Sun Facts, Pictures - Solar System - Universe Pictures

How does the Sun work?

The Sun stays lit by converting hydrogen into helium like a big atomic furnace. As a result, tremendous amount of energy is released.

Scientists can only be study the sun from spacecraft above our atmosphere because the Earth's atmosphere absorbs X-rays and solar X-rays. Such spacecraft include SOHO ( ESA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) and Ulysses.

Why is it important?

The Sun is important because it provides the Earth heat, it creates our daylight by emiting electromagnetic radiation, it allows plants to grow via photosynthesis which in turn absorb carbon dioxide and create oxygen. It is one of the prime ingredidents for most Earth life-forms.

There are exeptions such as an lifeforms which have been found near ultra-hot underwater volcanic vents.

Facts about Our Sun

* The Sun's temperature: 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface and 27,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the center.

* Distance from Earth: 149 million Kms

* The Sun's composition: 70% hydrogen, 28% helium, 1.5% carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, and 0.5% all other elements.

* Size: 870,000 miles in diameter, 109 times larger than the Earth's.

* Average Distance from the Earth: 93,000,000 miles. It takes light 8 and 1/2 minutes to travel from the Sun to the Earth.

Sun's Composition:

The Sun is consists of six parts:

1. The Core is the centre. This is where hydrogen is converted into helium.

2. The Radiation Zone is above the core.

3. The Convection Zone is the outer part of the Sun's interior.

4. The photosphere is above the convection zone and is the part of the Sun that we see.

5. The chromosphere is above the photosphere. During solar eclipses it can be seen when the much brighter photosphere is blocked out by the Moon.

6. The Corona is the outermost layer of the Sun. It is the hottest part of the surface of the Sun. It extends millions of kilometers into space and is a million times fainter than the photosphere. It has temperatures reaching millions of degrees. The corona can be seen only during solar eclipses because it is millions of times fainter than the photosphere. Specially designed scientific instruments called coronagraphs can also observe it.

Did you know?

The Sun is big enough to hold over 1 million Earths.

Many rituals and monuments are devoted to worshipping the Sun and/or marking important times in the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

Warning! Do not look at the Sun directly or you may damage your eyes. This includes telescopes, certain cameras and binoculars.

Pluto Facts, Pictures - Solar System - Universe Pictures

Facts about Planet Pluto

* Diameter: 2324 km (1444 miles).

* Surface composition: Nitrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and water ices

* Average surface temperature: -233ºC (-382ºF)

* Mass: 0.002 (Earth = 1)

* Gravity: 0.07 (Earth = 1)

* Average distance from the Sun: 5.9 billion kilometres.

* Rotation Period: 6.39 Earth days (length of day)

* Orbital period around the sun: 248 Earth years (length of year)

* Rings = 0

* Moons = 1

* Average distance between Pluto and Charon: 19,600 Kms

The Orbit of Planet Pluto

Pluto's orbit from the Sun varies from 4.4 to 7.7 billion kms and for the most of its orbit it is the outer most planet. Between 1979 and 1999 Pluto was actually closer to the Sun than Neptune and the closest approach to the sun (perihelion) was in September 1989.

Due to the changes in orbit in time, Pluto has a unique atmsophere that transforms at various stages of its orbit. As its orbit approaches the Sun, its atmosphere begins to form. The frozen atmosphere melts as it comes closer. As Pluto moves further out its atmsophere will freeze.

Charon Moon

Charon was discovered in 1978. Its diameter is 1212 km (753 miles) which is more than half as wide in size as Pluto and the Pluto-Charon system is like a double planet. Charon orbits Pluto every 6.4 days and has a synchronous orbit (the pair show the same face to each other all the time). To an observer on the planet, Charon appears to be stationary in the sky like a geostationary satellite orbiting the Earth.

Spacecraft

NASA has for at least a decade been planning a fly-by of the solar systems most distant planet. The latest version, called New Horizons will be launched in 2006.

In the mid 1990's NASA began a development of the Pluto-Kuiper Express spacecraft. In mid-September, 2000, however, NASA issued a stop-work order on the project. NASA then began to talk of a plan which would have a probe arrive before 2020 and that would cost less than $500 million (2002 dollars).

