Solar System: A Detailed Study for PSC
Dec 2020|🟡Review|8 min read|91 entries
Key Takeaway
Our solar system was formed around 4.6 billion years ago.
Solar System: A Detailed Study for PSC(89)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Classification of Planets in the Solar SystemThe planets in the solar system are classified into two depending on their proximity with the sun & the structure of the planets. They are as follows:Inner Planets / Terrestrial Planets | Mercury, Venus, Earth & Mars |
| Outer Planets / Jovian Planets | Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus & Neptune |
| SunMost abundant gas on Sun | Hydrogen |
| Composition | 73% Hydrogen & 25% Helium |
| Age | Approx. 4.6 billion years |
| Diameter | 1,392,684 km(108 times that of Earth) |
| Surface Temperature | 5,800 kelvins(K)Core Temperature–15,000,000 K(approx. 27 million degrees Fahrenheit).G-Type Main Sequence Star(Dwarf Star) |
| The galaxy to which the Sun belongs | Milky Way |
| Rotation | 27 days |
| The time taken by the sun to complete one revolution around the center of the Milky Way is termed as | Cosmic Year |
| Layers of Sun | The outer layer of the Sun's Atmosphere –Corona(visible during the eclipse) |
| Photosphere | Glowing Surface of Sun |
| Chromosphere | The inner reddish region |
| The energy created by the Sun’s core is | Thermo Nuclear fusion |
| Sunspots | darker regions on the surface of the Sun, follows an 11-year cycle |
| Sunflares | Huge explosions that occur when there is a change in the magnetic fields near the sunspots and produces electromagnetic radiation, x-rays, ultraviolet radiation, visible light, and radio waves |
| The position of the Sun nearest to the earth is known as | Perihelion |
| The position of the Sun farthest from the earth is known as | Aphelion |
| Time taken by Sun's rays to reach Earth | 8 minutes |
| Skylab | First manned spacecraft to study the Sun(February 1974) |
| Rotation | 58.65 days |
| Revolution | 88 days |
| Space Missions | Mariner 10(1970), Messenger(2004), BepiColombo |
| VenusEpithets | Morning Star, Evening Star, Lucifer, Sun's Pet & Earth's Twin |
| Space Missions | Mariner 2, Venera 7, Magellan, Akatsuki(Japan)etcThe first robotic space probe mission to Venus, and the first to any other planet–Venera 1 |
| EarthEpithets | Blue Planet, Watery Planet |
| Mass of the Earth | 5.98 x 1024 kg |
| Diameter | 12,756 km |
| Orbital Speed | 29.8 km/sec |
| Escape Velocity | 11,200 m/s |
| The time taken by the sunlight to reach the Earth | 8 minutes 18 seconds |
| MarsEpithets | Red Planet, Fossil Planet |
| Rotation | 24 hours 37 minutes 30 seconds |
| Revolution | 687 days |
| Largest known Volcano in the Solar System | Olympus Mons (22km) |
| Tallest Mountain in the Solar System | Olympus Mons (22km) |
| Moons/Satellites | Phobos(meaning fear)&Deimos(meaning terror) |
| Discovered by | Asaph Hall(1877) |
| Space Missions | Viking-1 |
| Epithet | Lord of Heavens |
| Rotation | 9 hours 50 minutes 30 seconds |
| Revolution | 12 years |
| Orbital speed | 13.1 km/sec |
| Giant Storm | Great Red Spot |
| Jupiter’s rings are identified as | Halo ring, Main ring, Amalthea gossamer ring & Thebe gossamer ring |
| Moons/Satellites | 79(Europa, Callisto, Ganymede, etc) |
| Ganymede | Largest satellite in the solar system |
| Satellites discovered by Gallileo(1610) | Europa, Callisto, Ganymede & lo |
| Space Missions | Pioneer 10 |
| First spacecraft to visit Jupiter | Pioneer 10(March 1972) |
| SaturnEpithet | The Ringed Planet |
| Discovered by | Galileo Galilei(1610) |
| Rotation | 10 hours 14 minutes |
| Revolution | 30 years |
| Moons/Satellites | 82(Titan, Rhea, Enceladus, Phoebe, etc) |
| Titan | Biggest Satellite of Saturn,– discovered byChristiaan Huygens(1655) |
| Space Missions | Pioneer 11, Voyager 1 & 2 & the Cassini-Huygen |
