Universe at a Glance

Published on November 2016 | Categories: Documents | Downloads: 43 | Comments: 0 | Views: 393
of 7
Download PDF   Embed   Report

general knowledge

Comments

Content

Universe at a glance ......
Sun


The Sun is a star that is in the center of the Solar System



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.



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 System


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 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.



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 Days



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.

Jupitar


Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is 318 times

larger than Earth.


The orbital speed of Jupiter is 13.1 km/sec



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 Years



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/sec



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.


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’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

Sponsor Documents

Or use your account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Forgot your password?

Or register your new account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link to create a new password.

Back to log-in

Close