As a result Nasa started a competition and it chose a team called New Horizons to build a spacecraft that will study Pluto, Charon and several Kuiper Belt objects during a series of flybys. It will be launched in 2006 and will arrive in 2015.

What was Pluto-Kuiper Express?

NASA was developing a robotic reconnaissance mission to Pluto called Pluto-Kuiper Express. The Pluto mission would have used lightweight advanced-technology hardware components and advanced software technology. The Pluto mission plan called for launch when this technology was ready. It was scheduled for launch in 2004 and to arrive at Pluto in 2012.

Neptune Facts, Pictures - Solar System - Universe Pictures

Neptune has been visited by only one spacecraft, Voyager 2 on Aug 25 1989. It was the last stop in 1989 for the Voyager 2 spacecraft on its grand tour of the solar system.

Recent knowledge has been gained by ground-based telescopes and the Hubble Space Telepscope.

Due to Pluto's eccentric orbit, Neptune at times becomes the most distant planet from the Sun for a few years.

Planet Neptune Facts:

Mass: 17.15 Earth-masses

Number of known satellites: 8

Length of Year: 164.8 Earth-years

Mean Distance from the Sun: 4,500 million kilometers

Mean Orbital Velocity: 5.4 kilometers per second

Length of Day: 16.11 hours, 0.67 Earth-day

Equatorial diameter: 49,500 kilometers

Atmospheric components: 74% hydrogen, 25% helium, 1% methane

Moons of Planet Neptune

Neptune has 8 known moons: Triton, Thalassa, Naiad, Despina, Galatea, Larissa, Proteus and Nereid

Triton has the coldest temperatures in the solar system. Voyager observed geysers.

The Great Dark Spot

Voyager 2 observed the Great Dark Spot. Recent observations made with the Hubble Space Telescope indicate that the Great Dark Spot no longer exists.

Uranus Facts, Pictures - Solar System - Universe Pictures

Facts about Planet Uranus

* Diameter: 51,500 km (32,000 miles)

* Temperature: -197.15 C (-322.87° F)

* Orbit: Takes 84 years to complete an orbit.

* Average Distance: 2,870,972,200 km (1,783,939,400 miles - 19.2 AU) from Sun

* Mass: 8.6849 x 1025 kg

* Moons: 27

* Period of Rotation: 17.24 hours (retrograde: spins backwards compared to most other planets)

The Planet Uranus is the third largest planet in the solar system, is a Gas Giant and is the seventh planet from the sun. Planet Uranus has rings like Planet Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune.

It was discovered by William Herschel on March 13, 1781 and was the first planet discovered in modern times. It is also the first planet discovered with a telescope as opposed to the naked eye.

The Planet Uranus has been visited by the Voyager 2 spacecraft

Atmosphere

Uranus' atmosphere is about 83% hydrogen, 15% helium and 2% methane. There are also traces of water and ammonia. The planet's atmospheric details are very difficult to see in visible light. The methane gas above the cloud layers gives it a blue-green colour.

Name

Johann E. Bode, a German astronomer, named the planet after the Greek god of the sky.

Rotation

Uranus is the only planet in our Solar System to spin on its side. The axis of rotation tilt is 98 degrees. The severe tilt to its rotational axis may have resulted from a great collision long ago.

Surface

Uranus is a 'Gas Giant' with no solid surface. It may have a small, silicate-rich core, but most of its gas consists of water, ammonia and methane. Its surface area is about 8,115,600,000 km2 .

More than 80 percent of the mass of Uranus is contained in an extended liquid core consisting primarily of 'icy' materials (water, methane and ammonia) with higher-density material at depth.

Viewing

If you know where to look, it can occasionally be spotted with the naked eye, however, it can be hard to see due to the similarity of the background stars.

Spacecraft

The only spacecraft to visit Planet Uranus was the Voyager 2 spacecraft in a flyby in 1986. It discovered 10 moons and two rings in addition to studying moons and rings previously seen from Earth.

