallrevolvearoundtheSun.Thereareeightintotal Mercury,Venus, Earth,Mars,Jupiter,Saturn,UranusandNeptune. Moons Moonsrotatearoundtheirparentplanet.Earthhasonemoon,butsomeplanets haveover50.onlymercuryandvenusdonothaveanymoons. Asteroids Asteroidsarerockybitsofdebrisupto1,000km(620miles)across.Mostliveinthe asteroidbeltbetweenmarsandjupiter.theyaretheremnantsfromearlyplanets thatcollidedandweretornapart. Comets CometsaredirtysnowballsoficeanddustthatrevolvearoundtheSuninlong orbits.whentheyapproachthesuntheyheatup,leavingatrailofgasbehind them,whichlookslikeatail. Recentcometstofly bythesunincludehalley,hale BoppandIkeya Zhang. LOCALHISTORY OurSolarSystembeganformingabout4.6billionyearsagofromaswirlinggas cloud.overtime,thegascooledandclumpedtogethertoformlargebodiescalled 'protoplanets'.the'leftover'materialbecamecomets,roamingsilentlythrough thesolarsystem. Eventuallyafter100millionyears,theenormousballofgasatthecentreofthe cloudoverheatedandexplodedinahugenuclearreaction.thesunwasborn. Peopleoftheancientworldobservedthemovementsoftheplanetsandthought theywerewanderingstars.thisiswhythegreeksgavethemthenameplanetesor 'wanderers'. TRAVELINFORMATION FromtheEarth YoucansometimesspottheplanetsinthenightskyfromEarth.UnliketheSunand theotherstars,theydon'tproducetheirownlight.theyshinebecausetheyare reflectingthesun'slight. Beforeyouleave BepreparedtophysicallychangeduringyourjourneythroughtheSolarSystem.As youvisiteachplanet,yourageandweightwillbedifferent!thisisduetothe differentatmosphericpressure,gravityandorbitsoftheplanetsaroundthesun. THEPLANETS Therockyplanets ThefourplanetsclosesttotheSunare: *Mercury *Venus *Earth *Mars Thesearecalledthe'rocky'or'terrestrial'planets.Theyaresmallbyplanetary standardsandmadeofsimilarmaterialstotheearth. THEGASGIANTS Thenextfourplanetsare: *Jupiter *Saturn *Uranus *Neptune Theyareknownasthe'gasgiants'.Theyallhave ringsandlotsofmoons.thegasgiantsare madeupmostlyofhydrogen,helium,frozen water,ammonia,methane,andcarbon monoxide. TheDwarfPlanets TheInternationalAstronomicalUnionredefined thetermplanetinaugust2006,soplutoisnow classifiedasadwarfplanet.therearetwoother dwarfplanetsinthesolarsystem,ceresand Eris.

5 Our Star The Sun

6 TheSun 0 WhatToSee: TheSunisa1millionkmwideballofburninggas.Sobepreparedforthe bestfireworkshowyouhaveeverseen! Solarflares VariationsintheSun'smagneticfieldcausehugejetsorloopsofstellar materialtoshootoutintospace. Solarwind Solarflarescanbeaccompaniedbydensecloudsofelectricallycharged particles,travellingataround450kmpersecond.whentheyreachearth, theycanaffectcommunicationssatellites. Butmakesureyouwearyourprotectivesunfiltersoveryoureyes otherwiseyoucoulddamageyoureyesight. FromTheEarth: TheSunisbyfarthebrightestobjectinthesky.It'ssobrightthatduring thedayitslightdrownsoutvirtuallyeverythingelseinspace. TheSunissopowerfulthatevenfromtheEarth,itslightcandamageyour eyesight.soneverlookatthesundirectlyorthroughatelescope. ThebesttimetoappreciatethemajestyoftheSunfromtheEarthisduring asolareclipse.thenthemoonpassesinfrontofthesunandsoit temporarilydisappearsfromthesky. InsideTheSun: LifeonEarthistotallydependentontheenergyitreceivesfromtheSun. ThisenergyisproducedwhenhydrogenatomsinsidetheSunfusetoform helium. TheSunconsumesfourmilliontonsofhydrogeneverysecond.Evenso,it's sovastthatourstarhasenoughfueltokeepitshiningforanotherfive billionyears. TheSun'senergyoutputisestimatedtobe386billion,billionmegawatts. Soin15minutesourSunradiatesasmuchenergyasmankindconsumesin allforms,duringanentireyear. Beforeyouleave Makesureyouobtainatimetableofsunspotactivity.Sunspotsarecaused whenthesun'sgassesaredisruptedastheyspinaround. Whysunspotshappen JustliketheEarthandalltheplanets,theSunspinsaroundacentralaxis. ButthisrotationisnotsmoothliketheEarthbecausetheSunisnotsolid. SothegasattheSun'spolesrevolvesatadifferentspeedtothegasatthe equator. ThiscausestheSun'smagneticfieldtowarp.Magneticeruptionsmanifest themselvesasdark'sunspots'onthesurface.eventuallythefieldbecomes socomplexthatitcollapses,causingthenorthandsouthpolestoswap. Thentheprocessbeginsagain.Thisisknownasthe'solarcycle'. Acompletecycletakes22years,afterwhichtheoriginalnorthpoleis restored.maximumsunspotactivityoccursduringtheperiodwhenthe polesareintheprocessofswitching.thelasttimethishappenedwasin Whenyouarrive AjourneytotheSunitselfwouldbeimpossibleevenforthebestprotected ofshipsduetothescorchingtemperatures. AnyoneattemptingtoflyclosetotheSunwillhavetobeawareofthe solarwind.itwillhaveasignificanteffectonthepathofanycraft approachingthesun. LocalHistory: TheSunhasbeengivenmanynamesoverthe courseofhistory.thegreeksnamedit'helios', theoriginoftheadjective'heliocentric' (meaningcentredaroundthesun).the RomansreferredtotheSunas'sol'. UntiltheMiddleAgesitwasgenerallyassumed thatthesunorbitedtheearth.inthe16th century,nicholascopernicusarguedthatit wastheearththattravelledaroundthesun. However,hewasnotthefirstpersonto suggestthis thegreekphilosopher Aristarchusbeathimtoitbynearly2000years.

