PHYSICS - SOLAR SYSTEM

SOLAR SYSTEM
The meaning of solar system is the sun and all other celestial objects ( planets and comets )
which move around the sun. The sun is a stationary object at the centre of the solar system. The
mass of the sun is greater than that of the other celestial objects, thus the celestial objects move
around the sun. Nicolas Copernicus declared the heliocentric theory which stated that the planets
move around the sun. This theory broke the geocentric theory which stated that the planets and the
sun moved around the earth.
The principal component of the Solar System is the Sun, a G2 main-sequence star that
contains 99.86 percent of the system's known mass and dominates it gravitationally. The Sun's four
largest orbiting bodies, the gas giants, account for 99 percent of the remaining mass, with Jupiter
and Saturn together comprising more than 90 percent.
Most large objects in orbit around the Sun lie near the plane of Earth's orbit, known as the
ecliptic. The planets are very close to the ecliptic while comets and Kuiper belt objects are
frequently at significantly greater angles to it. All the planets and most other objects orbit the Sun in
the same direction that the Sun is rotating (counter-clockwise, as viewed from above the Sun's north
pole). There are exceptions, such as Halley's Comet.
The overall structure of the charted regions of the Solar System consists of the Sun, four
relatively small inner planets surrounded by a belt of rocky asteroids, and four gas giants
surrounded by the Kuiper belt of icy objects. Astronomers sometimes informally divide this
structure into separate regions. The inner Solar System includes the four terrestrial planets and the
asteroid belt. The outer Solar System is beyond the asteroids, including the four gas giants. Since
the discovery of the Kuiper belt, the outermost parts of the Solar System are considered a distinct
region consisting of the objects beyond Neptune.
Most of the planets in the Solar System possess secondary systems of their own, being
orbited by planetary objects called natural satellites, or moons (two of which are larger than the
planet Mercury), or, in the case of the four gas giants, by planetary rings; thin bands of tiny particles
that orbit them in unison. Most of the largest natural satellites are in synchronous rotation, with one
face permanently turned toward their parent.
Kepler's laws of planetary motion describe the orbits of objects about the Sun. Following
Kepler's laws, each object travels along an ellipse with the Sun at one focus. Objects closer to the
Sun travel more quickly, as they are more affected by the Sun's gravity. On an elliptical orbit, a
body's distance from the Sun varies over the course of its year. A body's closest approach to the Sun
is called its perihelion, while its most distant point from the Sun is called its aphelion. The orbits of
the planets are nearly circular, but many comets, asteroids and Kuiper belt objects follow highly
elliptical orbits. The positions of the bodies in the Solar System can be predicted using numerical
models.
Due to the vast distances involved, many representations of the Solar System show orbits the
same distance apart. In reality, with a few exceptions, the farther a planet or belt is from the Sun, the
larger the distance between it and the previous orbit. For example, Venus is approximately 0.33
astronomical units (AU) farther out from the Sun than Mercury, while Saturn is 4.3 AU out from
Jupiter, and Neptune lies 10.5 AU out from Uranus. Attempts have been made to determine a
relationship between these orbital distances, but no such theory has been accepted.
A number of Solar System models on Earth attempt to convey the relative scales involved in
the Solar System on human terms. Some models are mechanical called orreries while others
extend across cities or regional areas. The largest such scale model, the Sweden Solar System, uses
the 110-metre Ericsson Globe in Stockholm as its substitute Sun, and, following the scale, Jupiter is
a 7.5 metre sphere at Arlanda International Airport, 40 km away, while the farthest current object,

Sedna, is a 10-cm sphere in Lule, 912 km away.

