The planets and the moons in the solar system are different in terms of geological activity, composition, interior structure, magnetic field, and atmosphere. Giant planets and terrestrial planets are substantially different. Giant planets are composed mostly of hydrogen, helium, and water. Giant planets do not typically have solid surfaces. All four of the jovian planets have atmospheres. The atmospheres get progressively cooler with increasing distance from the sun. These planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. Terrestrial planets have a compact, rocky surface. Terrestrial planets are composed of minerals with high melting points. The silicates form their solid crusts and semi-liquid mantles. Metal such as iron and nickel form their …show more content…
Learning about other worlds can in turn help us learn about our own world. We can study how other worlds survive and if it is possible for humans to survive on another planet. If the Earth was doomed and we had to find another planet to live on in a short amount of time it would be incredibly difficult if we had never ventured out and studied other worlds. By studying other worlds we are preparing ourselves and our future children for any possible catastrophe. It is better to be prepared then not prepared at all. I believe the benefits outweigh the overall costs because knowing about other worlds is incredibly important. If there is life on another planet we want to make peace with them but we also want to be the ones to discover them first. We do not want to be discovered by another world and have a possible disaster. Studying other worlds is our way of staying prepared and knowing what is out there. However, I think landers and robotic spacecrafts are definitely a better option instead of manned spacecrafts. My reasoning behind this is because of safety. The amount of failed space missions and loss of life, time and money is not worth it. Having the landers and robotic spacecrafts are efficient and safe. We can always send astronauts out if we truly feel it is necessary but this should only happen on rare
The majority of people have a very basic understanding of Earth, the planet we reside in, let alone the seven other planets in our solar system. The eight planets surrounding our star, the Sun, are separated into two very simple categories: Jovian and Terrestrial Planets. Throughout this paper, I will be explaining the basic structure and properties of the eight planets in our solar system, along with a brief history on the discovery of our solar system and what’s to come in the future. I will also go in depth into the difference between the Jovian Planets and the Terrestrial Planets, from the basic differences to the different structures and properties.
Whether it is a full moon, a waxing crescent, or a new moon, many wonder what is out there. If there is more to the universe, than just Earth. The Moons of Jupiter are an unknown topic to many, and there are many interesting facts about it. Galileo Galilei, born in 1564 played a huge role in most of the science we know today, and it is because of him we are beginning to understand the moons of Jupiter. All these moons of Jupiter’s have their own reason as to which they stand out why. All in all, even though the moons of Jupiter’s are unknown to many, it is an important piece to connecting the puzzle in our universe.
Neptune is one of the eight planets in our solar system. It was named after the Roman god of the sea. It was discovered on September 23rd 1847 by Heinrich D'Arrest and Johann Galle. No one before this time knew that Neptune existed, because Neptune is invisible to the naked eye. Neptune is known as an ice giant, but is the smaller than the other ice giant, Uranus. Neptune is the farthest planet from the sun at about 2.8 billion miles away, therefore making it the coldest planet. Neptune is the most dense out of all of the other planets in our solar system. It takes about one hundred and sixty five years for neptune to orbit the sun. Since Neptune does not have a solid surface, the lengths of days are different in different parts of Neptune.
The atmosphere on Neptune is made out methane, hydrogen sulfide and water. The temperature on Neptune is 49K or 328°F. If you lived on Neptune (which you can?t!) you would boil. Neptune has four rings. Two of them are hard to see and are faded, Neptune?s rings are made out of dust.
On the other hand, Pluto is larger than the other 40 known moons in the solar system. There is no scientific reason to arbitrarily distinguish between planets and asteroids based on the sizes of the moons that happen to be present in a planetary system.... ... middle of paper ... ... 78, No. 1, pp. 113-117.
Learning about another unknown planet seems interesting, especially when others may not know about the existence of anything other than the planet in which they live in. Sending valuable information aboard a spaceship onto outer space can help decipher how another planet looks like and if it there is a sign existence of life. If a spaceship from Earth sent materials over to another planet, such materials can give another person or “creature” an idea of where they came from. Those materials would contribute to the unmasking of the planet Earth would be, a human being, a smartphone, and a journal. The three elements would be a representation of the existence of planet Earth, its technological advancements, and as well as detailed information about Earth and its inhabitants.
