Universe At A Glance

Universe At A Glance

Sun • The Sun is a star that is in the center of the Solar SystemSun • The Sun is recognized as having the largest mass in our Solar System. • It has a diameter of about 1,392,684 km, about 109 times that of Earth • The sun is the closest star to Earth, at a mean distance from our planet of 149.60 million km • Sun fuses 620 million metric tons of hydrogen each second. • At the core, the temperature is about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15 million degrees Celsius) • In February 1974, Skylab was the first manned spacecraft to study the Sun. • Solar flares occur when magnetic fields of the Sun come together and cause huge explosions on the Sun’s surface. • Solar flares produce bursts of electromagnetic radiation, x-rays, ultraviolet radiation, visible light, and radio waves. Mercury • Mercury is the closest and second smallest in the Solar System. • Mercury is the second densest planet after Earth.Mecury • The only visit to Mercury was a flyby made by the Mariner 10 spacecraft in 1974. • Mercury speeds around the sun every 88 days, traveling through space at nearly 50 km (31 miles) per second • Galileo first observed Mercury during the 17th century.     Venus • Venus is the second closest and sixth largest planet in the Solar SystemVenus • The orbital speed of Venus is 35 km per second. • Venus is the hottest planet in the Solar System. • Venus appears to be the brightest planet in the sky. • It takes 244.7 days for Venus to rotate on its axis. • The first robotic space probe mission to Venus, and the first to any planet, began on 12 February 1961, with the launch of the Venera 1 probe. Earth • Earth formed approximately 4.54 billion years ago, and life appeared on its surface within one billion years. • The Earth is the densest planet in the Solar System. Earth • Earth is the fifth largest planet in the Solar System. • The Diameter of the Earth is 12,756 km (7,926 miles) • The earth’s orbital speed is 29.8 km per second. • Earth atmosphere consists of 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen and 1 percent other ingredients.. • Earth rotates about its own axis 366.26 times, creating 365.26 solar days Moon • The Moon is Earth’s lone natural satellite. • In 1610, Galileo Galilei is the first to use a telescope to make scientific observations of the Moon. • The Moon is the fifth largest satellite in our Solar System.Moon • The Moon’s diameter is 2160 miles (3476 km) • Average distance between the Earth and the Moon is about 239,000 miles. Actual distance varies from 221,457 to 252,712 miles. • The Moon’s gravity is 1/6 that of Earth. • The Moon does not have an atmosphere; there is no wind on the Moon. • Apollo 11 was the American space mission to first reach and land on the moon. • The first human landing on the Moon was on 20 July 1969. • The Moon orbits around the Earth every 29 days. Mars • Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second smallest planet in the Solar System. • iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance, often described as " Red Planet" • A Mars year is equal to 686.98 Earth DaysMars • A day in Mars is equal to 24.6 Earth Hours • Like Earth, Mars experiences seasons because of the tilt of its rotational axis • Asaph Hall discovered both of Mars’ moons, Phobos and Deimos, in August 1877. • Mariner 4 – first successful flyby mission to Mars. Launched on November 28, 1964 and arrived at Mars on July 14, 1965. • Viking 1 – Successful orbit and landing on surface of Mars. Launched August 20, 1975 and arrived at Mars July 20, 1976. Jupiter • Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is 318 times larger than Earth. • The orbital speed of Jupiter is 13.1 km/secJupitar • A year on Jupiter is equal to 11.9 Earth Years • Jupiter has 67 natural satellites.[105] Of these, 51 are less than 10 kilometres in diameter and have only been discovered since 1975. • Galileo Galilei had discovered Jupiter's four largest moons, now called Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. These four moons are known today as the Galilean satellites. • In 1610, Galileo Galilei makes the first detailed observations of Jupiter. • Jupiter's moon Ganymede is the biggest satellite in solar system • Jupiter has rings, the third planet discovered to have a ring system in our Solar System. • Jupiter’s rings are identified as: Halo ring, Main ring, Amalthea gossamer ring, and Thebe gossamer ring. • Jupiter’s rings were discovered by Voyager 1 in 1979. Saturn • Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest. • Saturn has 62 known moons, fifty-three have been named. Most of them are small in size. • Names of some of Saturn’s moons: the largest is Titan, discovered in 1655; Tethys, Dione, Rhea, & Iapetus, discovered from 1671 to 1672; Mimas & Enceladus, discovered in 1789; and Hyperion, discovered in 1848. • A year on Saturn is equal to 29.5 Earth YearsSaturn • Pioneer 11 is the first spacecraft to reach Saturn, in 1979 • Saturn has a prominent ring system that consists of nine continuous main rings and three discontinuous arcs, composed mostly of ice particles with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust. Uranus • The orbital speed of Uranus is 6.6 km/secUranus • Uranus takes 84 Earth years to complete one orbit. • Uranus is the third largest planet in the Solar System. • Voyager 2, the only spacecraft to visit Uranus, • A day on Uranus is equal to a little more than 17 hours on Earth. • Uranus has 27 known moons, named for characters from the works of William Shakespeare or Alexander Pope • Uranus was discovered by Sir William Herschel in 1781 Neptune • Neptune is the fourth largest planet and coolest planet in the Solar System. • Neptune was the first planet located through mathematical predictions rather than through regular observations of the sky. • Neptune was discovered by Urbain Le Verrier, John Couch Adams, and Johann Galle on September 23, 1846. • The only spacecraft ever to visit Neptune was Voyager 2 in 1989.Neptune • The magnetic field of Neptune is about 27 times more powerful than that of Earth. • One Neptune year is equal to 164.83 Earth Years • Neptune has six known rings. • In 2011, Neptune completes its first 165-year orbit of the sun since its discovery in 1846. • Neptune has 13 moons, the largest of which is named Triton. The other moons are: Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Galatea, Larissa, Proteus, Nereid, Halimede, Sao, Laomedeia, Neso, and Psamathe. Pluto • Pluto is the smallest planet in the Solar System, now consider as dwarf planet • Pluto is colder than Neptune.Pluto • Pluto’s journey around the Sun takes 248 Earth years. • Pluto is the second most contrast body in the Solar System • Pluto has not yet been visited by a spacecraft. • Pluto has a satellite, Charon, which was discovered (in 1978). The distance between them is 19,640 km (12,200 miles).The other 3 are Nix, Hydra, and newly discovered S/2011 P 1 on July of 2011. • Pluto rotation (a Pluto day) takes 6.4 Earth days, meaning that it has the second slowest rotation in the Solar System after Venus • Pluto was discovered by Tombaugh in 1930