Solar System Weather

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Our research will include an in-depth analysis of the conditions of the nine planets in our solar system along with our sun. Studying these conditions will help determine the possible conditions that may lead to the destruction of Earth.

INTRODUCTION:

PURPOSE/PROBLEM: The purpose of our research is to compare and contrast the conditions of the planets, along with the sun, in our solar system. These conditions include the atmosphere and the terrain of these planets. Another question that we will look into is why some planets have obtained an atmosphere, while others do not. Why is it that some planets have a thicker atmosphere than others? These answers will be included in our final report. Much research has been done to acquire knowledge of these planets. Our plan is to develop a paper that includes all of the planets and the sun. Providing an easy way to access the information. With our research, we have found much data about the planets spread out through many sources. Our goal is to combine this information into one collection of Solar System Weather.

HYPOTHESIS: Our Hypothesis is that Solar System weather is directly related to distance from the sun. The sun controls the weather on the planets and ultimately determines its fate. The conditions on the sun, including sunspots and other weather phenomena also attribute to the weather on the planets.

PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH: Our plan is to create individual weather reports for each planet. These reports will include pictures, along with animations, and data showing typical conditions and phenomena occurring on each planet both long and short term. The data will include the atmospheres' chemical compositions and terrain information. Our plan is to determine whether our hypothesis is correct.

RELEVANCE TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE: Our research relates to global climate change by determining the conditions necessary to life. Our research will also indicate the conditions on other planets that limit life. We can relate this information to the change in our planet. The direction that our planet is taking could be similar to one of the planets in our research. By realizing what conditions inhibit life, we can help halt possible Earth climate change that will lead to our destruction.

RELATE TO LARGER QUESTION: Solar System Weather relates to the larger question of the conditions required for life to exist. When astronomers search for other planets in the universe, they look for conditions that resemble earth. The comparison of our planets in the solar system helps astronomers realize the types of conditions possible at certain distances from the sun. Astronomers also learn the conditions on the other eight planets and determine why there is a nonexistence of life.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

RESEARCH DESIGN: Our research design is to outline the planetary conditions of each planet in our solar system along with the sun. We will include data comparing and contrasting atmospheric conditions.

MATERIALS TO BE USED: We plan to use many websites with up-to-date images and data collected from satellites of the planets in our solar system. We also plan to include journal articles describing any phenomena, current and past conditions and any other news that relate to planets in our solar system.

OTHER METHODS: For our presentation of our findings, we plan on providing an easy to see comparison of our planets. We hope that we can educate our class in the understanding of the individuality of each planet's conditions along with the unity that lies within our solar system.

DATA SHEETS:

Orbital Average Average Diameter Diameter Mass Period Mass (kg) Distance Distance (km) (Earth=1) (Earth=1) (yr) To To Sun Sidereal Sun(10^6 (AU) Period km)

Mercury 0.39 58 0.24 4878 0.38 3.3x10^23 0.06 Venus 0.72 108 0.62 12100 0.95 4.9x10^24 0.81 Earth 1 150 1 12756 1 6.0x10^24 Mars 1.52 228 1.88 6786 0.53 6.4X10^23 0.11 Jupiter 5.2 778 11.86 142984 11.21 1.9x10^27 317.94 Saturn 9.54 1427 29.46 120536 9.45 5.7x10^26 95.18 Uranus 19.19 2871 84.01 51118 4.01 8.7x10^25 14.53 Neptune 30.06 4497 164.79 49528 3.88 1.0x10^26 17.14 Pluto 39.53 5914 248.54 2300 0.18 1.3x10^22 0.002

Interior Surface Temperature Atmosphere Magnetic Rings Field Mercury Not Heavy 700K by H, He, K, P, 0.1 times No Known cratering, day, 100K O; transient Earth’s whether scarps by night and tenuous Field liquid or solid