Range of selected bodies of the Solar System from the middle of the Sun. The left and right
edges of each bar correspond to the perihelion and aphelion of the body, respectively. Long bars
denote hih orbital eccentricity.
Composition
The Sun, which comprises nearly all the matter in the Solar System, is composed of roughly
98% hydrogen and helium. Jupiter and Saturn, which comprise nearly all the remaining matter,
possess atmospheres composed of roughly 99% of those same elements. A composition gradient
exists in the Solar System, created by heat and light pressure from the Sun; those objects closer to
the Sun, which are more affected by heat and light pressure, are composed of elements with high
melting points. Objects farther from the Sun are composed largely of materials with lower melting
points. The boundary in the Solar System beyond which those volatile substances could condense is
known as the frost line, and it lies at roughly 4 AU from the Sun.
The objects of the inner Solar System are composed mostly of rock, the collective name for
compounds with high melting points, such as silicates, iron or nickel, that remained solid under
almost all conditions in the protoplanetary nebula. Jupiter and Saturn are composed mainly of gases,
the astronomical term for materials with extremely low melting points and high vapor pressure such
as molecular hydrogen, helium, and neon, which were always in the gaseous phase in the nebula.
Ices, like water, methane, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, have melting points up to
a few hundred kelvins, while their phase depends on the ambient pressure and temperature. They
can be found as ices, liquids, or gases in various places in the Solar System, while in the nebula they
were either in the solid or gaseous phase. Icy substances comprise the majority of the satellites of
the giant planets, as well as most of Uranus and Neptune (the so-called "ice giants") and the
numerous small objects that lie beyond Neptune's orbit. Together, gases and ices are referred to as
volatiles.
There are 2 type of solar system,
a. The Inner Solar Systems the traditional name for the region comprising the terrestrial planets
and asteroids. Composed mainly of silicates and metals, the objects of the inner Solar
System are relatively close to the Sun, the radius of this entire region is shorter than the
distance between Jupiter and Saturn. The four inner or terrestrial planets have dense, rocky
compositions, few or no moons, and no ring systems. They are composed largely of
refractory minerals, such as the silicates, which form their crusts and mantles, and metals
such as iron and nickel, which form their cores. Three of the four inner planets (Venus, Earth
and Mars) have atmospheres substantial enough to generate weather; all have impact craters
and tectonic surface features such as rift valleys and volcanoes. The term inner planet should
not be confused with inferior planet, which designates those planets that are closer to the
Sun than Earth is Mercury and Venus
b. The outer region of the Solar System is home to the gas giants and their large moons. Many
short-period comets, including the centaurs, also orbit in this region. Due to their greater
distance from the Sun, the solid objects in the outer Solar System contain a higher
proportion of volatiles such as water, ammonia and methane, than the rocky denizens of the
inner Solar System, as the colder temperatures allow these compounds to remain solid. The
four outer planets, or gas giants (sometimes called Jovian planets), collectively make up 99
percent of the mass known to orbit the Sun. Jupiter and Saturn are each many tens of times
the mass of the Earth and consist overwhelmingly of hydrogen and helium; Uranus and
Neptune are far less massive (<20 Earth masses) and possess more ices in their makeup. For
these reasons, some astronomers suggest they belong in their own category, "ice giants". All
four gas giants have rings, although only Saturn's ring system is easily observed from Earth.
The term outer planet should not be confused with superior planet, which designates planets
outside Earth's orbit and thus includes both the outer planets and Mars

