Solar System | Important Facts of Solar System
The Solar System is the
gravitationally bound system of the Sun and the objects that orbit it, either
directly or indirectly.
Our planetary system is named
the “solar” system because our Sun is named Sol, after the Latin word for Sun,
“solis,” and anything related to the Sun we call “solar.” For this reason it is called Solar System.
The largest objects that orbit
the Sun are the eight planets, the remainder being smaller objects, the dwarf
planets and small Solar System bodies. The objects that orbit the Sun indirectly
are the natural satellites in which two are larger than the smallest planet,
Mercury. The planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and
Neptune, dwarf planets such as Pluto, dozens of moons and millions of
asteroids, comets and meteoroids everything bound to Solar System by gravity.
The planetary Solar System we
call our home is located in an outer spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy.
Beyond our own solar system,
there are more planets than stars in night sky. So far, we have discovered
thousands of planetary systems orbiting other stars in the Milky Way, with more
planets being found all the time. Most of the hundreds of billions of stars in
our galaxy are thought to have planets of their own, and the Milky Way is but
one of perhaps 100 billion galaxies in the universe.
|
Characteristics of the
Solar System |
|
|
Age |
4.568
billion years |
|
Location |
Local
Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion, Cygnus Arm, Milky Way |
|
System
mass |
1.0014
Solar masses |
|
Nearest
star |
Proxima
Centauri (4.25 light year) Alpha
Centauri (4.37 light year) |
|
Nearest
known planetary system |
Proxima
Centauri system (4.25 light year) |
|
Planetary system |
|
|
Semi-major
axis of outer known planet (Neptune) |
30.10 AU (4.5
billion. Km; 2.8 billion. Miles) |
|
Distance
to Kuiper cliff |
50 AU |
|
Populations |
|
|
Stars |
1 (Sun) |
|
Known
planets |
8 (Mercury,
Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus & Neptune) |
|
Known
dwarf planets |
2
universally accepted (Pluto &Eris) |
|
Known
natural satellites |
575 (185
planetary 390 minor planetary) |
|
Known
minor planets |
796,354 |
|
Known
comets |
4,143 |
|
Orbit about Galactic Centre |
|
|
Invariable-to-galactic
plane inclination |
60.19°
(ecliptic) |
|
Distance
to Galactic Center |
27,000 ± 1,000 light year |
|
Orbital
speed |
220 km/s
or 136 mps or 7,92,000 Km/h |
|
Orbital
period |
225–250
myr ( Milky way year) |
|
Star related
properties |
|
|
Spectral
type |
G2V |
|
Frost
line |
≈5 AU |
Size and Distance of Solar System
Our solar system extends much
beyond the eight planets that orbit the Sun. The solar system also includes the
Kuiper Belt that lies past Neptune’s orbit. This is a sparsely occupied ring of
icy bodies, almost all smaller than the most popular Kuiper Belt object &
dwarf planet Pluto.
Formation of Solar System
Our solar system formed about
4.5 billion years ago from a dense cloud of interstellar gas and dust. The
cloud collapsed, possibly due to the shockwave of a nearby exploding star,
called a supernova. When this dust cloud collapsed, it formed a solar nebula, a
spinning, swirling disk of material.
At the centre, gravity pulled
more and more material in. Eventually the pressure in the core was so great
that hydrogen atoms began to combine and form helium, releasing a tremendous
amount of energy and our Sun was born. It eventually amassed more than 99 % of
the available matter.
Matter farther out in the disk
was also clumping together. These clumps smashed into one another, forming
larger and larger objects. Some of them grew big enough for their gravity to
shape them into spheres, becoming planets, dwarf planets and large moons. In
other cases, planets did not form, the
asteroid belt is made of bits and pieces of the early solar system that could never
quite come together into a planet. Other smaller leftover pieces became
asteroids, comets, meteoroids, and small, irregular moons.
Structure of Solar System
The order and arrangement of
the planets and other bodies in our solar system is due to the way the solar
system formed. Only rocky material could withstand the heat nearest the Solar
System when it was young. For this reason, the first four planets Mercury,
Venus, Earth and Mars are terrestrial planets. They are small with solid, rocky
surfaces.
Meanwhile, materials we are
used to seeing as ice, liquid or gas settled in the outer regions of the young
solar system. Gravity pulled these materials together, and that is where we
find gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and ice giants Uranus and Neptune.
Potential for Life in Solar System
Our solar system is the only
place we know of that harbors life, but the farther we explore the more we find
potential for life in other places. Both Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s
moon Enceladus have global saltwater oceans under thick, icy shells.
Moons in the Solar System
There are more than 150 known
moons in our solar system and several more awaiting confirmation of discovery.
In the eight planets only Mercury and Venus have no moons. The giant planets
grab the most moons. Jupiter and Saturn have long lead our solar system’s moon
counts. In some ways, the swarms of moons around these worlds resemble mini
versions of our solar system. Pluto, smaller than our own moon, has five moons
in its orbit, including the Charon, a moon so large it makes Pluto wobble. Even
tiny asteroids can have moons.
Ten Important Facts about the Solar System
One of Billions
Our solar system is made up of
a star, eight planets and countless smaller bodies such as dwarf planets,
asteroids and comets.
Meet me in the Orion arm
Our solar system orbits the centre
of the Milky Way Galaxy at about 515,000 mph (828,000 kph). We’re in one of the
galaxy’s four spiral arms.
A long way round
It takes our solar system about
230 million years to complete one orbit around the galactic center.
Spiraling through Space
There are three general kinds
of galaxies: elliptical, spiral and irregular. The Milky Way is a spiral
galaxy.
Terrestrial planets
The first four planets Mercury,
Venus, Earth and Mars are terrestrial planets
Good Atmosphere(s)
Our solar system is a region of
space. It has no atmosphere. But it contains many worlds including Earth with many kinds of atmospheres.
Many Moons
The planets of our solar
system and even some asteroids hold more than 150 moons in their orbits.
Ring Worlds
The four giant planets and at
least one asteroid have rings. None are as spectacular as Saturn’s gorgeous
rings.
Leaving the Cradle
More than 300 robotic
spacecraft have explored destinations beyond Earth orbit, including 24
astronauts who orbited the moon.
Life as we know it
Our solar system is the only
one known to support life. So far, we only know of life on Earth, but we’re
looking for more everywhere we can.
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