The Solar System Essay -- Astronomy Plantes Stars Galaxy Essays

The Solar SystemWhat are planets? Planets are kinda like asteroid around the sun. There are social club planets in the solar system, Mercury, Venus, Earth ( Our planet ), Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The Terrestrial PlanetsThe terrestrial planets are the four innermost planets in the solar system, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. They are called terrestrial because they have a compact, rocky surface like the Earths. The planets, Venus, Earth, and Mars have significant atmospheres while Mercury has almost none. The following diagram shows the approximate distance of the terrestrial planets to the cheerfulness. The SunThe Sun is the most prominent feature in our solar system. It is the largest object and contains approximately 98% of the total solar system mass. One hundred and nine Earths would be required to fit across the Suns disk, and its interior could hold over 1.3 million Earths. The Suns outer visible layer is called the p calefactoryosphere and has a te mperature of 6,000C (11,000F). This layer has a mottled appearance due to the turbulent eruptions of energy at the surface. Solar energy is created deep within the core of the Sun. It is here that the temperature (15,000,000 C 27,000,000 F) and pressure (340 gazillion times Earths air pressure at sea level) is so intense that nuclear reactions take place. This reaction causes four protons or hydrogen nuclei to fuse in concert to form one alpha particle or helium nucleus. The alpha particle is about .7 percent less massive than the four protons. The difference in mass is expelled as energy and is carried to the surface of the Sun, through a process known as convection, where it is released as light and heat. Energy generated in the Suns core takes a million years to reach its surface. Every second 700 million tons of hydrogen are converted into helium ashes. In the process 5 million tons of pure energy is released therefore, as time goes on the Sun is becoming lighter.The chromosphe re is above the photosphere. Solar energy passes through this region on its route out from the center of the Sun. Faculae and flares arise in the chromosphere. Faculae are bright luminous hydrogen clouds which form above regions where sunspots are about to form. Flares are bright filaments of hot louse up emerging from sunspot regions. Sunspots are dark depressions on the photosphere with a typical temp... ...s evaporate. The evaporated molecules boil off and carry small solid particles with them, forming the comets coma of gas and dust. When the nucleus is frozen, it can be seen only by reflected sunlight. However, when a coma develops, dust reflects still more sunlight, and gas in the coma absorbs ultraviolet radiation syndrome and begins to fluoresce. As the comet absorbs ultraviolet light, chemical processes release hydrogen, which escapes the comets gravity, and forms a hydrogen envelope. This envelope cannot be seen from Earth because its light is absorbed by our atmospher e, but it has been detected by spacecraft. The Suns radiation pressure and solar wind accelerate materials away from the comets head at differing velocities according to the size and mass of the materials. Thus, relatively massive dust tail coat are accelerated slowly and tend to be curved. The ion tail is much less massive, and is accelerated so greatly that it appears as a nearly smashing line extending away from the comet opposite the Sun. The following view of Comet West shows two distinct tails. The thin blue plasma tail is made up of gases and the loose white tail is made up of microscopic dust particles.