THE SUN AND ITS PART

The sun is a flaming ball of gas which emits energy. The sun consists of the layers, i.e. atmosphere,
photosphere, and the suns core.
A.
Solar Atmosphere
The solar atmosphere is the outer part of the sun. It consists of two layers, the outer layer, which is
called the crown ( corona ), and the inner layer, which is called the color layer (chromospheres ).
1.
Corona
We can see the corona during a total solar eclipse in the form of a circle. Corona can also be seen by
using a specially designed telescope which is called the coronagraph. The layer of corona contains a
very thin gas, but its temperature can reach 1,000,000 K. the corona layer has a thickness about 2.5
10^6 km.
2.
Chromosphere
We can also see the chromospheres layer during the total solar eclipse. It emits a weak red light
which is originated from the hydrogen gas with a temperature of 4,000 K. the chromospheres layer
has a thickness of 16,000 km.
B.
Photosphere
The photosphere is a solar disk which covers the core of the sun. Its color is
yellow because it has a temperature range from 5,000C 6,000C. The
thickness of the photosphere layer is 320 km. The sunspots, granules and
faculae are located on the photosphere.
C.
Solar Core
The core of the sun is located at the inner part of the sun. Its temperature can reach 15,000,000 K.
The reaction of nuclear fusion occurs in the core. The core has a spherical form with a radius of
175,000 km.
The space between the core and the photosphere are divided into zones ( not layer ), i.e. the
convection zone and the radiation zone. The convection zone is located beneath the photosphere.
Thermal convection of gas occurs at this zone. If its temperature decreases, the gas will flow to the
upper side, otherwise if its temperature decreases, the gas will flow to the lower side. Heat is
transferred together with the flow of the gas. The thickness of the convection zone can reach 150
km.
The radiation zone is located below the convection zone. At this zone, the energy is
transferred from the core to the outer layer through radiation mechanism.
THE MOON AND ITS PART
The moon is the satellite of the earth. The moon looks very bright because it reflect the
incident sunlight upon it. The orbital period of the moon is 27.3 days. The moon gravitational force
is 1/6 of the earths gravitational force. The surface of the moon that faces the earth is always the
same. The natural phenomena that occur on the moon are sea, mountain, valley and crater. The
moon has no atmosphere because the gravitational force of the moon is too weak to tie up the
atmosphere. As the result, the temperature at the moon surface changes very quickly. We cant hear
any sound at the moon because there is no medium for the propagation of the sound wave. We cant
find any water at the moon either, so it is impossible to find any life there.
The Moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth, and the fifth largest satellite in the Solar
System. It is the largest natural satellite of a planet in the Solar System relative to the size of its
primary, having a quarter the diameter of Earth but only 181 its mass. The Moon is the second
densest satellite after Io, a satellite of Jupiter. It is in synchronous rotation with Earth, always
showing the same face with its near side marked by dark volcanic maria that fill between the bright
ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters. The Moon is the brightest object in the
sky after the Sun, although its surface is actually very dark, with a reflectance similar to that of coal.

Its prominence in the sky and its regular cycle of phases have, since ancient times, made the Moon
an important cultural influence on language, calendars, art and mythology. The Moon's gravitational
influence produces the ocean tides and the minute lengthening of the day. The Moon's current
orbital distance, about thirty times the diameter of the Earth, causes it to appear almost the same
size in the sky as the Sun, allowing it to cover the Sun nearly precisely in total solar eclipses. Moon
Composition: Ar, He, Na, K, H, Rn
The Moon is a differentiated body: it has a geochemically distinct crust, mantle, and core.
The Moon has a solid iron-rich inner core with a radius of 240 kilometers and a fluid outer core
primarily made of liquid iron with a radius of roughly 300 kilometers. Around the core is a partially
molten boundary layer with a radius of about 500 kilometers. This structure is thought to have
developed through the fractional crystallization of a global magma ocean shortly after the Moon's
formation 4.5 billion years ago. Crystallization of this magma ocean would have created a mafic
mantle from the precipitation and sinking of the minerals olivine, clinopyroxene, and
orthopyroxene; after about three-quarters of the magma ocean had crystallised, lower-density
plagioclase minerals could form and float into a crust on top. The final liquids to crystallise would
have been initially sandwiched between the crust and mantle, with a high abundance of
incompatible and heat-producing elements. Consistent with this, geochemical mapping from orbit
shows the crust is mostly anorthosite, and moon rock samples of the flood lavas erupted on the
surface from partial melting in the mantle confirm the mafic mantle composition, which is more
iron rich than that of Earth. Geophysical techniques suggest that the crust is on average ~50 km
thick.
The Moon is the second densest satellite in the Solar System after Io. However, the inner core of the
Moon is small, with a radius of about 350 km or less; this is only ~20% the size of the Moon, in
contrast to the ~50% of most other terrestrial bodies. Its composition is not well constrained, but it
is probably metallic iron alloyed with a small amount of sulphur and nickel; analyses of the Moon's
time-variable rotation indicate that it is at least partly molten.
a. Surface geology
The topography of the Moon has been measured with laser altimetry and stereo image analysis. The
most visible topographic feature is the giant far side South Pole Aitken basin, some 2,240 km in
diameter, the largest crater on the Moon and the largest known crater in the Solar System. At 13 km
deep, its floor is the lowest elevation on the Moon. The highest elevations are found just to its
north-east, and it has been suggested that this area might have been thickened by the oblique
formation impact of South Pole Aitken. Other large impact basins, such as Imbrium, Serenitatis,
Crisium, Smythii, and Orientale, also possess regionally low elevations and elevated rims. The
lunar far side is on average about 1.9 km higher than the near side.
b. Volcanic features
The dark and relatively featureless lunar plains which can clearly be seen with the naked eye are
called maria (Latin for "seas"; singular mare), since they were believed by ancient astronomers to
be filled with water. They are now known to be vast solidified pools of ancient basaltic lava. While
similar to terrestrial basalts, the mare basalts have much higher abundances of iron and are
completely lacking in minerals altered by water. The majority of these lavas erupted or flowed into
the depressions associated with impact basins. Several geologic provinces containing shield
volcanoes and volcanic domes are found within the near side maria.
Maria are found almost exclusively on the near side of the Moon, covering 31% of the surface on
the near side, compared with a few scattered patches on the far side covering only 2%. This is
thought to be due to a concentration of heat-producing elements under the crust on the near side,
seen on geochemical maps obtained by Lunar Prospector's gamma-ray spectrometer, which would
have caused the underlying mantle to heat up, partially melt, rise to the surface and erupt. Most of
the Moon's mare basalts erupted during the Imbrian period, 3.03.5 billion years ago, although
some radiometrically dated samples are as old as 4.2 billion years, and the youngest eruptions, dated
by crater counting, appear to have been only 1.2 billion years ago.
The lighter-coloured regions of the Moon are called terrae, or more commonly highlands, since they

