The Solar System

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Chapter 4

• The Solar System

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Basic facts

• Composition of the Solar System
• Star
• Planets
• Moons
• Other
• Planetary orbits
• Direction
• Inclination
• Eccentricity

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Terrestrial vs. Jovian Planets
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Stellar Debris

• Asteroids
• Comets
• Meteoroids

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Comets

• Gas (ion) tail (type I)
• Dust tail (type II)
• Coma

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Comet Nuclei
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The Origin of Comets

• Long period comets

• Short period comets

• Kuiper Belt

• Oort Cloud

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Meteoroids

• Meteoroids
• Meteors
• Meteorites

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Meteor Showers
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Comet Impacts

• 1994 Comet Shoemaker-Levy hit Jupiter.

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Evidence of Impacts on Earth

• Barringer Meteor Crater
• The Tunguska Event (30 June 1908)

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The Extinction of the Dinosaurs

• Iridium layer
• Shocks and tsunamis
• Forest fires
• Dust in atmosphere
• CO2 released

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