7 Mercury

8 Mercury 1 WhatToSee: CalorisBasin Themostconspicuousfeatureontheplanetisthe CalorisBasin,acraterlargerthantheBritishIsles.Astaggering 1300km(800miles)across,itisoneofthelargestimpactcratersin thesolarsystem. ItwasformedbyacollisionbetweenMercuryandanotherrocky body.thisexplosiveeventmusthavehappenedearlyinthehistory oftheplanet,asthefloorofthebasinhasbeenscarredbymany morerecentimpacts. Tofullyappreciatethescaleofthisincidentyoushouldalsoflyover theoppositesideoftheplanet.hereyoucanstillseethelarge rockyridgescausedbyshockwavesfromthisevent. SpottingMercuryFromTheEarth: ItisdifficulttoseeMercuryfromEarth.Beingtheclosestplanetto thesun,itisoftenmaskedbythesun'slight.thebesttimetospot itisnearsunriseorsunset,whenitisoutofthelight. Mercuryisnotvisibleatnightbecauseit'sneartheSun.Sowhen thesunsets,sodoesmercury. Onrareoccasions,MercurypassesdirectlybetweentheSunandthe Earth.WhenthishappensitcanbeseenasasmallspotontheSun's surface. TravelInformation: Journeytime 5.5Earthmonths 1Mercurianyear 88Earthdays Contactinghome Timelag=920seconds Beforeyouleave Makesurethatyouarereadyforallconditions. Mercuryhasthewidesttemperaturerangeofanyplanetinthe SolarSystem,fromachilly 173 Catnighttoasizzling350 Cduring theday. Whenyouarrive ThedescenttoMercuryissmooth.Theplanethas verylittleatmospheresothereisnochanceofyourshipburningup asyouapproach.butthismeanstheplanethaslittleprotection againstasteroids.sothesurfaceislitteredwithcratersofallsizes. Whatlittleatmospherethereisconsistsofatomsblastedfromthe planet'ssurfacebythesolarwind.mercury'stinygravitationalfield isnotlargeenoughtoholdtheseatomsinplace.sotheatmosphere isbeingcontinuallyregeneratedasimpactingasteroidskickupdust, whichthengraduallyleaksoutintospace. LocalHistory: TheRomansnamedMercuryaftertheir'messengerofthegods' becausetheplanetcrossedthenightskysoquickly.thegreeks referredtomercuryas'apollo'whenitappearedinthemorningsky and'hermes'whentheyspotteditintheevening.