are higher than most maria. They have been radiometrically dated as forming 4.4 billion years ago,
and may represent plagioclase cumulates of the lunar magma ocean. In contrast to the Earth, no
major lunar mountains are believed to have formed as a result of tectonic events.

SOLAR & LUNAR ECLIPSE

An eclipse is one of the most spectacular natural phenomena. Eclipse is caused by the
shadow of the earth or the moon when they are in a straight line. The shadow is divided into two
regions:
a.
The main shadow or the umbra. The umbra forms a cone-shape region of shadow from the
earth or the moon.
b.
The outer shadow or the penumbra.
A lunar eclipse occur when the moon enters the shadow of the earth. The earth is positioned
between the sun and the moon. As the consequence, the sunlight is blocked by the earth, but the
moon is not completely dark, so we still can see it in a faint illumination. A total lunar eclipse occur
when the moon passes through the earths umbra, a partial lunar eclipse occur when the moon
partially crosses the earths umbra and penumbra lunar eclipse occur when the moon enters the
earths penumbra.
A lunar eclipse takes about 6 hours to complete, meanwhile a total lunar eclipse takes only about 1
hour and 40 minutes.
A solar eclipse occur when the moons shadow crosses the earths surface. The moon is located
between the earth and the sun. The solar eclipse takes place at a day time. A partial solar eclipse
occur when the moons penumbra crosses an area on the earths surface which is partially blocked
the sunlight on that area.
The other type of solar eclipse is the annular eclipse. It occur when the length of the umbra cone
does not reach the earths surface, but only the extension of the cone. The area on the surface which
is crossed by the shadow experiences an annular eclipse.

ROTATION AND EARTH REVOLUSION

Besides revolving the sun, earth also turns around on its axis. The rotary motion of earth around its
axis called the earth rotation. It takes 24 hours to complete one rotation or 360 of longitude. The
effects of the earths rotation are:
a.
The sun and the other celestial objects appear to move from the east to the west.
b.
There will be a time difference between the places with different longitude.
c.
The earth surface is divided by latitude and longitude.
The earth revolution is the movement of the earth around the sun. when the earth revolves, the earth
axis is not perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic. The orbital period of the earth is 365 day or one
solar year. The earth has four different position on its orbit:
1.
On March 21th
On March 21 the sun is located exactly at the equator. All places in the earth have the same length
of day time and nightfall. The northern hemisphere will be in spring, and the southern hemisphere
will be in autumn.
2.
On June 21th
On June 21th, the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere are far
from the sun, which is apparently located at 23.5 N latitude. From June 21th to
September 23rd, the southern hemisphere is in winter because it is far from the
sun, meanwhile the northern hemisphere is in summer because it is close the
sun.
3.
On September 23rd
On September 23rd, both the northern hemisphere and the southern

