UNIVERSE AND THE

SOLAR SYSTEM
Lesson 1
Earth and Life Science
Engr. Mai Sasa
 MELC
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

Recognize the uniqueness of Earth, being the only planet in

the solar system with properties necessary to support life.
The solar system is
located in the
MILKY WAY
galaxy.
 Its spiral arms rotate around a globular
A huge disc- and spiral-shaped cluster or bulge of many, many stars, at
aggregation of about at least the center of which lies a supermassive
100 billion stars and other blackhole
bodies;
Facts about
the This galaxy is about 100
The solar system revolves million light years across
around the galactic center (1 light year = 9.4607 × 1012
once in about 240 million km.
years

The Milky Way is part of the so-called Local Group of

galaxies, which in turn is part of the Virgo supercluster
of galaxies
Most planets rotate PROGRADE.
 Inner/Terrestrial planets
• made of materials with high melting points

• They rotate slower, have thin or no atmosphere, higher

densities, and lower contents of volatiles
 Outer planets
"gas giants"

• because of the dominance of gases and their larger size

• They rotate faster, have thick atmosphere, lower densities,

and fluid interiors rich in hydrogen, helium and ices (water,
ammonia, methane).
MOTIVATION
G EE LL T

II U FF
 Earth

1 Venus, Earth, and Mars are part of the inner terrestrial or "rocky"
planets. Their composition and densities are not too different from
each other.
2 Venus is considered to be the Earth's twin planet. It Mars
has a very similar size and mass with the Earth. Mars is
about half the Earth's size.

3 Orbital period and velocity are related to the Venus

planet's distance from the sun.

4 Rotational speed of Earth and Mars are very similar. Rotational

speed of Venus is extremely slow.

5 Abundance of liquid water on Earth, hence the blue color. The

Earth is a habitable planet.
WHAT MAKES A PLANET
HABITABLE?
influences how quickly atoms
and molecules move
NOT ENOUGH OF TOO MUCH OF SITUATION IN THE
THE FACTOR JUST RIGHT THE FACTOR SOLAR SYSTEM
• Low temperatures • Life seems to be • At about 125oC, • Surface: only the
cause chemicals to limited to a protein and Earth’s surface is in
react slowly, which temperature carbohydrate this temperature
interferes with the range of -150C to molecules, and the range.
reactions 115oC. • Subsurface: the
genetic material
necessary for life. • In this range,
start to break interior of the solid
• It can also cause liquid water can
apart. planets and moons
still exist under
the freezing of • Also, high may be in this
certain conditions.
water, making temperatures temperature
liquid water cause the quick range.
unavailable. evaporation of
water.
 Traps heat, shields the surface
from harmful radiation, and
provides chemicals needed for
life, such as nitrogen and carbon
dioxide.
NOT ENOUGH OF TOO MUCH OF SITUATION IN THE
THE FACTOR JUST RIGHT THE FACTOR SOLAR SYSTEM
• Small planets and • Earth & Venus are • Venus’s • Of the solid planets &
moons have the right size to hold atmosphere is 100 moons, only Earth,
insufficient gravity a sufficient-sized times thicker than Venus, & Titan have
to hold an atmosphere. Earth’s. significant
atmosphere. • Earth’s atmosphere • It is made almost atmospheres.
• The gas molecules is about 100 miles entirely of • Mars’ atmosphere is
escape to space, thick. It keeps the greenhouse about 1/100th that of
leaving the planet surface warm & gasses, making the Earth’s, too small for
or moon without protects it from surface too hot for significant insulation
an insulating radiation & small- to life. The four giant or shielding.
blanket or a medium-sized planets are
protective shield. meteorites. completely made
of gas.
 Organisms use light or chemical
energy to run their life processes.
NOT ENOUGH OF TOO MUCH OF SITUATION IN THE
THE FACTOR JUST RIGHT THE FACTOR SOLAR SYSTEM
• too little sunlight • With a steady • Light energy is a • Surface: The inner
or too few of the input of either problem if it planets get too
chemicals that light or chemical makes a planet too much sunlight for
provide energy to energy, cells can hot or if there are life. The outer
cells, such as iron run the chemical too many harmful planets get too
or sulfur, reactions rays, such as little.
organisms die. necessary for life. ultraviolet. • Sub-surface: Most
• Too many energy- solid planets &
rich chemicals is moons have
not a problem energy-rich
chemicals.
 Used to build and
maintain an organism’s
body.
NOT ENOUGH OF TOO MUCH OF SITUATION IN THE
THE FACTOR JUST RIGHT THE FACTOR SOLAR SYSTEM
• Without nutrients, • All solid planets & • too active a • Surface: Earth has water
organisms cannot moons have the circulation system, cycle, an atmosphere, and
grow. same general such as the volcanoes to circulate
• Planets without chemical makeup, so constant volcanism nutrients.
systems to deliver nutrients are on Jupiter’s moon, • Venus, Titan, Io, and Mars
nutrients to its present. Io, or the churning have nutrients and ways
organisms cannot • Those with a water atmospheres of to circulate them to
organisms.
support life. cycle or volcanic the gas planets,
• Sub-surface: Any planet or
• nutrients are activity can transport interferes with an
moon with sub-surface
spread so thin that and replenish the organism’s ability
water or molten rock can
they are hard to chemicals required to get enough
circulate and replenish
obtain, by living organisms. nutrients. nutrients for organisms
 ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:
(1) http://www.voyagesthroughtime.org/planetary/sample/lesson5/z_act3.htm
(2) http://www.voyagesthroughtime.org/planetary/sample/lesson5/pdf/goldilocks.pdf
(3) http://www.voyagesthroughtime.org/planetary/sample/lesson5/pdf/5_3_1sas_crashland.pdf
(4) https://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/Habitat/habitablezone.htm
(5) http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/
THANK YOU 