9 Venus

10 Venus 2 WhatToSee: Ifyoucanstandthehostileconditionsonthisplanet'ssurfacethen there'slotstosee,includingvolcanoes,cratersandspectacular landscapes. MeadCrater TheMeadCraterisbig,evenbyVenusianstandards a breathtaking280kmacross.thisisoneofthebest,preservedlarge cratersinthesolarsystem. Atfirstglance,theMeadCraterlookssimilartothemanyvolcanoes onvenus.butwecantellthatit'sameteorcraterbytheringsof debrissurroundingit. LikeallcratersonVenus,Meadisrelativelyyoung.Unlikeother nearbyplanets,thesurfaceofvenusshowsnoevidenceofheavy bombardmentinitsearlyhistory.sotheentireplanet'ssurface musthavereformedwithinthelast500millionyears. SpottingVenusFromEarth: BesidestheSunandtheMoon,Venusisthebrightestobjectinthe sky.itcannotbeseeninthemiddleofthenight.butyoucantryand spotitnearthehorizonatsunriseorsunset. BecauseitisclosertotheSunthantheEarth,Venusshowsphases, likethemoon.sometimesthesecanbeseenwiththenakedeye. Buteventhroughatelescope,Venusrevealsfewsecrets.Thewhole planetissurroundedbyathickblanketofclouds.sotheonlywayto discoverwhatliesbeneathistogothere. TravelInformation: Journeytime 3.5Earthmonths 1Venusianyear 225Earthdays Contactinghome Timelag=1000seconds Beforeyouleave Makesurethatyourspaceshiphasfullthermalinsulation,otherwise Venus'denseatmospherewillcausethehulltooverheatasitenters theatmosphere. Yourspaceshipwillalsoneedtowithstandenormouspressure changes.notonlywillithavetodealwiththevacuumofspace,but thecraftwill alsoneedtocopewithhighpressuresonceitlands.thepressureof theaironthesurfaceofvenusisequaltothatonekmbelowthe oceansonearth. Whenyouarrive TheapproachtoVenusmaybealittlerocky,asthewindsinthe upperatmospherecanreach350kmperhour.however,thereis littlebreezeatgroundlevelandtemperaturessoar.venus'thick atmospherecreatesastronggreenhouseeffect,causing temperaturestorisetoasweltering464ºc. Awordofwarning Venushasnomagneticfield,soit'seasytoget lostamongthethickclouds ofsulphuricacidasyoufly in. LocalHistory: Venuswasnamedafterthe Romangoddessofbeauty.In keepingwiththistheme, virtuallyallthefeatureson theplanetaregivenfemale names.

11 Earth

12 Earth 3 WhatToSee: Thousandsofman madeattractionsarewellworthavisit. GreatWallofChina It'softensaidthattheGreatWallofChinais theonlyartificialobjectvisiblefromspace.thisisnotthecasebut atnearly6400kmlong,thegreatwallremainsthelargestartificial structureontheplanet. InlowEarthorbits,manyotherconstructionscanbespotted, includingtheegyptianpyramidsandsomemodernbuildingstoo.in higherorbitseventhegreatwallisimpossibletospot. LocalHistory: TheEarthistheonlyplanetwhosenamedoesn'tderivefromGreek orromanmythology.'earth'isderivedfromoldenglish.the Romanshowever,referredtotheplanetasTerra. Tectonicplates Thesurfaceoftheplanetisrelativelyyoung.Unlike otherplanets,theearth'scrustismadeofplateswhichgradually slideacrosstheglobeataboutthesamespeedasyourfingernails grow. SothemapofEarthiscontinuallychanging.Weknowthat,120 millionyearsago,mostofthelandontheplanetwasjoinedtoform asuper continentknownaspangea. TravelInformation: OneEarthyear Earthdays Population 6.4billionhumans Beforeyouleave EarthistheonlyplanetintheSolarSystemonwhichconditionsare rightforintelligentlifetoevolve.theplanetisthecorrectdistance fromthesunforwatertoexistasaliquid,avitalingredientforlife. Whatistherecipeforlife? Earth'soceansalsohelptoregulatetheplanet'stemperature.Soit remainsfairlyconstantevenwhensolarconditionschange. TheEarthalsohasapowerfulmagneticfield.This,combinedwith theatmosphere,shieldstheplanetfromthemajorityoftheharmful solarradiation. TheEarthisthereforetheonlyplanetyoucanwalkonwithoutthe aidofprotectiveclothing.onewordofwarningthough,local fashionscanchangeremarkablyquickly. Whenyouarrive TwothirdsofEartharecoveredbyoceans.Sounlessyourcraftis equippedforawaterytouchdown,youwillhavetochooseyour landingsitewithcare. Earth'sterrainisthemostvariedofanyplanetoftheSolarSystem. Thepolesarecoveredinvastglaciersofice.Ariddesertsarefound neartheequator.andlargeareasoflandaredominatedby vegetation. Therearesomany differenttypesof creaturesonearththat theyhaven'tallbeen cataloguedyet. However,humanactions havealsocausedthe extinctionofmany species.