Venus At least Light 750K Mostly CO2, None No partially cratering, N; 98 times Detected molten mostly denser than volcanic Earth’s plains, gently rolling hills, some volcanoes Earth Solid inner Very little 200-315K Mostly N2, Strong, No core, cratering, O2 global molten continents field outer core, and land at mantle ocean floors, weathering, volcanoes, global tectonic plates

Mars Probably Moderate 160-280K Mostly CO2, Weak, No solid core cratering, N2; 0.006 local weathering, times as Fields dormant dense as volcanoes, Earth’s huge canyons Jupiter Terrestrial No solid Primarily H, 19,000 Yes core, surface, He times liquid atmosphere Earth’s metallic gradually total field, shell, thickens to 14 times liquid liquid state, stronger hydrogen belt and than mantel zone Earth’s structure, surface hurricane field like features Saturn Similar to No solid Primarily H, 570 times Yes Jupiter, surface, less He Earth’s with distinct belt total field, bigger and zone 2/3 times terrestrial structure Earth’s core and than Jupiter surface less field metallic Hydrogen Uranus Terrestrial No solid Primarily H, 50 times Yes core, surface, He, some Earth’s liquid weak belt CH4 total field, water and zone 0.7 times shell, system, Earth’s liquid hurricane surface Hydrogen like field and features, Helium color from mantle methane absorption of red, yellow and orange Neptune Similar to Like Primarily H, 35 times Yes Uranus Uranus He, some Earth’s CH4 total field, 0.4 times Earth’s surface field Pluto Unknown Apparently Unknown Unknown No rock and ice

Images from the website: Today From Space: The Sun and the Solar System: LinkToSite

The Sun As It Is Seen From Earth

The Sun As It Is Seen From Space A Close-up Of The Sun's Atmosphere Showing A Solar Flare

Sunspot Activity Since 1750 Butterfly Diagrams of Daily Sunspot Averages

An Image of Mercury and Venus

An Image of Mars An Image of Jupiter

An Image of Saturn

An Image of Neptune

CONFUSEDON THE ORDER OF THE PLANETS? TRY HERE:

INNER PLANETS: http://ecosystems.wcp.muohio.edu/studentresearch/climatechange02/solarsystem/im ages/orbit_plot_inner.gif

OUTER PLANETS: http://ecosystems.wcp.muohio.edu/studentresearch/climatechange02/solarsystem/im ages/orbit_plot_outer.gif

WHAT HAVE OTHERS DONE:

For an overview of each planet, click on the link that sends you to our data folder:

1. The Sun:

http://ecosystems.wcp.muohio.edu/studentresearch/climatechange02/solarsystem/ data/Overview/The%20Sun.doc

2. Mercury:

http://ecosystems.wcp.muohio.edu/studentresearch/climatechange02/solarsystem/ data/Overview/Mercury.doc

3. Venus:

http://ecosystems.wcp.muohio.edu/studentresearch/climatechange02/solarsystem/ data/Overview/Venus.doc

4. Earth:

http://ecosystems.wcp.muohio.edu/studentresearch/climatechange02/solarsystem/ data/Overview/Earth.doc 5. Mars:http://ecosystems.wcp.muohio.edu/studentresearch/climatechange02/solarsy stem/data/Overview/Mars.doc

6. Jupiter: http://ecosystems.wcp.muohio.edu/studentresearch/climatechange02/solarsystem/ data/Overview/Jupiter.doc

7. Saturn:

http://ecosystems.wcp.muohio.edu/studentresearch/climatechange02/solarsystem/ data/Overview/Saturn.doc

8. Uranus:

http://ecosystems.wcp.muohio.edu/studentresearch/climatechange02/solarsystem/ data/Overview/Uranus.doc 9. Neptune: http://ecosystems.wcp.muohio.edu/studentresearch/climatechange02/solarsystem/ data/Overview/Neptune.doc

10. Pluto: http://ecosystems.wcp.muohio.edu/studentresearch/climatechange02/solarsystem/ data/Overview/Pluto.doc

RELEVANCE OF RESEARCH QUESTION:

WEBSITES THAT EXPLORE PLANETARY WEATHER:

Hubble Weather: Weather Forecast for the Solar System: LinkToSite Each day, this site shows a new picture of the planets from the Hubble Telescope.

