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Planetary Geology 101

Explore the fascinating stages of solar system formation, beginning with a protostar in a gas cloud, evolving into a star surrounded by planetesimals that coalesce into planets. Learn about the structure of our solar system, including terrestrial planets like Mercury, Venus, and Mars, as well as gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, and ice giants Uranus and Neptune. Discover the significant asteroid belt and the diverse trans-Neptunian objects. This overview sheds light on the intricate processes that shaped our celestial neighborhood.

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Planetary Geology 101

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  1. Planetary Geology 101 The Solar System

  2. Formation of the Solar System • The stages of solar system formation start with a protostar embedded in a gas cloud, then to an early star with a circumstellar disk, to a star surrounded by small "planetesimals" that are starting to clump together to a solar system like ours today.

  3. Formation of the Solar System circumstellar disk protostar home planetesimals www.jwst.nasa.gov/birth.html Credit: Shu et al. 1987

  4. Structure(from the inside out) • Central star • Inner “terrestrial” planets • Asteroid belt • Outer “gas giant” planets • Outer “ice giant” planets • (Dwarf planets) • Trans-Neptunian objects (Kuiper belt, scattered disk, Oort Cloud) • Miscellaneous

  5. The Sun • “Yellow dwarf”, 1.4 million km in diameter • Fuses 620 million tonnes/sec of H • 8.3 light-minutes away

  6. TheSun

  7. Mercury • Innermost planet, 4,880 km in diameter • Very dense, with its own magnetic field • Enigmatically large iron core • Recent evidence for volcanism

  8. Mercury

  9. Venus • Regarded as Earth’s “Evil Twin” • Surface T: 460°C, P: 92 Bar • Subject to runaway greenhouse effect • Extensive resurfacing due to volcanism

  10. Venus

  11. Mars • Diameter: ~6800 km (= Earth’s core) • Same surface area of all Earth’s continents • Deserts, ice caps, canyons, giant volcanoes • Upper hemisphere may be giant impact basin

  12. Mars

  13. Asteroid Belt • Small bodies: asteroids/minor planets • >50% mass: Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, Hygiea • Protoplanets that orbited too fast to acrete • Mainly loosely-bound piles of rubble

  14. Asteroid Belt

  15. Jupiter • Largest body after the Sun (D: ~143,000 km) • Primarily H, He, with putative rocky core • High-energy storms in its atmosphere • At least 63 moons

  16. Jupiter

  17. Saturn • Second-largest planet, diameter ~121,000 km • Prominent set of rings • 53 officially-named moons • Hosts largest moon in the system, Titan

  18. Saturn

  19. Uranus • Larger of the two “ice giants”, D ~51,000 km • Gas atmosphere + contains H20, NH3, CH4 • Axis of rotation inclined almost 90

  20. Neptune • Second “ice giant”, D ~49,000 km • Same composition as Uranus (H20, NH3, CH4) • Tenuous ring system, 13 known moons

  21. Dwarf Planets • Currently 5: Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, Eris • Most occur beyond Neptune (except Ceres) • Best known is Pluto (former planet)

  22. Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) • Composed of 3 regions: Kuiper Belt, scattered disk, and Oort Cloud

  23. Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) • Composed of 3 regions: Kuiper Belt, scattered disk, and Oort Cloud

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