SCI 101.

Earth Science: Introduction to 29/08/2023

Earth Science

SCI 101. EARTH SCIENCE

UNIT 1: 01
THE EARTH &
THE UNIVERSE The Birth of
the Universe &
29 August 2023 the Galaxies
Prepared by:

Meliusa Marie N. Kitche

Instructor, Natural Sciences Department

1 2

The Universe
● Big Bang theory - the model that most
accurately describes the birth and current state
• Cosmology is the study of the universe, of the universe
including its properties, structure, and
evolution. ○ There was a tremendous explosion of huge
“fireball” (composed of gases and dust with hydrogen
• The universe consists of hundreds of billions and helium) in space some 20B y a.
of galaxies, each containing billions of stars.
○ In 1927, a Belgian priest, George Lemaitre
claimed that if galaxies are now flying away from
each other, probably there was time when all
matter were very close to each other. From this
condition of extreme compression, an explosion
have occurred.

3 4

Big Bang Expansion Milky Way Galaxy

https://www.universetoday.com/18256/where-is-the-sun/

5 6

Kitche, M.M.N. 1
SCI 101. Earth Science: Introduction to 29/08/2023
Earth Science

What is a nebula?
The Birth of the Solar System

• Two popular theories:

1. Collision Theory - a passing star collided by

chance with a bigger star — caused the breaking of
one face of the bigger star. The fragments may have
formed the planets.

2. Nebular Theory - the solar system started out as a cloud

of hot gases and dust which is called a nebula.
§ This cloud of gas and dust somehow started to rotate and
became condensed and formed the sun. Some of the
gases also condensed into small bodies possibly forming
the planets.
Ø more widely accepted theory https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/

7 8

The Birth of the Solar System: Nebular Theory Present

9 10

Position of the planets in the Solar System General Characteristics of the Planets

● Size
Terrestrial planets: Jovian planets:
o Small o often called giants
o densities averaging about
o densities ave. about 1.5
5.5 times greater than the
times that of water
density of water

● Densities - densities determine the state of the planets as

either gas, solid or liquid.

Terrestrial or Jovian or o Planets < water = gaseous

Earth Planet Jupiter-like planet o Planets > water = solids
(inner planets) (outer planets)

11 12

Kitche, M.M.N. 2
SCI 101. Earth Science: Introduction to 29/08/2023
Earth Science

General Characteristics of the Planets General Characteristics of the Planets

● Size & location

● Substances that compose the planets:

1. Gases (hydrogen and helium)
2. Rocks (mostly silicate minerals and
metallic iron)

3. Ices (frozen ammonia, methane, carbon

dioxide & water)
Earth

13 14

General Characteristics of the Planets

Evolution of the Planets
● Substances
• After the planets were formed, they underwent
Terrestrial planets: Jovian planets: changes in their characteristics.
o made up mostly of rock contain large # of gases (mostly
and metals
o
Ø Chemical differentiation - dense metals, iron,
hydrogen & helium); thus are and nickel, found in all of them sank toward the
o contain small amounts less dense than terrestrial planets’ centers. Whereas the lighter substances
of gases planets (silicate minerals, oxygen, hydrogen) migrated
o have thin atmospheres o contain different amts. of frozen toward the planets’ surfaces
water, ammonia, & methane
• Due to extremely cold temperatures in the Jovian
o have very thick atmospheres planets, a high % of ices were formed in their surface
composed of hydrogen, helium, and atmosphere.
methane, & ammonia

15 16

Evolution of the Planets Evolution of the Planets

● Mercury - was unable to retain even its heaviest

● During the period of chemical differentiation, gases
gases because of very weak surface gravity
erupted from the planets’ interiors
● Mars - has stronger surface gravity, retained a thin
§ This volcanic activity went on continuously for a layer of CO2 and some water in the form of ice
long time until the planets “cooled off”.

§ The gases expelled from their interiors contributed

to the formation of their respective atmosphere.

The different planets retained varied

atmospheres.

