Written by Wisley Lau
Edited by Nishant Kidangan
For the next two chapters, the briefing will be a guide to what we currently know about the solar system. For this chapter, we will start by visiting the planets that make up our planetary system. (A brief note: Since we have delved into details regarding Earth in Chapter 1 (Lau, 2021) already, this article will not be mentioning our home planet)
Mercury:
Let’s start with the smallest and first planet from the sun: Mercury. Named after the Roman god of messengers, the planet completes one orbit in 88 Earth days. However, one rotation on Mercury takes 59 Earth days while it takes 176 Earth days, or roughly two Mercury years, to complete a full Mercury solar day from start to finish (Nasa, 2019); an unusually slow rotation speed. The planet has no moon and no atmosphere, the latter causes extreme temperature differences from the scorching 450 degrees Celcius in the daytime to the minus 170 degrees Celsius at night (Space.com, 2017). If you are visiting (for whatever reason), one may choose to visit the Caloris Basin, the largest crater on the planet - even larger than the state of Texas! Scientists theorize that a large asteroid hit Mercury so hard it caused a giant crater and might contribute to the odd spin and the large core inside the planet. At the poles of Mercury, you might be surprised to discover there are traces of ice (Imster, 2017) due to the lack of exposure to any form of sunlight.
Venus:
The hottest planet in the solar system, named after the Roman goddess of love is ironically everything but loving. Surrounded by a thick atmosphere, people once thought under those thick clouds lied civilizations like ours. But when space probes were sent to this planet, they found out the atmosphere is filled with toxic chemicals and carbon dioxide, which contributes to a runaway greenhouse effect on the planet. If you are lucky enough to step on the surface, make sure your spacesuit can withstand temperatures that melt lead and the high pressure being forced down on you. Venus is also famous for its volcanoes like Maat Mons. Mysterious dark streaks persistently lure in the atmosphere, that some think these signs of life on Venus but the more likely solution are fine compounds or crystals (NASA, 2018).
Mars:
The red planet, named after the god of war due to the iron rust on the planet’s rocks, is the most studied planet in our solar system excluding Earth. Even with the thin atmosphere, features like the Valles Marineris and Olympus Mons (NASA, 2018) are breathtaking while providing hints about the planet’s past. Historical sites like Jezero Crater or Gale Crater where you can find the Perseverance, Ingenuity, and Curiosity rovers, are hard at work finding new discoveries on the ground. Up above in the sky, if you haven’t yet spotted its moons Phobos and Demios, you can spot the armada of space probes observing the world above. With recent discoveries of water on the planet (NASA, 2018a), more missions are pending liftoff from different countries on Earth to learn more about Mars and the possibility of life. Not only that, but Mars has both governments and private companies peeling their eyes on future human habitation on the planet.
Jupiter:
A gas giant 2.5 times more massive than all the other planets combined (Williams, 2017), named after the king of the ancient Roman gods; Jupiter is a gas giant with enormous features. Let’s start with the Great Red Spot, the largest, most powerful, and longest persisting hurricane to date; persisting for 150 years. Its auroras are also breathtaking, not only are these spectacles self-generated, they are evidence of a massive magnetosphere produced by the planet. It is so massive the tail of the magnetosphere actually reaches Saturn! The planet also has rings (Nasa, 2018). Though they are small and faint, they do exist. If you’re bored with the planet, do check out the 69 funny number moons surrounding the planet, four of them will be covered in the next chapter!
Saturn:
Named after the Roman god of agriculture, Saturn has often been referred to as the crown jewel of the solar system. The most notable feature is the planet’s massive ring system, even though it is 282000km long, the rings are just 10 meters in vertical height (NASA, 2019). Within the rings include Shepherd moons that guide and disturb particles as they revolve around the planet, while the moon Enceladus’s geysers have formed an entire ring in and of itself. While inside the planet, wild storms rage on with a famous hexagonal storm spinning around the northern hemisphere. Saturn’s moons are pretty plentiful too, with 81 moons each having their own features, this planet is just a mini solar system!
Uranus:
The one being the pun of the joke, Uranus was once going to be named Georgium Sidus after King George III by its discoverer William Hershel (NASA, 2018b), but finally, the planet was named after the Roman god of the sky. Being the first planet to be discovered with the aid of a telescope, the planet is truly an oddball. With a tilt of 98 degrees (Student Video: Dancing Uranus, n.d.), the planet and its moons spin around very differently from most planets. And if you think that is weird, wait until you learn the diamond fact. The pressures in the planet’s atmosphere are so high, the carbon molecules are squished so hard they crystallize into diamonds and fall like rain into the planet’s core (“It rains solid diamonds on Uranus and Neptune,” 2017). But before you think about setting up your diamond collection shop, note that just going to Uranus took 4.5 years by the spacecraft Voyager 2 (NASA, 2018a), the only one so far to perform a flyby next to the planet.
Neptune:
Finally, we arrived at Neptune. Named after the god of the sea, Neptune is the coldest and windiest planet in the solar system. Discovered with mathematical calculations, Neptune contains winds reaching supersonic levels, an ideal spot for storm chasers. When you are there, also check your luck as you might see a great dark spot on the planet that has regularly appeared, disappeared, then reappeared, and disappeared again. Like Uranus, there is only one visitor that flew past the planet but it also has a gigantic moon Triton that spews out nitrogen gas (Barnett, 2018).
As of this point, we have ended our journey of the planets, but still have got lots of ground yet to cover. From asteroids, comets, dwarf planets, moons, hypothetical planets, to even the sun itself, more solar system facts are coming to you straight away in the next edition of STEM Insight!
References
Barnett, A. (2018, February). In Depth | Neptune – Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/neptune/in-depth/
Imster, E. (2017, September 21). Mercury’s poles icier than thought | Space | EarthSky. Earthsky.org. https://earthsky.org/space/mercury-water-ice-poles/
It rains solid diamonds on Uranus and Neptune. (2017, August 25). The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/08/25/it-rains-solid-diamonds-on-uranus-and-neptune/
Lau, W. (2021, November 26). Wisley’s Astronomy Briefing Chapter 1: Our Place In The Universe. Insight. https://rchksteminsight.wixsite.com/rchk/post/wisley-s-astronomy-briefing-chapter-1-our-place-in-the-universe
NASA. (2018a, January 26). In Depth | Voyager 2 – Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/voyager-2/in-depth/
NASA. (2018b, April 17). In Depth | Mars – Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mars/in-depth/
NASA. (2018c, May 21). In Depth | Uranus – Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/uranus/in-depth/
NASA. (2018d, June 12). In Depth | Venus – Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus/in-depth/
NASA. (2019, February 10). In Depth | Saturn – Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/saturn/in-depth/
Nasa. (2018, November 30). In Depth | Jupiter – Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. Solar System Exploration: NASA Science; Nasa. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/jupiter/in-depth/
Nasa. (2019, March 5). In Depth | Mercury – Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mercury/in-depth/
Space.com. (2017, October 14). Planet Mercury: Facts About the Planet Closest to the Sun. Space.com. https://www.space.com/36-mercury-the-suns-closest-planetary-neighbor.html
Student Video: Dancing Uranus. (n.d.). NASA/JPL Edu. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/video/dancing-uranus/
Williams, M. (2017, May 4). Ten Interesting Facts About Jupiter - Universe Today. Universe Today. https://www.universetoday.com/15182/interesting-facts-about-jupiter/
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