AST 2002 Chapter 6: Chapter 6
Document Summary
6. 1 a brief tour of the solar system. The sun and planets are small compared to the distances between them. Our solar system is not a random collection of worlds. Terrestrial planets: small in mass and size, close to the sun, made of metal and rock, few moons and no rings. Jovian planets: large mass and size, far from the sun, made mostly of h, he, and hydrogen compounds, rings and many moons. The sun is the largest and brightest object in our solar system. Contains more than 99. 8% of the solar system"s total mass. The sun"s surface is not solid, it is a sea of hot hydrogen and helium gas. It has sunspots which appear darker because they are slightly cooler than the rest. The source of sun"s energy is in its core where temp and pressure are highest. The sun"s gravity governs the orbits of the planets and its heat is the primary influence on temperatures of planets.