Moons of Uranus

The Planet Uranus has many moons. Five of largest are Miranda, Titania, Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel. The largest moon is Titania with a radius of only 788.9 km (less than half that of our Moon).

The Titania and Oberon were discovered by William Herschel in 1787. Ariel and Umbriel were discovered by William Lassell in 1851. John Herschel (William Herschel's son) gave the four then known moons their names in 1852. In 1948 Gerard Kuiper discovered the moon Miranda.

Many moons of Uranus have been named for characters in the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.

More Facts on Planet Uranus - Did you know?

Uranus is the farthest planet that can be seen without a telescope.

Escape velocity is 76,640 km/h (47,620 mph)

Saturn Facts, Pictures - Solar System - Universe Pictures

Facts about Planet Saturn

* Diameter: 120,660 km. It is about 10 times larger than our Earth

* Temperature: –178°C

* Distance from Earth: At its closest, Saturn is 1190.4 million km

* Atmosphere: Hydrogen and helium

* Surface: consists of liquid and gas.

* Rotation of its axis: 10 hours, 40 min, 24 sec

* Rotation around the Sun: 29.5 Earth years

It has at least 31 moons. These include Titan, Hyperion, Mimas, Enceladus, Rhea, and Phoebe.

Jupiter Facts, Pictures - Solar System - Universe Pictures

Facts about Planet Jupiter

* Diameter: 85,788 miles the largest planet - more than 12 Earths could line up across it

* Temperature: Range -163° C to >-121° C

* Distance from Sun: Approximately 466 million miles

* Atmosphere: Mostly hydrogen and helium

* Surface: A giant ball of mostly hydrogen and helium

* Rotation of its axis: 9 hours, 55 minutes in Earth time (the length of one rotation)

* Rotation around the Sun: 12 Earth years

* Magnetic Field: Yes

* Number of Moons: 63 moons have been identified Ganymede is the largest moon - it is bigger than both Mercury and Pluto

History

The Italian scientist, Galileo Galilei was the first astronomer to view Jupiter through a telescope. While viewing Jupiter, he observed four satellites orbiting the planet, which lent credence to the Copernican theory that the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun. Previously, many people held to the belief, developed by 2nd century astronomer, Ptolemy, that everything revolved around the Earth. Galileo's discovery was a major step forward for astronomy. Jupiter's satellites are mostly named for his mythological lovers.

In May 2002, astronomers announced an additional 11 moons for Planet Jupiter. All 11 are small bodies with diameters estimated to be between 2 and 4 kms. The moons are inclined, highly elliptical retrograde orbits with an average distance of 21 million kms. from the giant planet. The number of moons now known to orbit Jupiter are 39 and makes it the planet with the most moons.

These discoveries have been possible by a new generation of electronic cameras that can scan wide areas of the sky and detect dim objects, making them very efficient tools to search for small moons.

Jupiter related Spacecraft:

Flights to Jupiter: The United States has sent six space probes to Jupiter: (1) Pioneer 10 (December 1973) (2) Pioneer 11 (December 1974) (3) Voyager 1 (1979) (4) Voyager 2 (1979) (5) Ulysses (February 1992) and (6) Galileo.

In December 1995, NASA's Galileo spacecraft dropped a probe into Jupiter's atmosphere, which collected the first direct measurements of the atmosphere.

Cassini made a flyby in 2000 on its way to Saturn. NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made its flyby in 2007.

Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

In March 1993, astronomers Eugene Shoemaker, Carolyn Shoemaker, and David H. Levy discovered a comet near Jupiter.

Astronomers witnessed a spectacular event when 21 fragments of a comet named Shoemaker-Levy 9 crashed into Jupiter's atmosphere. The impacts caused tremendous explosions, some scattering debris over areas larger than the diameter of Earth.

Rings

Jupiter has three thin rings around its equator. They are much fainter than the rings of Saturn.

Jupiter can’t ever become a Star

Jupiter is the fastest spinning planet in the Solar System.