Core/Interior: The Earth has three layers to it's interior, the inner core, outer core, and mantle. Of these the outer core is thought to be liquid. Like most of the terrestrial planets at birth, the Earth has been molten and undergone some differentiation allowing the heavy material which is consisting mostly of an iron, nickel, and cobalt core making it's density five and a half times the density of water.
The gas giants are a collection of planets in our solar system. As can be told from their name, they are mostly composed of differing mixtures of gases and ices. The gas and ice composition in question varies among the different planets. This mix of gases gives much of the planets an extremely thick atmosphere. At the very center of a gas giant is a core of liquid heavy metals. The gas giants are also called Jovian planets, taken from the largest planet in our solar system: Jupiter. Due to the fact the the majority of a gas giant planet is gas, the planet isn’t very dense and therefore, very large as a result. In fact, all of the gas giants are vastly larger than all of the terrestrial planets. Another common factor of the gas giants are their large amount of moons. The terrestrial planet, Mars, has the largest amount of moons, 2. The amount of moons of Mars is dwarfed in comparison to Saturn’s and Jupiter’s moo...
It has always been a part of human nature for a man or woman to be curious of their surroundings. First it was what is beyond those mountains; then what is beyond that ocean, then the sky, under the sea, and in the 50s, 60s, and 70s it was space and the moon. Our ancestors and the early civilizations were strongly focused on explorations and expansion. Even notable historical figures were primarily focused to either expand their empire for increased power and fame like Julius Caesar, or to explore new lands for rich booty or possible colonization like Eric the Red. We are doing nothing out of the ordinary by wanting to explore the vast expanse of space first hand. We are curious what is out there. Is there life? Is there a world out there that can sustain human life? As curious beings, we must at least try to answer these questions. If not for man taking personal initiative to answer the question left before him, we would not have a Columbus or Lewis and Clark. Manned space flights instead of robotic crews bring this human element of curiosity to the table.
Mankind has always been fascinated with exploring the unknown. From sailing to distant lands to someday setting foot on other planets, the spirit of exploration is the same. Bur now with the current economic situation and the high cost of sending people to space, NASA is being looked at as a way to free up some much needed funds. Although, there is many problems here on planet Earth that need addressing, the benefits of space exploration far out weight the disadvantages. Space exploration has given us more advanced technology, advances in the medical field, and a boost to the economy and these facts cannot be disputed.
Since the beginning of time, mankind has sought after learning about and exploring the universe. This yearning drove us to achieve such great things as the journey to the moon and the discovery of water on Mars. Nowadays, several people argue as to whether or not space exploration is worth the effort. I believe that it is humanity’s instinctual nature to pursue a better understanding of ourselves, and our universe. Further understanding of our universe will lead to the discovery of new technologies and ways to secure humanity’s survivability.
Some may think exploring outer space is simply a human’s curiosity. This is true but on the contrary, people explore to learn about things they may have never known and touch on the essence of the creation of the universe. Another reason for exploring this uncharted area is the technological advancements people have made and immense amount of innovation they have achieved in this field (Wood). Lastly, scientists study the other planets just in case one day humans need to relocate after overwhelming damage has been done to Earth. Suffice to say, it is a vital part of today’s day and age to research outer space (Rothery).
Our solar system has eight planets, their moons and satellites, and they are all orbiting the Sun. The eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto used to be the ninth planet but IAU changed the definition of planet and Pluto did not meet the standards so it is now a Dwarf planet.
Earth system refers to the earths interacting physical, biological, and chemical processes. The system consists of land, oceans, atmosphere and poles. The earth system has four spheres, including the geosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere. The geosphere refers to the solid parts of the earth system, including earth’s rocky crust, mantle, and the metallic core. Within the geosphere is the lithosphere, which only refers to the uppermost layers of solid earth. The uppermost layers of solid earth are the oceanic and continental crust rocks. Just below the crust is the mantle, which is composed mostly of magnesium and iron silicate minerals. The mantle accounts for about 2/3 of the