An Introduction to Modern

Astronomy
Presented by: Cody Brogan
 Astronomy is the branch of

What is
science which deals with space and
the physical universe as a whole.

Astronomy?
Without astronomy, mankind would
not be as knowledgeable about the
universe compared to today. Things
Why is astronomy studied? such as black holes, asteroids, and
new galaxies would be unfamiliar
without the subject of astronomy.
 Where Are We, and Why Care?

ome
Our h
 A Deeper Look Into Our Solar System:
Earth is part of the Solar System, which is located in the Milky Way galaxy (Spiral).
The universe, or space, is made up of billions of galaxies, which contain many
solar systems, which contain celestial objects, stars, and planets. Specifically, our
Solar System contains one star, the Sun, and eight planets that orbit around it.
These eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune, each with distinguishing qualities. These planets are generally described
as “Rocky Planets”, meaning solid, or “Gas Giants”, meaning composed of gases.
 The Sun and Other Important Concepts
- The Sun is a Yellow Dwarf star composed of hot gases (mostly hydrogen and
helium). The Sun’s visible surface sometimes has dark sunspots, which are
cooler areas of the Sun with intense magnetic activity that can lead to solar
explosions.
- The sun is held together by its own gravity; the Sun’s gravity also holds the
Solar System together.
- What is gravity? Gravity is the force by which a planet or other body draws
objects toward its center. The force of gravity keeps all of the planets in orbit
around the sun.
- What affects gravity? Anything with mass has gravity; objects with more mass
have more gravity, but gravity gets weaker with distance. So, the closer
objects are to each other, the stronger their gravitational pull is.
A Closer Look at the Sun
 Gravity Continued and Space Vocabulary
- Earth's gravity comes from all its mass. All its mass makes a combined
gravitational pull on all the mass in your body, which gives you weight. If you
were on a planet with less mass than Earth (e.g. Moon), you would weigh less
than you do on Earth.
- Asteroid - a small celestial body composed of rock and metal
- Atmosphere - the envelope of gases surrounding any celestial body
- Orbit - the path of a celestial body in its revolution about another
- Satellite - any celestial body orbiting around a planet or star
- What is space? Space is a vacuum, meaning space does not have close
enough molecules to carry sound or air.
- What is a black hole? Black holes are regions of space where gravity is so
strong that nothing can escape, even light.
A Visual Representation of Space Concepts
Asteroid in Space

Gravity of Earth and the Moon

 Mercury: The Closest Planet to the Sun
- Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system, only being slightly larger
than Earth’s moon

- Mercury does not have much of an atmosphere, so temperatures vary extremely.

Also, with little atmosphere, many asteroids have impacted the surface of Mercury.

- Mercury speeds around the sun every 88 Earth-days, traveling through space at
nearly 112,000 mph (180,000 km/h), faster than any other planet.

- Mercury is made up of a liquid iron core, which makes up about ¾ of the planet’s
radius.

- A day on Mercury lasts about 59 Earth-days (rotation about its axis).

 Images and Related Topics of Mercury
Mercury

NASA’s Messenger spacecraft was

the first spacecraft to orbit
NASA’s Messenger Probe Mercury; Messenger was set to
study the geology, magnetic field,
and composition of Mercury.