13 Earth s Moon

14 Earth smoon 3.5 WhatToSee: Maria Thelandscapeisdividedintotwomainareas.Thedarkpatchesarecalled maria,meaning seas'.itwasnamedatatimewhenpeoplethoughtthatliquid waterflowedovertheseregions. Sincethen,itwasdiscoveredthatthemariaareareasofsolidifiedlava.Theywere formedoverfourthousandmillionyearsago,whenthemoonwasvolcanically active.thelargestoftheseregionsiscalled OceanusProcellarum'. Terrae Theothermainregionsarecalled terrae',or land'.theselightlycoloured highlandsarethemostancientregionsonthemoon.theyarecoveredincountless craters thescarsfrommillionsofyearsworthofimpacts. CraterTycho Thiseye catchingcraterinthesouthcanbeevenseenfromthe Earth.Itsgiantwallsare4.5km(miles)highand85km(53miles)apart.Tychois surroundedbybrightraysthatstretchhalfwayacrosstheglobe.thesearethe splashesofmoltenrockthatsplatteredacrossthemoonwhenthecraterwas formedbyamassiveasteroidimpact. MareTranquillitatis MareTranquillitatisisthesiteofthefirsteverlunarlanding. Seeifyoucanspottheplaqueleftbehindbytheastronauts.Itshouldn'tbetoo tricky thereisnowindonthemoon,soyoushouldstillbeabletofollowthe footprints. TravelInformation: Beforeyouleave CheckoutreportsfrompreviousvisitorstotheMoon.Thefirstmannedexpedition wasmadebyneilarmstrongandedwin'buzz'aldrinontheapollo11missionof 1969.Sincethentherehavebeenafurtherfivemannedmissions. Whenyouarrive ThoughtheMoonistheclosestbodytotheEarth,wecan'twalkonthesurface unaided.there'snoatmosphere,soit'simpossibletobreathe. Thelackofatmospherealsomeansthere'snoprotectionfromharmfulradiationin thesolarwind.butit'snotallbadnews.onedaywecouldusehydrogenstoredin themoon'ssurfaceasasourceoffuel. LocalHistory: TheMoonhashadaplaceinmanyworldmythologies.TotheRomans,theMoon wasthegoddessluna.thegreeksreferredtothemoongoddessasselene,and theegyptiansworshipedthemoonasisis. Moonmadness ThephasesoftheMoonhaveoftenbeenassociatedwithmadness,givingriseto theenglishword'lunatic'. HowtheMoonwasmade HowtheMoonformedisstillunconfirmed.Thelatestthinkingsuggestsitwas createdafteracollisionbetweentheearthandamars sizedplanetearlyinthe Earth'shistory. SpottingTheMoonFromTheEarth: TheMoonistheeasiestthingtospotinthenightsky.Evenwiththenakedeye,you canseequitealotofdetailonitssurface.throughatelescopeitisastunningsight, withcraters,raysanddarkregionsclearlyvisible. ThefarsideoftheMoon OnlyhalftheMoonisvisiblefromtheEarth.Thisis becausethetimethemoontakestospinonitsaxisisexactlythesameasthetime ittakestoorbittheearth. Thisisnocoincidence.BecausetheMoonisnotcompletelyroundandbulges slightly,unbalancingitsgravitationalforce.thisforcedthemoon'srotationtoslow down,untilitsbulgewasalignedwiththeearth. TheforceexertedbytheMoonontheEarthishavingasimilareffectontheEarth's rotation.graduallytheearthisslowingdown.oneday,thelengthoftimetheearth takestospinrounditsaxiswillbethesameasthemoontakestoorbitus.when thathappens,wewillonlybeableto seethemoonfromonesideofthe Earth. PhasesoftheMoon Overthecourse ofamonth,themoonappearstogrow ('wax')andshrink('wane'). Infact,eversinceprehistorictimes,the phasesofthemoonhavebeenuseda basisforcalendarsandtime measurement.thisishowwegetthe lengthofourmonth thetimethat passesfromonefullmoontothenext. Thephasesoccurbecausehalfofthe MoonisilluminatedbytheSun.Butthis isnotalwaysthesamehalfthatis visiblefromtheearth.

15 Mars

16 Mars 4 WhatToSee: MarshassomeofthemostspectacularsceneryintheSolarSystem. VallesMarineres Agiantcanyonsystemstretchingover5,000km(3,100 miles)alongtheequatorwithanaveragedepthof6km.seeifyoucanspot theerosionchannelsthatcouldrevealtheplanet'swaterypast. OlympusMons ThelargestvolcanointheSolarSystem.Reaching27km (17miles)highand700km(435miles)across.Butdon'tbeafraid this monstrousvolcanoisnowextinct,soyourvisitwillbeasafeone. Theface In1976,VikingOrbiter1sentpicturesofaveryunusualrock formation.whenthesunstrikesmarsatacertainangle,theshadowlooks likeahumanface. Isthisproofofalienintelligenceatwork?Orisitjustchancethatthe ruggedsurfaceofmarsconjuresupthisimage?untilthereismore evidence,youwillhavetodecideforyourself. LocalHistory: It'susuallyclaimedthatMarswasnamedaftertheRomangodofwar becauseofitsangryredcolor.butearlyonintheromanempire,marswas worshippedasagodofgrowthandfertility. SpottingMarsFromEarth: Mars'redcolor,thoughmorepronouncedwhenseenthroughatelescope, isstillnoticeablewiththenakedeye. MarscanoftenbespottedfromEarth.Usuallyittravelsacrossthesky fromeasttowest.however,for70daysofitstwo yearorbit,itreverses directionacrossthesky.thisisthebesttimestoobservemars,because it'sattheclosestpointtoearth. TravelInformation: Journeytime 5.25Earthmonths 1Martianyear 2.11Earthyears Contactinghome Timelag=25.4minutes Beforeyouleave MarsiscloserintemperaturetoEarththananyofthe otherplanetinthesolarsystem.butdon'tletthiscatchyouoffyour guard.mars'weatherisevenmoreunpredictablethanourown. Werecommendasummervisit,whenthetemperaturecanreacha pleasant20ºc.butkeepaneyeontheweatherforecast!stormscansweep acrossthewholeplanet.withindays,thetemperaturecanplummetby20 degrees. TravelersinthewintermonthsshouldnotethatMarscanreachabitter 140ºC. Onefinalwordofwarning makesureyouarepreparedforduststorms. Tornadoesaslargeaseightkilometershighhavebeenseencausinghavoc acrossthemartianlandscape. Whenyouarrive Yourfirstdecisionwhenyouarrivewillbewhichhemispheretoheadfor. Thesouthernhemisphereis higher,andhasamorerugged landscape. Thenorthernhemispherelies anaverageoffivekilometers lower.weknowthatthe surfacethereisyounger,as therearefewerimpactcraters. Thereisnoevidenceofplate tectonicsonmars.thismeans thatgrowingvolcanoesaren't disruptedbysurface movements.thismeansthey cangrow100timeslargerthan onearth,likeolympusmons. Butdon'tworry,thevolcanoes onmarsaren'tactive.

