1. Comparative Planetology Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mars
Astronomy 100
Comparative Planetology
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mars

2. Now: How are planets formed. Why does Earth have water
Now: How are planets formed? Why does Earth have water? How do rocks form?
Main concepts: solar system formation, comparative planetology, Moon formation hypotheses, cratering, plate tectonics, volcanism, earthquakes, atmosphere, solar wind/auroras,
Vocabulary: protoplanetary disk, crater, Heavy Bombardment, cratering, atmosphere, mantle, differentiation, plastic, greenhouse effect, albedo, ejecta, rays, solar wind, auroras

3. Formation of the Solar System
The Solar Nebula was spinning
Protostar
Protoplanetary disk
Bits coalesced
Ta-da – planets!
NOW:
String represents 5 billion years (50 feet)
Each foot is 100 million years.
Place the events in order.
You have 20 minutes ONLY

4. Heavy Bombardment

5. Differentiation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss1FNrNTGRM
Robert Simpson

6. Crust Mantle Core Plastic
From: NASA

7. Fission, Capture, Condensation, Giant Impact?
Starchild/NASA

8. Crater, ejecta, rays, albedo
NASA

9.
Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

10.
Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

11.
Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

12. Comparative Volcanoes

13. Volcanoes Composite Shield

14. Plate Tectonics

15. Martian North Pole and Terrestrial (Earth) South Pole
Describe three things that are the same about the landforms.
Describe three things that are different about the landforms.
Why do both planets have ice caps?
Why are the ice caps different sizes?
Valles Majas & the Grand Canyon
What force do you think formed the Grand Canyon?
What force do you think formed Valles Majas?
Do you think it is the same force? Why or why not? How do your observations support this conclusion?
Olympus Mons and the Hawai’ian Islands
Using the contour gauge, trace the profile of both Olympus Mons and Hawai’i. Draw your guess for what the internal structure might look like inside both volcanoes.

16. Weathering/Protection
Water
Atmosphere
Greenhouse effect
Solar wind

17. Answer Now:
Why do the Moon and Mercury have more craters than the Earth?
What types of planets are there in our Solar System?

18. Vocabulary: Apollo, MER, Altair, Constellation, Venera, MESSENGER
Now: How many other worlds have humans walked on? How many “planets” have we “explored?”
Main concepts:
Mercury missions past and future
Venus missions past and future
Moon missions past and future
Mars missions past and future
Vocabulary: Apollo, MER, Altair, Constellation, Venera, MESSENGER

19. Answer Now:
Why do the Moon and Mercury have more craters than the Earth?
What types of planets are there in our Solar System?