hemisphere are far from the sun, which is apparently located at the equator.
From September 23rd to December 21st,the northern hemisphere is far from the
sun, so it experiences autumn, meanwhile the southern hemisphere is spring
because it is close to the sun.
4.
On December 21st
On December 21st, the sun is apparently located at 23.5oS latitude from
December 21st to March 21st, the southern hemisphere is getting closer to the
sun, thus this region is in summer. On the cuntrary, the northern hemisphere is
in winter because its position is getting farther from the sun
From the explanation above, we can see that the sun seems to move from the
equator (march 21st ) to the 23.5oN latitude ( June 21st ), go back to the equator
(September 23rd) , move again to the 23.5oS latitude (December 22nd), and go
back again to the equator (March 21st). The displacement is called the apparent
motion of the sun.
The effects of the earths revolution are :
a. Changes in season
b. Changes in the length of daytime
c. The apparent motion of the sun
d. The appeareance of different constellations every month

SPECIAL CHARACTERISTIC OF SEVERAL PLANETS

In our solar system there are several planets. The list of eight planets in order of their distance from
the sun started from the closest one is:
a.
Mercury
This planets is the smallest size and it has almost no atmosphere. Its surface is filled with craters
similar to the moons surface. On day time, the temperature at the mercurys surface is so hot that it
can reach 400C but the temperature becomes so cold at night that it can reach -200C
b.
Venus
This planets looks very bright because its surface is covered by a thick atmosphere. Its temperature
at day time can reach 500C. Venus is usually called as the morning star or the evening star because
it shines so brightly in the eastern sky during the sunrise or in the western sky during the sunset.
c.
Earth
Earth is our home planet, the place where we stand on and live. Earth has an atmosphere which
makes the temperature on its possible for presence of life.
d.
Mars
Mars has a rocky surface. It also has ice poles and active volcanoes. The greatest volcano is
Olympus Mountain, which is height of 23,000m high. It is predicted that there used to be a presence
of life at mars.
e.
Jupiter
Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. The diameter of Jupiter is 11 times longer than that
of the earth and its volume is 1,300 times bigger than of that the earth. Its atmosphere consist of
hydrogen and helium. It also has clouds made from ammonia and crystal of ice.
f.
Saturnus
Saturnus is the second biggest planet in our solar system after Jupiter. Its sky is covered by cloud
belts mainly composed of hydrogen. The cloud belts are able to reflect the sunlight very well. The
temperature at Saturns surface is about -170C. Saturn has multiple rings comprise of crystal of ice
with a width of 402,000 km and it thickness of 15 km.
g.
Uranus
Uranus was found by William Herschel in 1781. This planet is covered by thick fog which mainly
composed of methane gas. Its diameter is about four times longer than the earths diameter.

h.
Neptune
The condition at Neptune is almost the same as the condition at Uranus. That is why these planets
are considered as twin planets. The temperature at Neptune surface can reach -120 C

THE EARTH
Earth (or the Earth) is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the
eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets.
It is sometimes referred to as the world, the Blue Planet, or by its Latin name, Terra. Composition of
the Earth 78.08% nitrogen , dry air, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% carbon dioxide, and 1%
water vapor (varies with climate).
Earth formed 4.54 billion years ago, and life appeared on its surface within one billion years.
The planet is home to millions of species, including humans. Earth's biosphere has significantly
altered the atmosphere and other abiotic conditions on the planet, enabling the proliferation of
aerobic organisms as well as the formation of the ozone layer which, together with Earth's magnetic
field, blocks harmful solar radiation, permitting life on land. The physical properties of the Earth, as
well as its geological history and orbit, have allowed life to persist during this period. Estimates on
how much longer the planet will to be able to continue to support life range from a mere 500
million years, to as long as 2.3 billion years.
Earth's outer surface is divided into several rigid segments, or tectonic plates, that migrate
across the surface over periods of many millions of years. About 71% of the surface is covered by
salt water oceans, with the remainder consisting of continents and islands which together have
many lakes and other sources of water that contribute to the hydrosphere. Earth's poles are mostly
covered with solid ice (Antarctic ice sheet) or sea ice (Arctic ice cap). The planet's interior remains
active, with a thick layer of relatively solid mantle, a liquid outer core that generates a magnetic
field, and a solid iron inner core.
Earth interacts with other objects in space, especially the Sun and the Moon. At present,
Earth orbits the Sun once every 366.26 times it rotates about its own axis, which is equal to 365.26
solar days, or one sidereal year. The Earth's axis of rotation is tilted 23.4 away from the
perpendicular of its orbital plane, producing seasonal variations on the planet's surface with a period
of one tropical year (365.24 solar days). Earth's only known natural satellite, the Moon, which
began orbiting it about 4.53 billion years ago, provides ocean tides, stabilizes the axial tilt, and
gradually slows the planet's rotation. Between approximately 3.8 billion and 4.1 billion years ago,
numerous asteroid impacts during the Late Heavy Bombardment caused significant changes to the
greater surface environment.
Both the mineral resources of the planet and the products of the biosphere contribute
resources that are used to support a global human population. These inhabitants are grouped into
about 200 independent sovereign states, which interact through diplomacy, travel, trade, and
military action. Human cultures have developed many views of the planet, including personification
as a deity, a belief in a flat Earth or in the Earth as the center of the universe, and a modern
perspective of the world as an integrated environment that requires stewardship.