Magnetic Field

Jupiter’s magnetic field is 14 times as strong as Earth

You can see Jupiter with your own eyes

Jupiter is usually the fourth brightest object in the sky at night and in our in the Solar System. The three objects that are brighter than Jupiter are the Sun, the Moon and Venus. Occasionally, Mars sometimes appears brighter than Jupiter.

Atmosphere

Approximately ninety percent of the upper atmosphere is hydrogen, and approximately ten percent of the upper atmosphere is helium.

Life

Amazing as it may seem scientists have speculated that life on Jupiter is possible. This would occur beneath the cloud cover where room temperature conditions exist, these lifeforms would be airborne although this theory is thought to be highly speculative.

Gravity

Because of the giant size of Jupiter, the gravity there is 2.4 times more than on Earth. If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would feel like you weighed 240 pounds on Jupiter.

Distance From The Sun

Jupiter is almost 500 million miles from the Sun (483,780,000 miles). Earth is only 93 million miles from the Sun. Even though Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System, this is why it still looks so small.i

Great Red Spot

Great Red Spot is a continual anticyclonic storm. It’s located twenty two degrees south of the equator. The storm alone is actually larger than the planet Earth, or the planet Mercury. According to astronomers, there is evidence that the storm existed on the planet at least since 1831.

Mars Facts & Pictures - Solar System - Universe Pictures

Planet Mars Facts:

Number of Satellites: 2 (Phobos and Deimos)

Rotation Period: 24 hours and 37 minutes

Temperature: -140 to 20 degrees celsius (-220 to 60 fahrenheit)

Length of Year: About 1 Earth-year and ten and a half months

Diameter: 6796 Kms (4223 Miles)

Atmosphere: Mainly Carbon Dioxide

Nasa's Mars Robotic Exploration:

Mars was explored in flybys by Mariner 4, 6 and 7 in the 1960s and by the orbiting Mariner 9 in 1971 before NASA mounted the ambitious Viking mission, which launched two orbiters and two landers to the planet in 1975. The landers found no chemical evidence of life. Mars Pathfinder landed on the planet on July 4, 1997, delivering a mobile robot rover that explored the immediate vicinity. Mars Global Surveyor is creating the highest-resolution map of the planets surface.

Russia/Soviets Mars Robotic Exploration:

Started in the 1960's with the Mars Program. The last endeavour by Russia was Mars 96.

Planet Mars Spacecraft:

Viking 1 & 2: Successful Missions!

Phobos 1 and 2: Failed Phobos Probes

Mars Observer: Failed Mars Probe

Mars 96: Failed to leave Earths orbit

Mars Global Surveyor:

Mars Pathfinder:

Mars Odyssey:

Mars Express: Currently in orbit

Spirit and Opportunity rovers

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter - launched Aug 2005

Mars Phoenix Lander - launch in 2007

Mars Science Laboratory - (new) launch December 2009

Phobos Grunt - Russian 2009

Earth Facts, Pictures - Solar System - Universe Pictures

Facts about Planet Earth

* Diameter: 12,800 km.

* Atmosphere: Mainly nitrogen 78.084% Nitrogen, 20.946% Oxygen. The other small parts include Argon, Carbon Dioxide, Helium, Hydrogen, Methane.

* Natural Satellites: 1 - the Moon

* Earth Year: 365 days (rotation around the sun)

* Earth Day: 24 hours

* Surface: 71% of Earth's surface is covered in water.

* Temperature Range: -69?C to 58?C.

* Age: more than 4.5 billion years old.

* Average Distance from Sun: 149,597,870 km (93 million miles)

* Average distance from Earth to Moon: 384 000 km (238 607 miles). The Moon orbits Earth in 27.3217 days.

* Tilt: 23.45?/font>

* Orbits the Sun: Speed of 107,870 km per hour (67,027 miles) per hour.

* Name: Comes from old English and German.

The Earth consists of a gaseous atmosphere, the hydrosphere (all water on Earth), the lithosphere, mantle, and core. Water in the form of the oceans covers approximately 70% of the earth's surface. The remaining 30% is land. There are five contientnts: Eurasia (Europe and Asia), America (North and South Amererica), Africa, Antaractica and Australia.