17 Asteroids

18 Asteroids 4.5 WhatToSee: Asteroidsrangeinsizefromtinydustparticlestohugeworldsnearly1,000km(600 miles)across. Mostasteroidsareoddlyshaped.Theyaren'tsphericallikeplanets,becausetheir gravityistoolowtopullthemintoaroundform.(thisonlyhappenswhen asteroidsareover250kminsize.) Smalleronesareangularandshapedlikepotatoesandpeanuts.Theoddestlooking asteroidsofariscalled'kleopatra',whichlookslikea220kmlongdogbone. Asteroidbelt Thousandsofasteroidsswarmacrossthe20millionmilesofspace betweentheplanetsmarsandjupiter.this'asteroidbelt'marksthejunction betweentheinnerandoutersolarsystemandhouses90 95%ofallasteroids. OthersorbitclosetotheSunandsomehavebeencapturedbythegravityof planetslikejupiter,marsandtheearth. Asteroidswithmoons Someasteroidshaveothersrevolvingaroundthem,just asthemoonrevolvesaroundtheearth.ida,anasteroidabout56kmindiameter hasitsownmoon atinybodyonly1kminsize.otherasteroidsmaywellhave moonsoftheirownwaitingtobediscovered. Binaryasteroids Someasteroidstravelinpairs,spinningaroundacommon centreofgravity.thesearecalled'binaries'.astronomersweresurprisedbythis, becausetheythoughttheirgravitywouldbetooweaktobindthemtogether. Thisdiscoverysolvedtheage oldmysteryofwhyimpactcratersoftenappearin pairsontheearth,suchastheclearwaterlakesincanada. TravelInformation: Beforeyouleave There'snowayyouwillbeabletovisitalltheasteroids,soyou'llhavetodecide whichonesyouwanttosee.groupsareusuallynamedafterthelargestbodythey contain.forexample,theamorgroupthatlivenearthesunorthetrojansnextto Jupiter. Whenyouarrive Becarefulifyoutryandlandonanasteroid.Mostofthemspinaroundasthey travelthroughspace,sotouchdownmaybealittletricky. AsteroidsFromTheEarth: Althoughyoucan'tseeasteroidswiththenakedeye,agoodpairofbinocularsora smalltelescopewillhelpyoutospotthem. Mostasteroidsareinstablesolarorbits.However,Jupiter'sgravitationalfieldcan sometimespullbodiesoutoforbit,andsendthemoffatrandompathsthroughthe SolarSystem.CouldoneofthesebodiesstriketheEarthoneday? Missions ManymissionhavebeenlaunchedfromEarthtoinvestigatetheserockyremnants: NASA'sGalileomissionflewpasttwomainbeltasteroids,IdaandGaspra,inthe early1990senroutetojupiter In2000,theNEAR ShoemakersatelliteflewpastasteroidMathildebeforeitwent intoorbitaroundnear EarthasteroidEros.Ayearlateritmadeasoftlandingon theasteroid'ssurface TheDeepSpace1missionwhizzedpastanasteroidcalledBraillebeforereaching itsmaintarget,cometborrelly,in2001 LocalHistory: ThefirstasteroidwasdiscoveredbyGiuseppePiazziin1801.TheItalian astronomernamedit'ceres',afterthe Siciliangoddessofgrain.Itssizerelativeto theotherasteroidshasleditsinclusionina newcategory thedwarfplanets.thereare twootherdwarfplanets,plutoanderis. Sincethen,over100,000asteroidshave beenclassified.theremaybeuptoamillion 1km sizedbodiesinthesolarsystem. Increasingnumbersarebeingdiscoveredby dedicatedsearchessuchasthenearearth AsteroidTrackingsystem(NEAT),from HawaiiandtheSpaceGuardprogram.