| Pioneer 11 | First spacecraft to reach Saturn(1979) |
| UranusEpithet | The Ice Giant,Rolling Planet & Lying Planet |
| Rotation | 16 hours |
| Revolution | 34 years |
| Orbital speed | 6.6 km/sec |
| Moons/Satellites | 27(Titania, Oberon, Ariel, etc) |
| Space Missions | Voyager 2 |
| The Windiest Planet because of raging dense, methane-rich cloudsStorm | Small Dark Spot / Dark Spot 2 / The Wizard's Eye |
| Rotation | 18 hours |
| Revolution | 165 years |
| Moons/Satellites | 14(Triton – largest, Neso, Proteus, etc) |
| Space Missions | Voyager 2(1989) |
| Other Celestial BodiesPlutoDiscovered by | Tombaugh(1930) |
| Rotation | 6.4 days, second slowest rotation in the Solar System after Venus |
| Revolution | 248 Earth years |
| Moons/Satellites | 5(Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos & Hydra) |
| Charon | Largest.– discovered by James Christy(1978) |
| Diameter | 2160 miles(3476 km) |
| Distance to Earth | 384,400 km |
| Rotation | 27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes & 11.47 seconds |
| Revolution | 27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes & 11.47 seconds |
| Blue Moon | Two full Moons in the same month |
| First person to make use of a telescope for lunar observation | Galileo Galilei(1610) |
| First Man to Land on Moon | Neil Armstrong(July 20, 1969, Apollo 11) |
| The term 'Asteroid' was coined by | William Herschel |
| Ceres | Largest Asteroid |
| Brightest asteroid visible from Earth | Vesta |
| Asteroids with Moons | 243 Ida, 45 Eugenia, 617 Patroclus, 1999 KW4, etc |
| First Asteroid with Moon observed was | 243 Ida(1993) |
| MeteorsEpithet | Shooting Star, Falling Star |
| Kuiper BeltSimilar to the asteroid belt, beyond the terrestrial planets there is the Edgeworth | Kuiper belt. It is 20 times wider and 200 times massive than the asteroid belt. Pluto and the other dwarf planets are present in the Kuiper belt* |
| Dwarf Planets | Haumea, Ceres, Eris, Makemake & Pluto |
Classification of Planets in the Solar SystemThe planets in the solar system are classified into two depending on their proximity with the sun & the structure of the planets. They are as follows:Inner Planets / Terrestrial Planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth & Mars
Outer Planets / Jovian Planets
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus & Neptune
SunMost abundant gas on Sun
Hydrogen
Composition
73% Hydrogen & 25% Helium
Age
Approx. 4.6 billion years
Diameter
1,392,684 km(108 times that of Earth)
Surface Temperature
5,800 kelvins(K)Core Temperature–15,000,000 K(approx. 27 million degrees Fahrenheit).G-Type Main Sequence Star(Dwarf Star)
The galaxy to which the Sun belongs
Milky Way
Rotation
27 days
The time taken by the sun to complete one revolution around the center of the Milky Way is termed as
Cosmic Year
Layers of Sun
The outer layer of the Sun's Atmosphere –Corona(visible during the eclipse)
Photosphere
Glowing Surface of Sun
Chromosphere
The inner reddish region
The energy created by the Sun’s core is
Thermo Nuclear fusion
Sunspots
darker regions on the surface of the Sun, follows an 11-year cycle
Sunflares
Huge explosions that occur when there is a change in the magnetic fields near the sunspots and produces electromagnetic radiation, x-rays, ultraviolet radiation, visible light, and radio waves
The position of the Sun nearest to the earth is known as
Perihelion
The position of the Sun farthest from the earth is known as
Aphelion
Time taken by Sun's rays to reach Earth
8 minutes
Skylab
First manned spacecraft to study the Sun(February 1974)
Rotation
58.65 days
Revolution
88 days
Space Missions
Mariner 10(1970), Messenger(2004), BepiColombo
VenusEpithets
Morning Star, Evening Star, Lucifer, Sun's Pet & Earth's Twin
Space Missions
Mariner 2, Venera 7, Magellan, Akatsuki(Japan)etcThe first robotic space probe mission to Venus, and the first to any other planet–Venera 1
