What s in our solar system? *Sun *Planets Terrestrial Jovian Dwarf Smaller objects *Meteoroids *Comets Dust http://www.techastronomy.com/userfiles/2007/7/22/solar_system4(1).jpg
*Sun a. Most of mass (>99%) of solar system b. Star produces own energy by fusion c. Hot http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/gallery/images/large/eit001_prev.jpg
What s in our solar system? *Sun *Planets Terrestrial Jovian http://www.techastronomy.com/userfiles/2007/7/22/solar_system4(1).jpg
Other Objects in solar system *Meteoroids Small, rocky, oblong Mostly between Mars and Jupiter (Asteroid belt) *Comets Icy Way out beyond Neptune - Kuiper Belt Objects Farther out (1/4 way to next star) - Oort Cloud
Most meteoroids between Mars and Jupiter Many cometlike objects beyond Neptune Many comets way out here http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/eris_ Orbit.svg/644px-Eris_Orbit.svg.png
Pluto- Hard to classify
Keberus Styx http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120716.html
Pluto: Planet or? Round Moons Orbit tilted to plane of solar system Orbit more elliptical than other planets Sometimes Pluto is closer to sun than Neptune Denser than Jovians, less dense than Terrestrials One of many objects orbiting sun beyond Neptune
Eris 44 o orbit inclination July 2005 at 97 AU Sep 2005 It has a moon.
Other problem objects Large meteoroids (asteroids) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/eris_ Orbit.svg/644px-Eris_Orbit.svg.png
Ceres (largest object in asteroid belt) ~600 mi Orbits sun Round Part of neighborhood of other objects =Dwarf Planet Credit: NASA JPL
Planet Current definition of planet a. Orbits a star b. Round by own gravity c. Cleared smaller objects from its neighborhood Note: Many astronomers don t like this definition.
Planet Terrestrial (small, dense ) Jovian (large, gaseous ) Dwarf Current definition of dwarf planet a. Orbits a star b. Round by own gravity c. Has not cleared its neighborhood Dwarf planets Pluto (one of largest objects beyond Neptune) Eris Ceres Others?
Dwarf Planets Dwarf Planet Candidates All but Ceres also called Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) Image: NASA
Asteroid Belt Haumea Image: NASA Show solar system simulator
What s in our solar system? Sun Planets (Terr., Jov., Dwarf) Small objects *Meteoroids *Comets Dust http://www.techastronomy.com/userfiles/2007/7/22/solar_system4(1).jpg
Meteoroids/Asteroids *Orbit the sun *Mostly between Mars and Jupiter (Some throughout the solar system) *Rocky, icy? *Most are oblong *Larger ones often called asteroids Gaspra
*Meteoroids Small (grain size) to Minnesota size Largest asteroid is Ceres at ~580 mi. now a dwarf planet Next largest is Vesta at ~310 mi.
Vesta Second largest object in Asteroid Belt Planet or Dwarf planet or Asteroid?
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120919.html
Lutetia from Rosetta/ESA ~100 km diameter http://www.esa.int/esa-mmg/mmg.pl?b=b&type=i&mission=rosetta&single=y&start=4
Examples of Asteroids/meteoroids Gaspra http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/images/gaspra.gif 12 mi X 7 mi
Black box Mathilde Gaspra ~12mi X 7 mi Ida
Gaspra (asterioid) Phobos (moon) Deimos (moon)
Deimos http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090316.html
36mi X 14 mi http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990807.html Ida and Dactyl
Eros 21 mi NEAR Shoemaker
Mathilde 37 mi x 29 mi Crater 20 mi wide X 6 mi deep Detail 1200 ft
Asteroid Itokawa Mission Hayabusa http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/e/snews/2005/1102.shtml
Orbiting in space *Meteorite- *Meteoroid- *Meteor- Glowing in Earth s atmosphere In hand *Asteroid Larger meteoroids
*Meteor (Shooting star, falling star) Small (grain to pea size) Fast (~50 mi/s) Nearby (40 to 80 miles) Collide with Earth s atmosphere, glow Most do not reach ground in tact Add thousands of tons to Earth each year
Fireball Larger (marble size+) Basketball size+ can reach ground
Still from a video of the Chelyabinsk meteor streaking across the sky. The video is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4zxxyscmgrg#
Why study meteorites? Composition and origin of Moon and Mars
Why study meteorites? Origin and age of our solar system (4.6 billion yrs)
Why study meteorites? Origin of life Murchison meteorite (1969)
Why study meteorites? Possible catastrophes for us?