17 18

Kitche, M.M.N. 3
SCI 101. Earth Science: Introduction to 29/08/2023
Earth Science

Evolution of the Planets Evolution of the Planets

● Jupiter & Saturn = very strong surface graviNes which
● Venus & Earth = surface gravities strong enough aOract even the lightest gases, hydrogen, & helium.
to retain a substantial amt. of heavier gases like o much of their size is due to the large envelope of thick
N, O2, and CO2 (essential to life) gases (exist as a dense liquid) around them
o central core = ices and rocks & an atmosphere of mostly
hydrogen and helium

19 20

Evolution of the Planets Evolution of the Planets

• Uranus & Neptune = small rocky iron cores with a large
mantle of water, ammonia and methane; surrounded by Outer planets have…
liquid hydrogen
o do not have large envelopes of hydrogen and helium
• satellites = composed primarily of ices,
gases with lesser amounts of rocks
• Their small masses cannot retain substantial
amounts of hydrogen and helium.

21 22

The Earth

1. It rotates on its axis once a

day & produces the periods of

02 daytime and nighttime.

§ tilts on its axis at 23.45
degrees
THE EARTH
2. Revolution = when the earth
The only known living
planet in the solar
orbit around the sun once
system every year or 365 days
(elliptical & counterclockwise)
- causes the occurrence of the seasons on Earth

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Earth% 27s_Axis.gif?

23 24

Kitche, M.M.N. 4
SCI 101. Earth Science: Introduction to 29/08/2023
Earth Science

What causes the seasons on earth? The Earth

3. Precession – very slow

motion; refers to the Earth’s
angle of tilt.
• Although the angle of tilt does
not change, the direction at
which it points to does.

• Period of precession: 26,000 yrs.

25 26

The Earth’s Moon The Earth’s Moon

• Diameter: 3,476 km or about

one-fourth of the Earth’s
12,751 km diameter • Distance to Earth:
• Density: 3.34 grams per cubic 384,400 km
centimeter (g/cm3)
- about 60% of Earth's density • complete orbit around
Earth in 27 Earth days
• Surface gravity: 1.62 meters
per second squared
• one-sixth that of Earth = which means,
that we weigh 6x less on the moon
than we weigh on Earth

Photo by Mike Petrucci on Unsplash Photo by Mike Petrucci on Unsplash

27 28

The Earth-Moon Relationship

The Earth-Moon Relationship *29.5 days to complete
one cycle of phases!
• The moon is the only known satellite of the earth. • Ty
• It travels with the earth around the sun, at the same
time circling the earth once every month.
• The direction of its moon is counterclockwise when
viewed from above.
• Two significant events, which affect the earth:

1. Phases of the moon

2. the sun – moon eclipses
(Third Quarter)

counterclockwise

29 30

Kitche, M.M.N. 5
SCI 101. Earth Science: Introduction to 29/08/2023
Earth Science

Photo by Jongsun Lee on Unsplash

Total Solar Eclipse

Eclipses
Ø are actually effects of the shadows of the moon • Ty
and the earth.

1. Solar eclipse
2. Lunar eclipse

Photo by Bryan Goff on Unsplash

Photo by Jongsun Lee on Unsplash
https://supernova.eso.org/exhibition/im ages/0206-eclipse-english-only-3k/

31 32

Photo by Bryan Goff on Unsplash

Lunar Eclipse Tides

Ø the rise and fall of sea levels
Ø The gravitational forces coming from the
moon or the joint forces of the moon & sun
on the earth’s oceans cause this movement.
○ When the water is at its highest level, it is
called high tide.
○ When the water is at its lowest level, it is
called low tide.

https://nineplanets.org/total-lunar-eclipse/

33 34

Tides Tides
Tidal range is the difference in height between
high tide and low tide.
• vary around the world
e.g., Philippines = typically between one and two Most coastal areas
meters, daily experience two
high tides and two
low tides every day
(at different hrs./
day)

https://gifer.com/en/MkMX https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_tides/tides05_lunarday.html

35 36

Kitche, M.M.N. 6
SCI 101. Earth Science: Introduction to 29/08/2023
Earth Science

Tides
Tides

Ø Spring tides - very high tides = when the

sun & the moon are aligned, its joint
gravitational forces can cause bigger bulges

Ø Neap tides - very low tides = when the sun

and moon pull at right angles on the earth’s
oceans

37 38

Tides Tides

39 40

Tides

41 42

Kitche, M.M.N. 7
SCI 101. Earth Science: Introduction to 29/08/2023
Earth Science

Tides Tides

● Do lakes have tides and waves?

○ Tides? NO (non-tidal)
○ Waves? YES, but not all. e.g. Lake Baikal –
deepest lake in the world, can have waves

● How about in rivers?

