This is a powerpoint presentation that is about one of the Senior High School Core Subject: Earth and Life Science. It is composed of the content about the Solar System. This is also where you would find some infos about planets and other astronomical bodies.

1. The Solar System
Earth and Life Science

3. Orion-Cygnus Arm
•Named after the constellation, Orion
•It is a minor spiral arm in the Milky Way Galaxy that
contains the Solar System
•It is 10,000 light years in length

4. Solar System
•Formed around 4.56 billion years ago from a gravitational
collapse within an interstellar cloud
•Consists of the sun, the star of the solar system, planets,
and other celestial objects (comets, meteors and asteroids)

5. International Astronomical Union (IAU)
•Founded on July 28, 1919 at Brussels, Belgium
•An international organization of professional astronomers
that deals with naming celestial bodies and education
people about astronomy
•It also promotes and safeguard astronomy in all of its
aspects

6. The Major Planets in
the Solar System

7. IAU Definition of a Planet
•A planet is a celestial body that:
1.) Orbits the sun
2.) Has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid
body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium
(nearly round) shape
3.) Has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit

8. Mercury
•Named after Apollo, Messenger of the Gods
•Smallest and innermost part of the Solar System
•Has the smallest tilt amongst the planets
•1 Mercury Day = 176 Earth Days
1 Mercury Year = 88 Earth Days
•Second densest planet (5.417 𝑔/𝑐𝑚3
) after Earth
•Has a higher iron core content than any other planets

9. Mercury
•Caloris Planitia – a plain within the largest impact crater in
Mercury that emits gas and can trigger volcanic activity
•It has no natural satellites (moons)
•Does not experience seasons
•Has a very weak magnetic field
•Its atmosphere consists of 42% hydrogen, 29% sodium and
6% helium

10. Mercury
•Experiences temperature ranging from -173˚C (-280˚F)
during nighttime and up to 427˚C (800˚F) during daytime
•This planet has been known to humans since the time of the
Babylonian and Assyrian Empire

11. Venus
•Second planet from the Sun
•Also called as the “morning star” or “evening star”
•Named after Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty
•It is the hottest planet in the solar system (reaching
temperature of 462˚C)
•Its atmosphere is 96% carbon dioxide
•Moves in a clockwise retrograde motion around 243 Earth
days

12. Earth
•Third planet from the Sun
•Originated from the German word “erde” meaning ground
•Only planet to harbor life
•Consists mainly of iron (32%) and oxygen (30%)
•Has a natural satellite named the Moon
•Continental Drift Theory – stated that 250 million years ago,
the seven continents of Earth was once joined together and
slowly drifted away until reaching their current position

13. Earth
•Has an axial tilt of 23.44˚; defining the amount of sunlight
that various places would receive each year
•Has a strong magnetic field that extends from the Outer
Core in to the outer space (magnetosphere)
•1 Earth Year = 365/366 Earth Days
•Densest planet in the Solar System

14. Mars
•Fourth planet from the Sun
•Named after Ares, God of War
•Nicknamed as the “Red Planet” due to its reddish color
appearance caused by iron oxide
•Home of the Olympus Mons – the largest volcano and
mountain in the Solar System
•1 Martian Year = 687 Earth Days

15. Mars
•It has soil that contains magnesium, sodium and potassium
•Its atmosphere consists of 96% carbon dioxide and 2% of
argon
•Its temperature is ranging from -143 to 35 degrees Celsius
•Has an Earth-like seasons due to having similar axial tilt
•Has two natural satellites: Phobos and Deimos

16. Jupiter
•Fifth planet from the sun
•It is the largest planet in the solar system
•Named after Zeus, Supreme God and God of Thunder
•1 Jupiter Day = 9 hours 56 m (Earth Day)
1 Jupiter Year = 4,333 Earth Days
•Has an average density of 1,326 𝑔/𝑐𝑚3
, the second
highest density of the Gas Planets (only behind Saturn) but
lower than the 4 terrestrial planets

17. Jupiter
•Composed of 90% hydrogen and 10% helium
•Has the largest planetary atmosphere in the solar system
•Covered with clouds that are composed of ammonium
hydrosulfide (𝑁𝐻4)HS
•Winds in Jupiter roughly averaged around 360 km/h
•It has a magnetic field that is 10-14 times stronger than of
Earth
•Has an axial tilt of 3.13˚

18. Jupiter
•Great Red Spot – discovered by Italian astronomer, Gian
Domineco Cassini in 1665. It is a gigantic storm, about
16,350 kilometers wide, that is twice the size of Earth,
located 22 degrees south of Jupiter’s equator. It rotates
counterclockwise for about 6 Earth Days (14 Jovian Days).
The clouds in this storm is relatively colder than the other
clouds in the planet. Its wind peak reaches around 420 km/h