COMET, METEOR, SATTELITTE, etc

Beyond the Neptune orbits, far from the sun, there are billions celestial objects in the form of icy
rocks which revolve the sun in an elongated elliptical orbit. Those celestial objects are called
comets. A comets consist of a nucleus, a hydrogen layer, and tail. The nucleus is composed of
carbon compound with very high density. When the icy materials in the comet evaporate, it turns
into gases and forms a certain kind of atmosphere called the coma.

The comets tail (in form of gas) always points away from the sun due to the suns radiation
pressure. A comet is often called as a star with hair.
The orbital period of each comet is different. One of the famous comets is the Comet Halley which
has an orbital period of 76 years. The comets which are originated from the Kuiper belt and Orbit
cloud can have an orbital period from 1 to 30 million years.
A meteoroid is formed from debris or fragment of comets which keep moving in the space.
If a meteoroid reaches the earths surface, then it is keep moving in the space. If a meteoroid
reaches the earth surface then it is called a meteorite. A huge crater named Barringer Crater is
predicted to be the place where a meteor down.
Small celestial objects (smaller than meteoroid) which revolve around the
sun are called asteroid belt is located between Mars and Jupiter. The biggest
asteroid is called Ceres with diameter 1,000km. Jearus asteroid was once
approaching the earths orbit.
Sun: The brightest star of our solar system is sun. The approximate
diameter and mass of sun is approximately 1.392 X 109m and 1.98 X 1030kg
respectively. The sun is 109 times bigger than that of earth.
Earth and sun have an average distance of near about 1.496 X 10 11m. This distance can be
called as1 Astronomical unit. Basically two types of rotations are there one is rotation around some
other body and other is rotation around own axis. For a complete rotation around its axis sun needs
25 days. As we all know it is a ball of heat and gases. So there is no need to explain that the
temperature and pressure inside the sun are extremely high. By conducting experiments the
approximately calculated temperature on the surface of sun is near about 6000k. The light from the
sun reach at the earth surface in near about 8.3 minutes.
Planets: The heavenly body which doesnt have light of its own. These bodies revolve
around the sun. They have the capability to reflect the light of sun that falls on them. Nine planets
are present in our solar system. All of these are rotating in different orbital around the sun and also
on their own axis.
Mercury: The planet nearest to sun is mercury. Its radius and mass are 2410km and 3.35 X
1023 respectively. Time taken by it to complete one revolution around sun is 88 days. Due to high
temperature on the planet no water is present there. Hence occurrence of life on mercury is
impossible.
Venus: The planet present after mercury in sequence is Venus. This planet is similar to that
of earth. Its density, radius, mass etc are approximately similar. Due to its similarities it is also
known as Earths sister. The percent of carbon dioxide on Venus is extremely large as compared to
that of other gases. 95% composition is of Carbon Dioxide and 5% composition is of the other
gases. Force exerting per unit area on Venus is approximately 100 times more than that of earth.
Temperature present on the surface of Venus is also very high as compared to earth. It is near about
450oC. Due to such high temperature the life on Venus is also not possible. It takes about 225 days
to complete its one revolution around the sun. It is also known as morning star. It is called so
because it is the brightest planet in the solar system. It does not have any satellite of its own.
Earth: Starting from the sun and moving towards Pluto it is the third planet. It takes near about
365.25 days to complete one revolution around the sun. After the passage of four years we get a
leap year because the rotation time .25 after four years (.25+.25+.25+.25=1day) becomes 1 .So, one
day is increased after 4 years. In a leap year rather than having 365 days we have 366 days.
Atmospheric conditions are suitable for life thats why we are living on earth. Water is also present
in plenty.
Mars: Planet next to earth is mars. Its radius is about 3400km. It takes near about 1.9 years
to complete its one revolution around the sun. Like Venus carbon dioxide gas is present here in
plenty. But atmosphere is not so thick like other planets. Some patches are present on its surface.
They contract and expand according to the environmental conditions. Mostly expansion can be seen
in winters and contraction can be seen in summers. Its like chameleon which changes color as the