○ Not all but, those rivers connected to the
sea or near the estuary
The tidal range along the Thames River has quadrupled since the time of the Romans,
as engineers narrowed and deepened the river for navigation. Those tides rhythmically
submerged and revealed the Rising Tide sculpture, underwater artist Jason deCaires
Taylor’s 2015 installation at Vauxhall in London.

43 44

Tides

“The tides they are a-changin’ — and it’s not just

from climate change”
03
● Dredging rivers, filling in wetlands and other
human acts of engineering have shifted coastal OTHER
ebbs and flows worldwide. Add rising sea levels,
and the threat of storm surges and floods will
MEMBERS OF
worsen in some places. THE SOLAR
SYSTEM
Witze, A. (2020, April 22).

45 46

Other Members of the Solar System

Meteor

https://sciencenotes.org/difference-between-meteoroids-meteors-meteorites-comets-and-asteroids/

47 48

Kitche, M.M.N. 8
SCI 101. Earth Science: Introduction to 29/08/2023
Earth Science

Other Members of the Solar System

• Meteors - also known as shooting stars.

§ last only a few seconds; we see them from earth
as “lighted objects” falling towards the earth; 04
usually disintegrate fast and then float in space as
dust
§ Meteorite = when a meteoroid survives a trip
THE SUN
through the atmosphere and hits the ground

https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-spotted-the-sun-smiling-and-its-the-most-joyous-thing

49 50

THE SUN THE SUN

Ø the only star in our solar Ø Diameter: 1.35 M km.

system (109 x greater than the
earth’s diameter)
Ø Medium-sized star
Ø Gaseous: hydrogen and
Ø 150 M km. from Earth helium

Ø Earth’s major source of Ø Density: only 1⁄4 that of

energy Earth
Ø Temperature:
approximately 11,000
degrees Celsius

https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-spotted-the-sun-smiling-and-its-the-most-joyous-thing https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-spotted-the-sun-smiling-and-its-the-most-joyous-thing

51 52

Structure of the Sun

● The sun releases very intense radiation and

brightness which is damaging, and thus it is not safe to
observe it directly.

● Three parts:
1. Solar interior
Solar Interior:
2. Photosphere
3. Atmosphere
• Two (2) layers: the chromosphere, and the corona

https://www.space.fm/astronomy/earthmoonsun/structure.html

53 54

Kitche, M.M.N. 9
SCI 101. Earth Science: Introduction to 29/08/2023
Earth Science

Structure of Structure of
the Sun the Sun

Photosphere • Chromosphere is above the photosphere

Photo and contains
by Jongsun Lee on Unsplash
helium gas.
• the layer which radiates the sunlight we experience on
§ a thin layer of hot bright gases
Earth; seen as a bright disk
§ can be seen during a total solar eclipse appearing as a red
• is considered the sun’s surface
rim around the sun
§ contains spicules, or projections (flames)

55 56

Structure of Structure of
the Sun the Sun

● Sunspots can be seen as dark marks on the sun’s

• Corona is outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere. surface with diameters approx. 1,600 km
§ are ionized gases that extends up to a M km from the
○ last for a few hrs. or months
sun’s photosphere & produces light

57 58

● Prominences ● Solar flares are short explosions that cause a sudden

brightening of a sunspot.
○ are giant structures formed at the edge of the sun and
look like arching clouds ○ releases a great amount of energy: ultraviolet, radio and X-
ray radiation. The ejected particles sometimes reach the
○ Sometimes they explode and move away form the sun Earth and disrupt radio communications.
with a velocity up to 1,000 km per second.

https://gifer.com/en/1Ztd
https://www.thejournal.ie/solar-flare-nasa-sun-gif-1563444-Jul2014/

59 60

Kitche, M.M.N. 10
SCI 101. Earth Science: Introduction to 29/08/2023
Earth Science

● Solar flares
○ The most beautiful of all flares are called auroras: northern
(aurora borealis), and southern lights (aurora australis).
○ When auroras occur, the earth’s upper atmosphere near the
THANKS!
poles becomes very bright for several nights. Does anyone
have any
questions?

CREDITS: This presentation template was

created by Slidesgo, including icons by
Flaticon, infographics & images by Freepik

https://i.gifer.com/DvLj.gif https://gifer.com/en/2dky

61 62

Kitche, M.M.N. 11