ASTRO 1 Chapter 7: 7. Comparative Planetology I: Our Solar System
Document Summary
Out solar system has only one star -- the sun. 7. 1 the solar system has two broad categories of planets: earthlike and jupiterlike. Earth: liquid water & atmosphere that human can breathe. Venus: perpetual cloud layer made of sulfuric acid droplets. Jupiter: immense storm systems that persist for centuries. Impact craters: mercury, venus, earth, mars --> bombarded by interplanetary debris. We can understand the most important similarities and differences among the planets by comparing their orbits, masses, and diameters. Comparing the planets: orbits (size of its orbit) Four inner planets (orbits within 2 au of the sun) Four outer planets (orbits more than 5 au from the sun) All the planets orbit the sun in the same counterclockwise direction. Orbits of the eight planets all lie in nearly the same plane --> orbits are inclined at only slight angles to the plane of the ecliptic. Hard, rocky surfaces with mountains, craters, valleys, and volcanoes.