NASA: Solar System: LinkToSite This site tells fast facts about each planet and the different explorations that have taken place.

Today From Space: The Sun and the Solar System: LinkToSite This site shows images and graphs depicting the conditions of each planet for the day, provided by NASA. This site gives more detail than the Hubble Weather site listed above.

Solar System News Zone: LinkToSite This site lists articles about recent news, findings, discoveries or phenomena that have been reported about the solar system.

Planets and the Solar System: LinkToSite This site has numerous images of the planets and links to other sites and discussions.

Space/Astronomy: LinkToSite This site has an easy format listing general information, a more detailed information link, images and a link to other sources that provide facts for the planets.

Astronomy Links and Interesting Sites Beyond Planet Earth: LinkToSite This site, collected by our professor, has an enormous amount of wonderful links ranging in pictures, information and QuickTime videos. Space Watch: LinkToSite This site provides information that would help decipher solar connections for planetary weather. It also provides news updates on space exploration discoveries.

The Nine Planets: A Multimedia Tour of the Solar System: LinkToSite This site provides multiple pictures on each planet and its moons. It also provides detailed data collected during exploration.

JOURNALS THAT EXPLORE PLANETARY WEATHER:

MERCURY:

Forgotten Planet Mercury This article describes characteristics of Mercury and the latest attempts to expand the knowledge about the conditions on the planet.

VENUS:

SRI International Makes First Observation of Atomic Oxygen Emission in the Night Airglow of Venus This article explains the possible oxygen emission reported from Venus's atmosphere.

X-ray Craft sees Venus in Whole New Light This article explains the results of the latest results of the x-ray taken of Venus.

VENUS The second half of this article briefly describes the atmosphere and weather on Venus.

EARTH:

Preserving the Atmosphere as a Global Commons This article discusses the importance of the Earth's atmosphere and the impenitence to conserve it.

Goldilocks and the Three Planets.(water on Earth essential to development of life) This article describes the "just right" conditions of Earth and how essential water is to life on the planet. MARS:

FROM EARTH TO MARS - Carbon Dioxide Crystals Help Interplanetary Studies This article compares Mars to Earth with the aspects of Carbon Dioxide Crystals found on Mars.

Craft tracks giant dust storm on Mars AND After a Martian Dust Storm The two articles briefly discuss the largest dust storm to have occurred in the past 25 years on the planet, Mars.

Plate Tectonics This article describes plate tectonics on Mars and compares the land to Earth.

Martian Chronicle AND MISSION to MARS These two articles describe the latest development for the future exploration of Mars. The two articles also describe the conditions of the planet closest resembling Earth.

Red River Valleys? AND A Survey of Ancient Mars These two articles go into depth on the terrain of Mars and the past and present conditions found on its land. The second article also discusses Mars's atmosphere, along with the terrain.

JUPITER:

THE MYSTERIOUS MOONS OF JUPITER This article describes Jupiter's many moons, along with discussing the conditions on the planet Jupiter.

Images reveal stormy collision on Jupiter This article is great for learning about the many aspects of Jupiter's atmosphere with great detail.

VENUS The first part of this article describes the reason behind the weather on Jupiter. SATURN:

Ringside Seat This article describes Saturn's atmosphere along with its fascinating rings.

URANUS:

NEPTUNE:

Mysterious NEPTUNE This article is great for learning all about Neptune along with the basic facts.

NEPTUNE RISING This article compares Neptune with the other planets in the Solar System along with describing the rain of diamonds.

PLUTO:

Nine Planets, or Eight This article describes the possibility of Pluto not being an actual planet.

Our Star, the Sun This article goes into depth on all of the aspects of the Sun's atmosphere.