season changes. Yet no life has been founded on mars. Mars is also called as the red planet of the
solar system. Fobos and Dimos are the names of its two moons.
Remaining planets: As we go farther from the sun the atmospheric temperature goes on
decreasing. So, on the other planets the temperature on their surfaces is low. On the remaining
planets most of the poisonous gases like methane, ammonia etc can be found. Due to these
poisonous gases no occurrence of life can be seen there.
Moon: Earth has only one natural satellite i.e. Moon. Moon is present at a distance of near
about 3.84 X 10 5. Radius of moon is about 1740km. Total mass of moon is 7.35 X 10 22. The
gravitational pull of moon is 1/6 then the gravitational pull of earth. Moon completes its one
revolution around the earth in 27.3days. It is also called Radio moon because it has the capability
of emitting of electromagnetic waves in radio wave region. Moon face that is towards earth remains
always the same. Temperature ranges of moon in day time and at night are 110oc and -150oc. Both
water and atmospheric conditions are absent on moons surface. Earlier it was said that there was no
water and atmosphere present on the moons surface. But Scientists have found some evidences of
water molecules on the moons surface. So, we can say that at some later stage their may be the
possibility of life on moons surface. According to the estimations, it is said that age of moon is near
about four billion years.
Asteroids: This is an area also we can say it as a belt between mars and Jupiter in which
large no of bodies having irregular shapes are present. These bodies are called asteroids. These are
large no of rock pieces moving at higher speed between both mars and Jupiter and around the sun.
The largest asteroid is Ceres. It is about 350km.The smallest asteroid of all is having a radius of
near about 50m. It is supposed that these rock pieces are the broken pieces of any large planet,
which were broken due to the string gravitational pull of the planet Jupiter. The asteroids which is
larger in size, completes its one revolution around sun in approximately 4.6 years.
Comets: Comets are heavenly bodies made up of hard and soft rocks mostly covered with
substances that can be changed into vapors easily like water, ice methane etc. Their revolution
around sun is in fixed orbits. When the comets are passing near to the sun they show a long tail
behind them with a bright head. On the other hand when the comets are far from the sun then their
tail disappears.
When the comets came near to sun then due to the extreme hot temperature of sun some of
the material present in the comet gets evaporated. The vapors of comet feel great pressure due to
sun light. The light of the sun also compel them to leave the comet. This process helps in formation
of tail of the comet.
Halley comet completes its one revolution around the sun in 76 years. Last it was seen in the
year 1986. Now it is expected that we will able to see it again in the year 2062.
Meteors: Due to the damage of the comets some small pieces of metals and rocks are
formed. These are called Meteors. But these cases are very rare. As we know that friction is present
in our atmosphere. It is due to the presence of air and the gravitational pull of earth. As the meteors
enter the region of earths gravitational pull these are burnt out due to the friction. When the
meteors catch fire then the bright light is produced. The light produced can be seen easily from the
earths surface. These luminous meteors are called as fire balls or shooting stars. Meteors can be of
any size. Some large meteors, after entering the earths atmosphere did not burn completely. Then
those meteors reach the earths surface in state of stones, iron balls, etc and cause destruction in the
form of large craters.