Size Comparison to Earth

Messenger was launched on

August 3, 2004, and began
orbital insertion of Mercury on
March 18, 2011.
 Venus: The Hot Planet
- Venus, the second planet from the sun, is the hottest planet in our solar
system.
- Venus has a dense atmosphere made up of mostly carbon dioxide, with
heavy clouds of sulfuric acid. As a result, heat is trapped (greenhouse effect)
in the atmosphere, which accounts for the extreme temperatures.
- Venus takes 243 Earth-days to rotate on its axis; as a result of its slow spin,
Venus’ magnetic field is extremely insignificant.
- Venus rotates in a retrograde motion, or spins “backwards”. On Venus, the
Sun rises in the west and sets in the east.
- Venus' landscape is volcanic, being covered with extensive plains featuring
high volcanic mountains and vast ridged plateaus.
 Venus Continued
- NASA has sent many probes to Venus, the first being in 1962, with Mariner 2.
NASA’s most recent voyage to Venus occurred in 1990, with the Magellan
spacecraft; Magellan successfully mapped 98% of Venus’ surface over a span
of four years. Venus has no rings or moons, and because of its harsh climate,
it is very unlikely to sustain life.
Mariner 2 Magellan
 Earth: Our Home
- Earth, the only planet in the Solar System to harbor life, is the third planet
from the Sun. Planet Earth is generally described and divided into three
layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core.
- The Earth has a significant magnetic field, which is caused by the nickel-iron
core of the planet.
- The Earth has only one natural satellite, the Moon.
- The Earth is the most dense planet in the Solar System (made of mostly iron,
oxygen, and silicon)
- Earth has an atmosphere made up of around 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen;
the other 1% consists of other gases, such as argon and carbon dioxide.
Earth’s atmosphere heavily protects us from many instances, such as the
Sun’s radiation as well as celestial impact (asteroids).
 Earth Continued
- On Earth, a year, or full orbital period, takes approximately 365.2564 days;
the remaining 0.2564 creates the need for leap years.
- For a full rotation of Earth’s axis, it takes 24 hours, 6 minutes, and 4 seconds.
- The Earth’s surface is mostly made up of water (only around 3% is fresh
water, with 97% being salt water).
 Mars: The Red Planet
- Mars (often referred to as the “Red Planet”), is the fourth planet from the Sun.
The distinctive red color of Mars is due to iron-rich materials in its regolith, or
the loose dust and rock on the surface.
- Mars has an atmosphere mostly made up of carbon dioxide, more specifically,
around 95% carbon dioxide, with other gases such as nitrogen. Because of
the thin atmosphere present, liquid water is not likely to exist.
- Mars is home to Olympus Mons, the highest mountain in the Solar System.
- The dense core of Mars is surrounded by a silicate mantle that clearly
experienced tectonic and volcanic activity in the past, but which now appears
to be dormant. Besides silicon and oxygen, the most abundant elements in
the Martian crust are iron, magnesium, aluminum, calcium, and potassium.
 Mars Continued
- The first flyby of Mars was accomplished by Mariner 4 in 1965; the spacecraft
captured many pictures of the Red Planet, but did not go into orbit.
- Currently, Curiosity is the only rover still exploring the surface of Mars.
Curiosity Rover
Mariner 4
Olympus Mons
 Jupiter: The Largest Planet
- Jupiter, the fifth planet from the Sun, is the largest planet in the Solar System;
despite its size, however, Jupiter has the shortest day of any other planet (it
takes around 10 hours for a complete revolution).
- A lot like the Sun, Jupiter is mostly composed of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter
contains the largest ocean in the solar system, an ocean of liquid hydrogen.
- Deep in Jupiter’s atmosphere, pressure and temperature increase,
compressing the hydrogen gas into a liquid. This gives Jupiter the largest
ocean in the solar system—an ocean made of hydrogen instead of water.
- Jupiter has a distinctive “Great Red Spot”; this spot is actually an anticyclonic
storm that has been active for at least 350 years.
- Jupiter’s “skies” are composed of three main layers: ammonia ice, ammonium
hydrosulfide crystals, and water ice and vapor.
 Jupiter Continued
- Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to fly past Jupiter in March 2, 1972;
currently, NASA’s Juno spacecraft is studying the gas giant from orbit. Jupiter
also has very faint rings (Jovian ring system) formed from dust particles.
- Interesting enough, Jupiter cannot become a star; the planet is giant in
regards to size, but does not contain enough mass, or solidness, to produce a
fusion reaction (how stars are made). Juno Spacecraft
Pioneer 10
 Saturn: The Ringed Planet
- Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in our
solar system.
- Saturn is distinguished by its beautiful rings; these rings are made up of rock
and ice chunks. Although Saturn is not the only planet to have rings, it has the
most complex ring system.
- Saturn takes about 10.7 hours to rotate on its axis once—a Saturn “day”—and
29 Earth years to orbit the sun.
- Saturn is a gas giant, and it made up mostly of hydrogen and helium.
- Saturn has a total of 82 moons (new data is found everyday); Saturn cannot
support life, but it is known that some of its moons could potentially sustain
life.
 Saturn Continued
- Did you know that every 29 ½ years, Saturn appears ringless? This is
because of the angle that Saturn appears at from Earth, making the rings
seem “flat”, or “thin”.
- NASA's Pioneer 11 provided the first close look in September 1979.NASA's
twin Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft followed up with flybys nine months
apart in 1980 and 1981.
Pioneer 11 Voyager 2
 Uranus: The Sideways Planet
- Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun; Uranus is known as the “sideways
planet” because it rotates on its side.
- Uranus was discovered by William Herschel in 1781 and was the first planet
found using a telescope. Originally, Herschel thought that Uranus was a
comet or a star.
- Uranus has 27 known moons and like Jupiter and Saturn, Uranus is a ringed
planet, with the rings being caused by ancient moon particles.
- Uranus can be considered an “ice giant”; most of its mass is a hot, dense fluid
of “icy” materials such as methane and ammonia, all above a rocky core.
- Uranus has an atmosphere made up of hydrogen and atomic helium, with a
small amount of methane.
 Uranus Continued
- On January 24, 1986, Voyager 2 made the first and so far only visit to Uranus.
- Voyager discovered 10 new moons, two new rings and a magnetic field
stronger than that of Saturn.
 Neptune: The Distant Planet
- Neptune is the eighth and most distant planet from the Sun, at 2.8 billion
miles.
- Neptune takes about 16 hours to rotate once (a Neptunian day), and about
165 Earth years to orbit the sun (a Neptunian year).
- Neptune is an ice giant. Most of its mass is a hot, dense fluid of "icy" materials
– water, methane and ammonia – above a small rocky core.
- Neptune's atmosphere is made up mostly of molecular hydrogen, atomic
helium and methane.
- Neptune has at least five main rings and four more ring arcs, which are
clumps of dust and debris likely formed by the gravity of a nearby moon.
 Neptune Continued
- Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have visited Neptune (1989). No
spacecraft has orbited this distant planet to study it at length and up close.
- Neptune is the Solar System’s windiest planet; frozen methane whips around
at speed of 1,200 mph.
 Activity and Video Links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKM0P3XlMNA&t=333s