The following are some interesting facts:

1. Mount Everest is the highest point on the surface.

2. The largest volcano on earth is Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii.

3. The longest river is the Nile River in Africa is 6,695 kilometers (4,160 miles) long.

4. The driest place on Earth is the Atacama Desert in Chile.

5. Grand Canyon is the world's largest canyon.

6. Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world by size and volume. It is located between southeast Europe and west Asia.

7. The Sahara Desert in northern Africa is the world’s largest desert.

8. The world’s deepest lake is Lake Baikal in the south central part of Siberia is 5,712 feet (1.7 kilometers) deep.

9. Greenland is the world’s largest island. Note: Australia is a continent.

10. Coldest temperature was minus 89.2 °C (-128.5?F) in Vostok, Antarctica, 1983. The highest temperature was 58°C (136.4?F) at Al'Aziziyah, Libya, on 13th September 1922.

How many Man-Made Satellites are Orbiting the Earth?

The Goddard Space Flight Center's lists 2,271 satellites currently in orbit. Russia has the most satellites currently in orbit, with 1,324 satellites, followed by the U.S. with 658. through this web site you will find info on earth realted satellites and space-ships (spacecraft).

Man-made Structure Visible from Space

The Only Man-made Structure Visible from Space is the Great Wall of China It stretches over 6,000 kilometers (nearly 4,000 miles). It is truly awesome.

If you want to see pictures of the Great Wall from the ground check the following web address: http://paulmcohen.com/greatwal.htm

Light Pollution

The world's first anti-light pollution law "the Protection of the Atmosphere Act" became law in the Czech Republic on February 27th, 2002.

Did you know?

- Earth's axis is tilted 23.45? This creates the seasons because Earth's surface changes its position relative to the Sun and hence the amount of heat delivered to the surface.

- There is no official flag of the Earth.

- The daily rotation of the Earth causes the day and night.

- The Earth is wider at the equator than from pole to pole

Venus Facts, Pictures - Solar System - Universe Pictures

Facts about Planet Venus

* Diameter: 12,100 km. It is about 1040km smaller in diameter than Earth

* Temperature: Ranges from 900F+/- 50F (about 500°C +/- 32°C) at the surface

* Distance from Earth: At its closest, Venus is 41,840,000 km away

* Atmosphere: Carbon dioxide (95%), nitrogen, sulfuric acid, and traces of other elements

* Surface: A rocky, dusty, waterless expanse of mountains, canyons, and plains, with a 200-mile river of hardened lava

* Rotation of its axis: 243 Earth days (1 Venusian Day)

* Rotation around the Sun: 225 Earth days

* Magnetic Field: No

Venus is the brightest object in the sky besides our Sun and the Moon. It is also known as the morning star because at sunrise it appears in the east and and evening star as it appears at sunset when it is in the west. It cannot be seen in the middle of the night.

A Venusian day is 243 Earth days and is longer than its year of 225 days. Oddly, Venus rotates from east to west (retrograde - opposite to that of earth). If you were on Venus, the Sun would rise in the west and set in the east.

Venus and Earth are close together in space and similar in size, which is the reason Venus is called Earth's sister planet.

Mercury Pictures - Solar System - Universe Pictures

Facts about Planet Mercury

* Diameter: 4,878km (3,032 miles) at its equator, which is about two-fifths of Earth's diameter.

* Temperature: ?

* Orbit: 57,910,000 km (0.38 AU) from Sun. Orbiting the Sun once every 88 days.

* Average Distance: About 58 million km (36 million miles)

* Time to Rotate: 58.6 days

* Mass: 3.30e23 kg (5.5% of Earth's)

* Moons: 0

* Period of Rotation: 58.6462 days.

Orbit

Mercury has a very elliptical (oval-shaped) orbit. At perihelion (at its closest point) it is about 46 million km (28.58 million miles) from the Sun, but at aphelion (at its farthest point) it is 70 million km. Mercury is about 77.3 million km (48 million miles) from Earth at its closest approach. Mercury is not easily seen from Earth due to its small angular separation from the Sun. Mercury moves around the sun faster than any other planet. Mercury travels about 48 km (30 miles) per second and it takes 88 Earth days to orbit the sun. The Earth goes around the sun once every 365 days (one year).