20. Jupiter
•Moons of Jupiter
•First discovered by Galileo Galilei in January 1610
•Simon Marius – A German astronomer that named the four
major moons of Jupiter (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto).
They named him after the wives of Jupiter (Zeus).
•Has 79 known moons as of July 2018

21. Jupiter
•Callisto – the second largest moon of Jupiter and the third
largest moon in the solar system (behind Ganymede and
Saturn’s moon Titan). Its surface is considered to be the
oldest and most heavily cratered surface in the solar system.
It is surrounded by an extremely thin atmosphere that
composed of carbon dioxide

22. Jupiter
•Metis – it is the innermost moon of Jupiter. It is smaller than
the 4 giant moons Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. It was
named after Metis, the first wife of Zeus. It was discovered in
1979 by Stephen P. Synnott. It is the fastest moving moon of
Jupiter reaching speeds of 31 km/s

23. Saturn
•Sixth planet from the Sun
•The second largest planet in the solar system after Jupiter
•Named after Cronus, the king of titans and father of Jupiter
(Zeus)
•1 Saturn Day = 10 hours and 42 minutes (Earth Day)
1 Saturn Year = 29 Earth years

24. Saturn
•Consist of 96% hydrogen, 3% helium and 1% other elements
•Has a solid core reaching temperature of 11,700˚C
•Great White Spot – a type of storm that occurs that is
analogous to that of Jupiter but it is short-lived and fainter
•The temperature usually averages around -185˚C
•Has the second fastest wind spot amongst the major
planets, capable of reaching speeds of 1,500 km/h, only
behind the planet Neptune

25. Saturn
•Moons of Saturn
•There are 62 known moons of Saturn, but 53 of them are
formally named or known
•They range from a kilometer in diameter to a planet-like
moon in aspect to size

26. Saturn
•Titan – discovered on March 25, 1655 by Christian
Huygens. It is the largest moon of Saturn and the second
largest in the solar system, only behind Jupiter’s Ganymede.
It is the only object in the solar system with a nitrogen-rich
atmosphere besides Earth
•Rhea – discovered on December 23, 1672 by Giovanni
Cassini. It is the second largest moon of Saturn. Ironically, it
is the second smallest body in the Solar System after Ceres.
Its atmosphere consists of carbon dioxide and oxygen

27. Saturn
•Rings of Saturn
•Most extensive ring system of any planet in the Solar
System
•In 1610, Galileo Galilei became the first person to observe
the rings of Saturn
•Composed of 99% pure water ice
•D Ring – the ringlet system that is known to be the closest to
Saturn

28. Uranus
•Seventh planet from the Sun
•Named after Ouranos, the primordial God
•Discovered by William Herschel on March 13, 1781
•Has an axial tilt of 97.77˚, this gives Uranus an extraordinary
seasonal changes. One part of Uranus faces the Sun around
42 years and the other part experiences winter for 42 years
•It moves in its side
•1 Uranus Day = 17 Hours and 14 Minutes (Earth Hour)
1 Uranus Year = 84 Earth Years

29. Uranus
• Least massive of all the Gas Giants
• It has a silicate (iron-nickel) core and an icy mantle
• Its core is roughly around 4,000 K (3,727˚C)
• One of the planets called the “Ice Giants” because aside from
hydrogen and helium, Uranus is composed of ammonia, methane
and water
• Has two wind speeds recorded:
Near the Equator: -360 to -180 km/h (blew in reverse direction due
to the planetary motion)
Northern Hemisphere: 540 to 720 km/h

30. Uranus
•Moons of Uranus
•Has 27 known natural satellite or moon
•Titania – it is the largest moon of Uranus; named after
Titania, the queen of fairies in William Shakespeare’s A
Midsummer Night’s Dream. It is composed of water and
carbon dioxide. Its core occupies 66% of the volume of
Titania

31. Uranus
•Moons of Uranus
•Has 27 known natural satellite or moon
•Titania – it is the largest moon of Uranus; named after
Titania, the queen of fairies in William Shakespeare’s A
Midsummer Night’s Dream. It is composed of water and
carbon dioxide. Its core occupies 66% of the volume of
Titania

32. Neptune
•Farthest major planet in the solar system
•Named after Poseidon, God of the Seas
•Discovered by Jean Joseph Le Verrier on September 23,
1846
•Also called as the Densest Gas Giant planet
•One of the two Ice Giant Planets, the other one is Uranus

33. Neptune
•1 Neptune Day = 16 hours and 6 minutes (Earth Day)
1 Neptune Year = 165 Earth Years
•Its atmosphere consists of 80% hydrogen, 19% helium and
other elements
•Dubbed as the “windiest planet” because the wind speed
reaches an average of 2,200 km/h and it moves opposite the
rotation of Neptune
•Has an axial tilt of 28.32˚

34. Neptune
•Great Dark Spot – one of the series of dark spots in
Neptune. It was discovered in 1989 by NASA’s Voyager 2.
Its diameter is about the size of Earth and winds reaching
speed of 2,400 km/h. It is similar to the Great Red Spot of
Jupiter.