19 Jupiter

20 Jupiter 5 WHATTOSEE Jupiterisoneofthefour'gasgiant'planets.UnlikerockyworldsliketheEarth, Jupiteriscomposedalmostentirelyofgas.Insidethisswirlingballofgasliesa smallcoreofsolidrock. ThebrightcoloursinJupiter'scloudsarecausedbycomplexinteractionsof varioussimplegases.hydrogen,helium,carbondioxide,waterandmethaneare allpresent,alongwithcloudsofammoniaiceandammoniumhydrosulphide. Thedistinctbandsarecreatedbyhigh speedwinds,withadjacentrings blowinginoppositedirections.betweenthebandsarevorticeswherewind speedsreach600kmperhour. TheGreatRedSpot Thiscircularknotofgasesmarksavastthunderstormthathasragedonthe planet'ssurfaceforover300years.thespotisovertwicethesizeofearthand isthelargestthunderstorminthesolarsystem. Jupiter'smostprominentfeatureisevenvisiblefromtheEarth.Howsucha hugestormhassurvivedforsolongremainsamystery. Jupiter'srings Aninfraredimagerisamust havegadgetforanytriptojupiter.likesaturn, Jupiteralsohasasystemofrings.They'reveryfaintwhenviewedwiththe nakedeye.butscannedintheinfraredspectrum,jupiter'sringsareacolourful sight. UnlikeSaturn'srings,Jupiter'sdonotcontainicecrystals.Theyareprobably composedofdebrisfrommeteorcollisionsonjupiter'smoons. LOCALHISTORY TheRomansnamedtheplanetJupiteraftertheirkingofthegods afortunate coincidencesincetheycouldn'tpossiblyhaveknownthatjupiteristhelargest planetinthesolarsystem. TheGreeksreferredtotheplanetasZeus,whowasthekingintheirmythology. TRAVELINFORMATION Journeytime 18months 1Jovianyear 11.9Earthyears Contactinghome Timelag=76.5minutes Beforeyouleave Jupiterhasagiganticmagneticfield,sofindingyourwaytherewon'tbea problem.butmakesurethatyourshipisproperlyinsulated.radiationfrom highenergyparticlestrappedinsidethefieldisstrongenoughtokillyou. Whenyouarrive TheapproachtoJupiterhastobeoneofthemostspectacularjourneysinthe SolarSystem.Jupiterhasamultitudeoflargemoons.Andthereisevidencethat theremaybemanymoresmallersatellites,sokeepyoureyespeeled. Theoriginsofthesesmallermoonsremainsamystery.Manyarein'retrograde orbit',meaningthattheycircleintheoppositedirectiontothemajormoons.so theseoddmoonsmaybeasteroidsthathavebeencapturedfromtheasteroid beltbyjupiter'simmensegravity. ExploringJupiter Jupiterisa'gasgiant',soit'snotpossibletolandashiponitssurface.Travelling farbelowthecloudsofthisplanetisnotadvised.temperaturesandpressures soonbegintorise.sofar,noprobeshavesurvivedover150metresbelowthe surfaceofjupiter. SPOTTINGJUPITERFROMTHEEARTH JupiterisoneoftheeasiestplanetstospotfromtheEarth.ThoughVenusis brighter,jupiterisfurtherfromthesun,soit'svisiblelongafterthesunand Venushaveset.OtherthantheMoon,it'sthebrightestobjectyoucanseeinthe middleofthenight. FourofJupiter'smoons Io,Europa,GanymedeandCallisto areeasilyvisible withbinoculars.whengalileodiscoveredthesemoonsin1610,theyprovided thefirstevidencethatnotallheavenlybodiesrevolvedaroundtheearth.

21 Saturn

22 Saturn 6 WHATTOSEE Saturnisa'gasgiant'planet,likeitslargerneighbourJupiter.Although it'snotasbrightlycolouredasjupiter,theplanetshaveaverysimilar composition.theatmosphere,mostlyhydrogenandhelium,withtraces ofsimplecompounds,spinsaroundtheplanet. Saturn'srings SaturnhasthemostspectacularringsystemintheSolarSystem.These ringsaren'tsolid,butmadeupofbillionsofseparatechunks.they rangefrommicroscopicparticlestorocksthatareafewmetresin diameter. WhenGalileoGalileifirstspottedtherings,hewasconvincedthathe wasseeingthreeseparateplanetsmovingtogether. It'sthoughtthattheringsaremademainlyofwaterice,thoughsome chunksmayhaverockycentres.nooneissurehowtheyformed.but wedoknowthattheychangeovertime.someparticlesarelostinto spaceandthesearereplacedbydebrisreleasedbysaturn'smoons. TheCassiniGap Oncloserinspection,Saturn'sringsarecomposedofmanyhundredsof smallerbands,withgapsinbetween.thelargestbreak thecassini Gap isvisiblefromearth. Saturn'smoonsmaycreatesomeofthesegapsastheysailthrough, clearingdebrisfromtheirpaths. SPOTTINGSATURNFROMTHEEARTH Saturnisthefurthestplanetthatcanbeseenwiththenakedeye.But withouttheaidofatelescope,itcanbetrickytospotagainstthe backgroundofstars.thegive awaysignofanyplanetisthatitdoesn't 'twinkle'likestarsdo. Ifyoucatchtheplanetattherighttime,youcanseeitsrings.Butevery fewyearstheyseemtodisappear.thisisduetoachangeinthe orientationofsaturncomparedtoearth.whentheringsareedgeon, theyareveryhardtospotbeingonlyonekilometrethick. TRAVELINFORMATION Journeytime 29.4Earthmonths 1Saturnianyear 29.5Earthyears Contactinghome Timelag=159.4minutes Beforeyouleave You'dbewelladvisedtogetholdofasatellitetimetablebefore travelling.withmanyknownmoonsandmorestilltobeconfirmed, Saturn'sskiescanbeanightmaretonavigate. Apairofultravioletimaginggogglesisalsoamust.Saturnhasan impressiveauroradisplaywhichchangeshourly.it'sformedwhen electricallychargedparticlesfromthesolarwindhitsaturn's atmosphere. Whenyouarrive Aswithallthegaseousplanets,Saturndoesnothaveasurfacetoland on. Watchoutforthegale forcewinds.attheequator,theycanreachover 1500kmperhour,andaremostlyintheeasterlydirection.Atriptothe polesisrecommended,asherewindspeedsdecrease,asbroadbands ofgastravelinoppositedirections. Noprobeshaveeverpenetratedtheplanet'ssurface.Thecloudsare thoughttohidealayerofmetallicliquidhydrogencoveringarocky core.evenso,theplanethasthesmallestdensityofanyinthesolar System.Infact,Saturnissolightthatit'dfloatonwater iftherewere anoceanlarge enough! LOCALHISTORY InRoman mythology,saturn wasthegodof agriculture,and wasthefatherof Jupiter.TheGreeks referredtothe planetas'cronus'.