Rotation

The planet rotates once about every 59 Earth days, a rotation slower than that of any other planet except Venus. As a result of the planet's slow rotation on its axis and rapid movement around the sun, a day on Mercury lasts 176 Earth days (interval between one sunrise and the next).

Composition

Mercury is the second densest major body in the solar system after Planet Earth and its density is slightly less than the Earths. Mercury's smaller mass makes its force of gravity only about a third as strong as that of the Earth. An object that weighs 100 pounds on the Earth would weigh only about 38 pounds on Mercury.

Mercury has a large iron core which is most likely at least partially molten and generates a magnetic field about 1% as strong as that of Earth's. Mercury's interior appears to resemble that of the Earth. Both planets have a rocky layer called a mantle beneath their crust and both planets have an iron core.

Surface

The surface of Mercury consists of cratered terrain and smooth plains and many deep craters similar to those on the moon. The craters formed when meteors or small comets crashed into the planet. The largest known crater is Caloris Basin, with a diameter of 1300 km (800 miles).

Like the other terrestrial planets (Venus, Earth and Mars) Mercury is made mostly of rock and metal. Mercury's surface appears to be much like that of the moon. It reflects approximately 6 percent of the sunlight it receives, about the same as the moon's surface reflects. Like the moon, Mercury is covered by a thin layer of minerals called silicates in the form of tiny particles.

Water

Scans of Mercury made by Earth-based radar indicate that craters at Mercury's poles contain water ice. The floors of the craters are permanently shielded from sunlight, so the temperature never gets high enough to melt the ice.

Temperature

Mercury is a planet of extreme temperature variations. It is hotter on Venus, but with less fluctuations. The temperature on the planet may reach 450 degrees C (840 degrees F) during the day. But at night, the temperature may drop as low as -170 degrees C (-275 degrees F). The sunlight on Mercury’s surface is 6.5 times as intense as it is on Earth due its closeness to the sun.

Atmosphere

Mercury is dry, extremely hot and almost airless. Planet Mercury is too small for its gravity to retain any significant atmosphere over long periods of time. The weak atmosphere contains hydrogen, helium, oxygen, sodium, calcium and potassium.

Due to the heat of the planet, the very thin atmosphere is blasted off its surface by the solar wind and quickly escapes into space. Mercury's atmosphere is constantly being replenished.

Mercury does not have enough atmosphere to slow down meteoroids and burn them up by friction. The sun's rays are approximately seven times as strong on Mercury as they are on the Earth. The sun also appears about 2 1/2 times as large in Mercury's sky as in the Earth's.

Name

The Greeks gave it two names: Apollo for when it appeared as a morning star and Hermes when it came as an evening star.

In Roman mythology Mercury is the god of commerce, travel and thievery, the Roman counterpart of the Greek god Hermes, the messenger of the Gods. The planet probably received this name because it moves so quickly across the sky

Life

The plant and animal life of the Earth could not live on Mercury because of the lack of oxygen and the intense heat. Scientists doubt that the planet has any form of life.

Viewing

Because of Mercury's size and nearness to the sun, the planet is often hard to see from the Earth without a telescope. At certain times of the year, Mercury can be seen low in the western sky just after sunset. At other times, it can be seen low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

Phases

When viewed through a telescope, Mercury can be seen going through ‘changes’ in shape and size. These apparent changes are called phases and resemble those of the moon. They result from different parts of Mercury's sunlit side being visible from the Earth at different times.

History

Mercury has been known since ancient times. Until the mid-1960's, astronomers believed that Mercury rotated once every 88 Earth days, the same time the planet takes to go around the sun. If Mercury did this, one side of the planet would always face the sun and the other side would always be dark. However, radar studies conducted in 1965 showed that the planet rotates once in about 59 days.

The only spacecraft to come close to Mercury was Mariner 10 from 1974 to 1975, which was only able to map 40%–45% of the planet's surface.