35. Neptune
•Moons of Neptune
•Has 14 known moons that are usually named after Greek
Water minor deities
•Triton – the largest moon of Neptune and was discovered by
William Lassell on October 20, 1846. It is the only moon in
the solar system to move in a retrograde motion. Its
atmosphere consists of nitrogen.

36. The Minor Planets in
the Solar System

37. The Minor Planets
•Also called as “dwarf planets” and with an exception to
Ceres, the other dwarf planets are called “trans-Neptunian
objects”
•They are planet-like objects that is in direct object of a star
and is massive enough for its gravity to compress it into a
hydrostatically equilibrious shape but has not cleared the
neighborhood around the orbit

38. Pluto
•Named after Hades, God of the Underworld
•Discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930
•Was recognized a major planet but officially excluded it in
2006 because it didn’t meet the requirements of being a
planet
•The first Kuiper Belt object to be discovered
•Kuiper Belt – a circumstellar disc that extends from the orbit
of Neptune to the outer reach of the Solar System

39. Pluto
•1 Pluto Day = 6 Earth Days
1 Pluto Year = 248 Earth Years
•Has five known moons:
Charon – the largest moon of Pluto. It is about the half of
the size of Pluto
•The surface of Pluto is composed of 98% nitrogen ice
•Its atmosphere consists of methane, nitrogen and carbon
monoxide

40. Eris
•Named after Eris, Greek Goddess of Discord
•Discovered on January 2005 by a team led by Mike Brown
•Most massive dwarf planet in the Solar System
•Ninth largest object to orbit the Sun after the eight major
planets
•Satellite observations identified that the surface of Eris is
similar to Pluto. The surface is composed of methane and
nitrogen ice

41. Ceres
• Named after Demeter, Goddess of Harvest and Fertility
• The first asteroid to be discovered
• Discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi on January 1, 1801
• Largest known asteroid in the asteroid belt - that made IAU
recognized it a dwarf planet
• The highest temperature on Ceres is -35˚C
• Has an internal layer of ocean water under the layer of ice
• In 2017, scientists discovered that Ceres has a transient
atmosphere
Transient = short period of time

42. Objects in the Solar
System

43. Comets
•It is an icy small body of rock and ice that when orbiting
close the sun, it undergoes the process of outgassing. After
this process, it would have a tail due to the interaction with
the solar wind
•Have highly eccentric orbits
•Its nucleus is mainly composed of rock, dust, water ice,
frozen carbon dioxide, methane and ammonia

44. Comets
•Periodic Comets – also called as “short-period comets”;
these are comets that have orbital periods of or less than
200 years
•Long Period Comets – these are comets that have orbital
periods of more than 200 years. They have highly eccentric
orbits.

45. Comets
•Halley’s Comet – named after Edmond Halley, an English
astronomer, geophysicist and mathematician. It is a short-
period comet that is orbiting the sun around 74-79 years. It
orbits the sun in a retrograde motion, meaning it orbits the
sun opposite the planets. It is the only periodic comet that
can be visible on Earth without the aid of a telescope (or in
other words, visible with the naked eyes)

46. Halley’s Comet

47. Asteroids
•Also called as “space rocks”
•Are chunks of rocks that said to be remnants of
planetesimals that never grow into a planet and it orbits the
sun
•According to NASA, the current known asteroid count is
781,344.

48. Asteroids
•Asteroid Belt – a circumstellar disc in the Solar
System located between the orbits of the planets
Mars and Jupiter. Over 200 asteroids have the
size of larger than 100 kilometers

49. Types of Asteroids
•Carbonaceous Asteroids (C-Type Asteroids) –
comprises of 75% of all the asteroids in the asteroid belt.
They are characterized for being extremely dark and
contains water-containing minerals
•Metal Asteroids (M-Type Asteroids) – these are asteroids
that are made of iron-nickel alloy and stone. It also have
water-containing minerals

50. Types of Asteroids
•Silicate-Type Asteroids (S-Type Asteroids) – the second
most common type of asteroids. It is made up of iron and
magnesium silicates. They could be found mostly in the
inner part of the asteroid belt.

51. Asteroids
•Near-Earth Asteroids – They are asteroids that
are near the orbital trajectory of Earth and they-
are short lived because they would be ejected
from the Solar System due to the process called
planetary perturbation. According to NASA, as of
May 2018, there are 18,136 near-earth asteroids

52. Asteroids
•Planetary Perturbation – it is the deviation of
the motion of a celestial object caused either by a
strong gravitational pull or a collision.