The Distinguishing Features of the Solar System - Case Study Example

Research Paper The Distinguishing Features of the Solar System Table of Contents Introduction Literature review Findings Discussion References Abstract The solar system forms the universe. The solar system is made up of the Sun; 67 satellites within the planets, nine major planets, and several small bodies such as asteroids and comets. The inner part of the system is made up of the Sun and four planets that are; Mars, Mercury, Earth, and Venus. The other five planets make the outer solar system. They are Jupiter, Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus. The orbits of all the planets form paths around the Sun. All the planets’ orbits are almost circular except those of Pluto and Mercury. They are all on the plane. The entire orbits clines at seven degrees from the Sun’s equator plane. Pluto’s orbit is exceptional as it has an inclination of 18 degrees (Fisher, 2010). Introduction The research paper aims at exploring some of the major components of the solar system. The paper gives special preference to the Moon, Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter. It discusses some of their unique characteristics and the origin of their names. The sun forms the heart of the solar system. Neighboring planets of the sun form the terrestrial and rocky worlds. The planets are Venus, Earth, Mercury, and Mars. The other planets are the gas giants; Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn. There is a steroid belt between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. The belt also consists of the dwarf Ceres planet (Grego, 2007). Beyond Neptune, there is a disk-shaped Kuiper belt that carries the dwarf planet Pluto. What is found beyond that is the giant spherical cloud and teardrop-shaped Heliopause. The sun produces a high amount of electromagnetic energy in the form of light and heat. The planets, as well as, the asteroids and satellites revolve around the sun in circular orbits and follow the same direction. The planets revolve in a counter-clockwise direction (Grego, 2007). Literature review Activities concerning astronomy started with the Greeks. Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, was of the view that the earth is positioned at the core of the universe. Ptolemy then proposed a model of how the planets move in the solar system. In 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus published his hypothesis. The hypothesis stated that the sun forms the center of the universe. The church had already adopted Aristotle’s teaching and could, therefore, not believe Nicolaus Copernicus notion. In 1964, after the appearance of a supernova, Galileo developed his first telescope. With it, he saw the Saturn’s ring, moons of Jupiter, the Milky Way, and the phases of Venus. The scientist then published the findings in The Starry Messenger (Meara, 2010). Isaac Newton, in his early 20s, discovered that the gravitational force was responsible for the falling objects on Earth and for the motion of the planets in orbits and the moon. Einstein’s theory of relativity surpassed Newton’s model of gravity. Eintein’s theory was that gravitational force is the response of objects to disturbances in space. For the past years, studies of the solar system continue to get improvements. The improvements are of help to mankind (Meara, 2010). Findings For millennia, various astronomers have had a particular focus on the points of light that seem to make movements among the stars. The early Greeks gave the planets names by referring them as wanderers. Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Venus were recognized in antiquity. The invention of the telescope helped reveal the asteroid belt, Neptune, Pluto, Uranus, and other world’s moons. The beginning of the space age saw various probes launched the system, and it is an adventure that will continue forever. The discovery of several dwarf planets was facilitated by the discovery of the Eris and other advancements in technology. Discussion The sun forms the most crucial component of the solar system. It carries 98% of the solar system’s mass that makes it the biggest object. It is approximated that 1.3 billion earths can fit in the sun. It travels around the galaxy along with other planets and objects that are bind because of gravitational forces. It is part of a hundred billion stars that inhabit the galaxy. It came to existence about four and a half billion years ago. During its formation, hydrogen being most abundant formed three quarters of its original material. Astronomers can measure its chemical composition and, therefore, estimate the initial nebula that the sun formed. Helium forms 78% by weight of the hydrogen in the sun while other elements account for the remaining 20%. They predict that as hydrogen continues to deplete, the sun will swell to engulf the inner planets including the Earth. It will fade to oblivion as it passes out to the white dwarf stage (Sciotti, 2007). The planet Mercury derives its name from the Roman god designated as a messenger. It is the smallest among the other eight planets. It has weak magnetic fields. It has a thin atmosphere of helium derived from the solar wind. Its surface resembles that of the moon. It has craters, valleys, and mountains. Life in Mercury is impossible as there is no atmosphere. Its density compares to that of the Earth although its size is small. It, therefore, suggests that mercury is made up of heavy materials such as Iron (Lang, 2003). Venus got its name from the Roman’s goddess of love. It comes third in terms of brightness behind the Moon and the Sun. Some people believed that life was possible in the planet. Probes have proved it wrong and instead, it has a more hostile environment compared to other planets. It has a hot surface temperature with a crushing atmospheric pressure. The planets rotation differentiates it from other planets. Its rotation makes research think of it as being almost upside down. It may have formed similarly to the Earth as the sun was not bright in the early stages. Later when the sun became brighter than before, its surface temperatures increased and the oceans dried up. The Earth was safe because of its far distance (Lang 2003). Lang (2003), explains that the Earth has the highest density among the inner planets. It is mostly covered with water and has an atmosphere full of nitrogen and oxygen. It is the only planet that has suitable temperatures to support life. It also has a unique feature of a large moon. Mercury and Venus have no moons. Life on Earth would die at the slightest change of its essential conditions such as water. The period of its rotation varies with tidal frictions between the sea floors and oceans. The Moon that is visible from the Earth has been the center of fascination to mankind for ages. One discerns two types of terrain in the moon; one has bright highlands, and the other one has dark plains. The current knowledge concerning the moon supersedes that of other objects apart from Earth. The bright and cratered highlands form the terrain. The meteorites form the basins and craters (Sciotti 2007). According to Fischer (2010), planet Mars comes fourth from the Sun. It is also referred as the Red Planet. With an exception to earth, Mars has the most interesting terrain amongst the planets. It has the highest mountain, the Olympus Mons that rises 24 km above the surrounding terrain. The planet lacks active plate tectonics. It lacks the folded mountains that are typical on earth Jupiter derives its name from the king of Roman gods. Its high density prevents the formation of other planets around it and, as a result, the Asteroid Belt formed on their behalf. It has a magnetic field with a magnitude 20,000 times more than that of the earth. Its magnetic strength has devastating effects on its moons (Sciotti, 2007). Conclusion The solar system remains to be one of the most fascinating subjects of study that one can think of in the science world. It is a very mysterious place. The current generation represents an advantaged group of people that can see the solar system and study its evolution. The research paper has identified the sun and some planets as well as their distinguishing characteristics. The paper will, therefore, accomplish its aim of enhancing the understanding of the components of the solar system. References Fisher, D. G. (2010). The solar system. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press. Grego, P. (2007). Discovering the solar system. North Mankato, MN: QEB Pub.. Lang, K. R. (2003). The Cambridge guide to the solar system. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. Meara, S. J. (2010). Exploring the Solar System with Binoculars. ; A Beginners Guide to the Sun, Moon and Planets.. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Sciotti, P. (2007). Appreciate our solar system: planets, planettes, moons, asteroids, Kuiper belt, comets. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse. Read More