23 Uranus

24 Uranus 7 WHATTOSEE LikenearbySaturn,JupiterandNeptune,Uranusisaplanet madealmostentirelyofgas. Abluehue Theatmosphereismostlyhydrogenandhelium,withsmall quantitiesofmethane.it'sthemethanethatabsorbstheredlight fromthesun'sray,givingtheplanetitsdistinctbluecolour. Theweather Tothenakedeye,Uranusisafairlyfeaturelessplanet.However, enhancedtelescopeimagesshowseasonalchangesinthe planet'satmosphereduringtheyear. SPOTTINGURANUSFROMTHEEARTH Uranuscanoccasionallybespottedwiththenakedeye,ifyou knowwheretolook.butit'shardasitlooksverysimilartothe backgroundofstars. Evenwithasmalltelescope,Uranuscanbehardtofind.Through largertelescopes,itappearsasagreenishdisc,withoutany distinguishingmarks. LOCALHISTORY Uranuswasnotknownintheancientworld.Itwasthefirst planettobediscoveredwiththeaidofatelescope. WhenWilhelmHerschelspotteditin1781,henamedit"the GeorgiumSidus"(theGeorgianPlanet).Itwaslatergiventhe nameuranus(thegreekgodoftheheavens),tocontinuethe traditionofnamingplanetsafterclassicalgods. TRAVELINFORMATION Journeytime 8.5Earthyears 1Uranianyear 84.0Earthyears Contactinghome Timelag=319.5minutes Beforeyouleave Makesureyoutimeyourtripwell.Otherplanetsspinaroundan axisthatisperpendiculartotheirdirectionoftravel.buturanus istippedonitssideandspinsinthesamedirectionasittravels. Soitrollsarounditsorbit. NooneknowsforcertainwhathappenedtoUranustomakeit likethis. ThismeansthateachofUranus'polesfacesawayfromtheSun forhalfoftheplanet'sorbit.soeachpolealternatesbetween nightsanddaysthatlastfor42years. Whenyouarrive LikethegaseousgiantsJupiterandSaturn,Uranushasasystem ofrings.theyaresodarkhowever,thatevenvisitorstothe Uraniansystemwillnotbeabletoseethemdirectly.Theonly waytospotthemisbyobservingastheyblockthelightofstars beyond. Uranushasno distinctsurfaceon whichtoland.but it'sthoughtthat Uranushasacore ofrockandice.