EarthEpithets
Blue Planet, Watery Planet
Mass of the Earth
5.98 x 1024 kg
Diameter
12,756 km
Orbital Speed
29.8 km/sec
Escape Velocity
11,200 m/s
The time taken by the sunlight to reach the Earth
8 minutes 18 seconds
MarsEpithets
Red Planet, Fossil Planet
Rotation
24 hours 37 minutes 30 seconds
Revolution
687 days
Largest known Volcano in the Solar System
Olympus Mons (22km)
Tallest Mountain in the Solar System
Olympus Mons (22km)
Moons/Satellites
Phobos(meaning fear)&Deimos(meaning terror)
Discovered by
Asaph Hall(1877)
Space Missions
Viking-1
Epithet
Lord of Heavens
Rotation
9 hours 50 minutes 30 seconds
Revolution
12 years
Orbital speed
13.1 km/sec
Giant Storm
Great Red Spot
Jupiter’s rings are identified as
Halo ring, Main ring, Amalthea gossamer ring & Thebe gossamer ring
Moons/Satellites
79(Europa, Callisto, Ganymede, etc)
Ganymede
Largest satellite in the solar system
Satellites discovered by Gallileo(1610)
Europa, Callisto, Ganymede & lo
Space Missions
Pioneer 10
First spacecraft to visit Jupiter
Pioneer 10(March 1972)
SaturnEpithet
The Ringed Planet
Discovered by
Galileo Galilei(1610)
Rotation
10 hours 14 minutes
Revolution
30 years
Moons/Satellites
82(Titan, Rhea, Enceladus, Phoebe, etc)
Titan
Biggest Satellite of Saturn,– discovered byChristiaan Huygens(1655)
Space Missions
Pioneer 11, Voyager 1 & 2 & the Cassini-Huygen
Pioneer 11
First spacecraft to reach Saturn(1979)
UranusEpithet
The Ice Giant,Rolling Planet & Lying Planet
Rotation
16 hours
Revolution
34 years
Orbital speed
6.6 km/sec
Moons/Satellites
27(Titania, Oberon, Ariel, etc)
Space Missions
Voyager 2
The Windiest Planet because of raging dense, methane-rich cloudsStorm
Small Dark Spot / Dark Spot 2 / The Wizard's Eye
Rotation
18 hours
Revolution
165 years
Moons/Satellites
14(Triton – largest, Neso, Proteus, etc)
Space Missions
Voyager 2(1989)
Other Celestial BodiesPlutoDiscovered by
Tombaugh(1930)
Rotation
6.4 days, second slowest rotation in the Solar System after Venus
Revolution
248 Earth years
Moons/Satellites
5(Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos & Hydra)
Charon
Largest.– discovered by James Christy(1978)
Diameter
2160 miles(3476 km)
Distance to Earth
384,400 km
Rotation
27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes & 11.47 seconds
Revolution
27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes & 11.47 seconds
Blue Moon
Two full Moons in the same month
First person to make use of a telescope for lunar observation
Galileo Galilei(1610)
First Man to Land on Moon
Neil Armstrong(July 20, 1969, Apollo 11)
The term 'Asteroid' was coined by
William Herschel
Ceres
Largest Asteroid
Brightest asteroid visible from Earth
Vesta
Asteroids with Moons
243 Ida, 45 Eugenia, 617 Patroclus, 1999 KW4, etc
First Asteroid with Moon observed was
243 Ida(1993)
MeteorsEpithet
Shooting Star, Falling Star
Kuiper BeltSimilar to the asteroid belt, beyond the terrestrial planets there is the Edgeworth*
Kuiper belt. It is 20 times wider and 200 times massive than the asteroid belt. Pluto and the other dwarf planets are present in the Kuiper belt
Dwarf Planets
Haumea, Ceres, Eris, Makemake & Pluto
* Time-sensitive data — verify for latest information
Recommendations
Solar System: Quick FactsThe Space Odessey: First in SpaceFirst in India – Space & Technology
📝SideNotes(2)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Father of Big Bang Theory | Georges Lemaitre(Belgium; Catholic priest; 1927),Propounded by Edwin Hubble(1929) |
| TheSteady State Theorywas put forward by | Sir Hermann Bondi, Thomas Gold & Sir Fred Hoyle(1948) |
Father of Big Bang Theory
Georges Lemaitre(Belgium; Catholic priest; 1927),Propounded by Edwin Hubble(1929)
TheSteady State Theorywas put forward by
Sir Hermann Bondi, Thomas Gold & Sir Fred Hoyle(1948)