https://jeopardylabs.com/play/space-jeopardy-512#.XxASgHpDurw.gmail
 Works Cited
https://www.space.com/36-mercury-the-suns-closest-planetary-neighbor.html

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/messenger/in-depth/

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus/

https://www.space.com/44-venus-second-planet-from-the-sun-brightest-planet-in-solar-system.html

https://www.space.com/36064-nasa-russia-venus-mission-partnership-talks.html#:~:text=NASA%20has%20sent%20multipl
e%20probes,planet's%20surface%20over%20four%20years.

https://space-facts.com/earth/

https://www.space.com/47-mars-the-red-planet-fourth-planet-from-the-sun.html

https://www.space.com/13558-historic-mars-missions.html

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/jupiter/in-depth/
 Works Cited Continued
https://www.universetoday.com/15182/interesting-facts-about-jupiter/

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/pioneer-10/in-depth/

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/saturn/overview/

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/uranus/exploration/?page=0&per_page=10&order=launch_date+desc%2Ctitle+asc&s
earch=&tags=Uranus&category=33

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/neptune/overview/

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/overview/

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/what-is-gravity/en/

https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/355475

https://www.space.com/24870-what-is-space.html
 Any Other Questions?
Contact information is on the STEMinate website: https://www.thesteminate.com

I would be more than happy to answer questions, provide and refer material, or give project ideas
about any STEM subject that you are interested in. Don’t hesitate!