| Return: Databank | The Solar System |
The solar system
is the term used to describe the place where the Earth (and us) live. It
consists of eight planets, (or more depending on how you count the dwarf
class of planets) numerous moons of various sizes, asteroids, comets and
of course the central point of the entire system, the Sun.
| The Sun is a star, a blazing
ball of light and heat. Many people talk about the stars in the sky
but not everybody realises that the Sun is one too. It's name is Sol,
hence the term Solar system. Other systems should be really called star
systems. Sol is made mostly of Hydrogen and continually turns this Hydrogen
into Helium by the process of nuclear fusion. (The same process that
scientists on Earth want to replicate to provide power instead of coal
or gas.) This process generates the heat and light we see and feel everyday.
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| Mercury, the closest planet
to the Sun. Not much is known about this planet except that it is mostly
made of iron and is heavily cratered like our Moon. It is also roughly
the same size as it too.
About 80% of the planet has been mapped by probes. Mercury is named after
the messenger of the gods from Roman mythology who flew around on
winged sandals. |
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| Venus is considered Earth's
twin. It is roughly the same size and composition as Earth yet it is
nothing like our home's twin. It is a literal hell. Entire plains of
lava and searing temperatures. Combined with crushing pressures from
the atmosphere this is not a planet you would want to visit without
a lot of protection!
Scientists reckon that
Venus is a good example of a runaway greenhouse effect and that we
should study it further to understand how Humans could be doing the
same to Earth. |
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| Earth is the third planet
from the Sun, it has one Moon and as far as we know is the only place
in the Solar system capable of supporting life as we know it. It is
home to millions of different species of plants and animals, including
Humans. It is also one of the only places we know where liquid water
exists.
Earth is in the "habitable
zone" around the Sun, but this won't always be so, eventually
the zone will move leaving Earth a much hotter place. |
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| Mars is smaller than Earth,
and is thought to geologically inactive, yet it is the most studied
planet after Earth. It has two moons Phobes and Deimos named after the
Roman god of war's two sons. Throughout the ages people have wondered
whether life existed on the planet, which gave the excuse to send probes
there. What scientists have found has radically changed our view of
Mars, yet still no sign of life or even liquid water that could support
life. But there is evidence that Mars once had oceans and that means
the possibility of life. |
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| The Asteroid belt lies beyond
Mars and orbits around the Sun the same as everything else.It
is though to be the remains of protoplanets that Jupiter's massive gravity
prevented from stabilising and forming a fully fledged planet, that
gravity then pulverised the protoplanets into the chunks we can detect
today. These asteroids are the source of the biggest problem Earth has
and will face. Mass extinction event asteroids. Jupiter's gravity flings
these rocks at us if they stray too close to the massive gas giant.
The Asteroid belt is also home to the dwarf planet Ceres. |
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| Jupiter is the biggest planet
in the Solar system, over 1400 Earths could fit inside it.
Effectivey its own mini solar system, Jupiter has it's own retinue of moons of varying size, from some the size of Mars to some that are little more than captured asteroids. The planet itself is made
up of gas, mostly Hydrogen and the pressure gets so great inside the
planet that the gas turns into liquid metal. |
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| Saturn is the jewel of the
solar system, not because it has spectacular storm systems like Jupiter
but because of its rings.
The rings are made of particles of dust and rock, these rings are separated by the moons that orbit inside them. Saturn is so light that if an ocean was big enough you could float the planet on it! Saturn has become the subject
of the latest space probe Cassini and has started to reveal more of
its secrets and of its rings, as well as the moons. |
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| Uranus, named after the
supreme Greek god, father of Cronos and the titans and the "grandfather"
of the Olympians. The planet is larger in diameter than Neptune but
lower in mass and oddly the planet spins on its "side". The
axis is on the same plane as its orbit.
It has its own rings but
they are more or less invisible like Jupiters. It is mostly made of
ices rather than Hydrogen and has over 27 moons at the current count,
only 21 are named. |
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| Neptune is named after the
Roman god of the sea and was discovered even before it was seen, observations
of Uranus made it obvious that another massive body was affecting the
planet.
Neptune is almost as visually
active as Jupiter even having it's own massive storm system called
the 'great dark spot'. The planet also has very faint , twisted rings.
As well as a retinue of moons. The planet is mostly made of ices like
Uranus and it has very little hydrogen. Also despite it's distance
from the sun it has the fastest winds in the system! |
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| Pluto is a bit of a quandry.
At first it was considered a planet, an oddball planet but still a planet.
Along with it's moon Charon, which is almost the same size as Pluto.
However with the discovery of more, bigger, "planets" further
away from the Sun than Pluto it has brought its planetary status into
question. As of 2006 it was reclassified as a dwarf planet along with
other KBO's
Not much is known about
Pluto although a probe called New Horizons was launched in 2006. Hopefully
this will resolve alot of the questions that Pluto leaves us with. |
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| The Kupier belt is the debris
left over from the formation of the solar system. Rock, ice and dust.
It is also the home to many of the new "dwarf planets" that
have been discovered including Sedna and "Xena". (The name
is uncomfirmed) The discovery of these "planets" has prompted
the reclassification of what is a planet and relegated Pluto to this
new dwarf class.
The Kupier belt is also
thought to be part of the much larger Oort cloud, although not even
our best telescopes can confirm this for certain. |
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| The Oort cloud is thought
to be the ultimate edge of the material to our solar system. Left over
dust and debris forms a spherical shape around the whole system and
is also the source of many long period comets and asteroids. (Comets
that take a long orbit into and out of the inner solar system)
Past this point the Sun
does still influence space around it but it is very, very empty. After
that it is considered to be interstellar space. |
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Welcome to the Databank, where I try to impart my knowledge of the mysteries and the basics of the Universe! Each section will tell you about a part of the Universe we live in and also link to other sites that will expand upon the knowledge you gained here. If you spot any mistakes, (Hey I'm only human!) then please feel free to email me with the correction and I'll change it.
This section will tell you the basics of Astronomy and how to get involved without spending a fortune!
This section will introduce you to telescopes and explain how they work, the differences and what you can see with them.
This will explain filters and what they do and why they are used in Astronomy.
This section will introduce you to our home system and yes, the Sun is a star!
This section will tell you about the stars that are sprinkled across the night sky.
This section will introduce you to the search for Earth-like worlds outside of the Solar system.
This section will tell you about our home Galaxy, the Milky Way, and the other galaxies that surround us.
Where is the centre of the Universe? What is the Universe? What shape is it? All good questions, but expect to be confused in this section!
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