25 Neptune

26 Neptune 8 WHATTOSEE Neptuneisoneofthefour'gasgiants'(alongwithJupiter,Saturn anduranus).theyareplanetscomposedalmostentirelyofgas. Mysterycolour Neptune'svividbluecolourisamystery.Nooneknowsthe identityofthelight absorbingchemicalthatcreatesitsdeepblue skies. 'Scooters' WhileflyingpastNeptune,Voyager2spottedasmallwhitecloud shootingaroundtheplanet'supperatmosphereevery16hours. Itwasdubbed TheScooter'becauseofitsstrangeshape.Itmay havebeenaplumerisingfromalargercloudlowerinthe atmosphere.butwhatiswasisstillamystery. SPOTTINGNEPTUNEFROMTHEEARTH NeptunecannotbeseenfromtheEarthwiththenakedeye.Even throughpowerfultelescopes,theplanetcanbehardtospot. WhenGalileosawit,hethoughtitwasjustanotherstar. LOCALHISTORY NeptunewasnamedaftertheRomangodofthesea. Neptunehasthehonourofbeingthefirstplanettobediscovered onpaperbeforeitwasactuallyseen. Neptune'sgravitationalfieldaffectstheorbitofUranus.Soits existencewasdeducedusingnewton'slawsofmotion.thenit wasspottedbyjohanngottfriedgalleinseptember1846. TRAVELINFORMATION Journeytime 12Earthyears 1Neptunianyear 164.9Earthyears Contactinghome Timelag=8.26hours Beforeyouleave Makesureyouchecktheweatherforecastbeforeyousetofffor Neptune.In1989,astronomersspottedagiantdarkstorminthe planet'satmospheresimilartothegiantredspotonjupiter. However,observationsin1994failedtolocateit.Eitherthespot wasconcealedbeneaththeclouds,orithadsimplydied. Whenyouarrive Neptunehasnosolidsurfacetolandon,althoughitmayhavea tinycoreofrock.itsatmosphereismostlyhydrogenandhelium withtracesofmethane. NeptunehasthewildestweatherofanyplanetintheSolar System,withwindsofupto2,000kmperhour. Descendingtowardstheplanet,yougetafantasticviewofthe planet'sringsystem.aswithotherplanets,theringsofneptune areseparatedintodifferentbands.theirlayoutisdeterminedby thegravitationalfieldsoftheplanetanditsmoons.

27 Pluto and Charon

28 PlutoandCharon 9 WHATTOSEE Beforeitsreclassification,PlutowasthefurthestplanetfromtheSun.Fromthe surfaceofpluto,thesunissotinyitlookslikeabrightstarinthesky.plutois verysmall,onlyhalfthesizeofearth'smoon. Thisremoteballoficeremainsabitofamystery.Thefirstprobeduetovisit Plutowon'tarriveuntilJuly2015. Lightanddarkregions Telescopeimagesshowlightanddarkregions. Thelighterareasareprobablyicesofnitrogen,methane,ethaneandcarbon dioxide.thedarkerregionsmaybearesultofphotochemicalreactionsdriven bycosmicrays,buttheirexactnatureisunknown. FurtherinvestigationwillbeoneofthefirsttasksforanyvisitortoPluto. LOCALHISTORY Plutowasdiscoveredbyaccidentin1930byClydeWilliamTombaugh. AstronomershadbeguntosearchforanewplanetbeyondNeptuneafter calculationsofthisplanet'sorbitpredictedtheexistenceofalargemassbeyond it. Thesumslaterprovedtobewrong,butnotbeforeastronomershadstarted theirsearchforanewplanet.andbeforetheerrorinthecalculationshadbeen realised,plutohadalreadybeendiscovered. PlutowasnamedaftertheGreekgodoftheunderworld,possiblybecauseitis sofarfromthesun.thenamewassuggestedbyan11yearoldschoolgirlfrom Oxfordshire. Planetordwarf? AstronomershavedisagreedaboutPlutointhepast,arguingthatitshouldnot becalledaplanetbecauseofitssmallsizeanddistantlocation.toresolvethe issue,theiauhaveconfirmedanewscientificdefinition.tobecalledaplanet, anobjectmustbeinorbitroundthesun,itmustbelargeenoughthatittakes onanearlyroundshape,anditsorbitmustbeclearofotherplanets.for20out ofevery248years,pluto'sorbitoverlapswithneptune'sorbit,soplutoisno longerclassifiableasaplanet.itjoinsceresanderisinthenewlyformed category'dwarfplanets'. TRAVELINFORMATION Journeytime 8Earthyears 1Plutonianyear 248Earthyears Timelag 7.93hours Beforeyouleave Makesurethatyouwrapupwarm.Atachilly 230ºC,Plutoisoneofthecoldest placesinthesolarsystem. Youmightwanttomakesureyoutimeyourtripforthesummermonths. Duringthewinter,itissocoldthateventheatmospherefreezes! Whenyouarrive WhileapproachingPluto,keepaneyeoutfortheunusualfeatureofitsrotation. Itrotatesintheoppositedirectiontoalltheplanets. Pluto'smoons Plutohasonelargemoon,Charon,andtwotinymoonscalledNixandHydra. TherearemanymoonsintheSolarSystemthatspinaroundontheiraxisatthe samerateastheyorbittheirplanet.ourmoonislikethis,whichiswhywe alwaysseethesamesideofthemoonwhenwelookatitfromearth. Plutoistheonlycelestialbodythatspinsatthesamerateasitsmoonorbits.So youcanonlyseecharonfromonesideofpluto. SPOTTINGPLUTOFROMTHEEARTH Plutocan'tbeseenfromEarthwiththenakedeye.It'spossible(thoughtricky) tospotitthroughatelescope,ifyouknowexactlywheretolook. EvenpowerfulEarth basedtelescopesaren'tstrongenoughtoseepluto'sdark surfaceindetail.theviewfromthehubbletelescopeshowslessdetailthanyou cancanseeonthemoonfromearth.