Meteor Crater in Winslow, AZ Crater: 4/5 mile across, ~500 feet deep Occurred ~50 000 years ago Energy ~ 3 Megatons Original meteor ~ house size
Meteor Crater in Winslow, AZ Crater: 4/5 mile across, ~500 feet deep Occurred ~50 000 years ago Energy ~ 20 Megatons of TNT Original meteor ~ house size, 300 000 tons Speed 40 000 mi/h
Types of meteorites Iron-Nickel Samples Stony-Iron Stony
*Comets *Icy, fuzzy appearance Bayeux Tapestry
*Hang in sky for days/weeks
Comet McNaught http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070212.html Credit & Copyright: Minoru Yoneto
Comets Borrely and Catalina with Arcturus http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160106.html
Comet orbit *Most have elliptical orbits *Some in plane of solar system but some not
*Comet why seen Nears Sun, melts Sunlight reflects from debris Sunlight blows debris away Interactive comet orbit at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/comets/comet_model_interactive.html
*Comet Parts Nucleus = Dense center Tail = gas/ice/dust blown back by sun Head = Nucleus + surrounding gas/ice/dust (Head and tail look dense but are not)
Comet Nucleus Old Description *Frozen, dirty iceberg Borrelly www.ifa.hawaii.edu/ faculty/jewitt/nucleus.html
Comet Nucleus New Description *Many are frozen, dirty icebergs Others are loose collections of ice, gas, dust (Shoemaker- Levy 9-1993)
APOD Wild 2
Comet Tempel 1 http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110216.html Size ~ 1/2 Manhattan (14kmX4km) Size: ~1/3 Manhattan ~8kmX5km
Comet Parts Tail: Ions, gas, dust blown away by sun Gas tail (ions and gas, blown straight back) Dust tail (lags behind so looks curved)
Period of Comet *Long Period comets Out of plane Hale-Bopp (~4000 yr) *Short Period comets In plane of solar system Halley (76 yr), Temple-Tuttle (33 yr) http://www.eso.org/outreach/info-events/halebopp/comet-hale-bopp-summary-apr07-97-rw.html
Comet Orbit Most have very elliptical orbits Short period comets generally orbit in the plane of the SS Long period comets orbit from all directions Suggests two hideouts
*Comet Hideouts Oort Cloud ~ 100 000 AU (~1 LY) Kuiper Belt ~100 AU Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs)
Homes Oort Cloud at ~ 100 000 AU (~1 LY) Kuiper Belt at ~40 1000 AU (These often called Kuiper Belt Objects or KBOs) Starry Night for these From minor planet center
http://mips.as.arizona.edu/mipspage/kuiperbelt.html
Dwarf Planets Dwarf Planet Candidates Also called Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) Image: NASA
Reminder: Meteors and comets seen for different reasons In Earth s atmosphere Not in Earth s atmosphere
Why study comets? Water carriers? Original material of solar system Life?
*Meteor Shower Comet leaves trail of ice and dust Earth sweeps through the comet dust See 10s to 100s of meteors per hour http://astrobob.areavoices.com/2011/10/19/orionid-meteor-showercould-make-your-wildest-dreams-come-true/
Meteor showers Best ones Perseids Aug 10-14 Leonids Nov 14-19 Geminids Dec 10-13 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xtbry Wrey0
What s in our solar system? Sun Planets Dwarf Planets Small objects Dust - Term for miscellaneous tiny fluff in the cosmos End