1. Quark Presents: Holiday Tour of the Star System Sol Elegantly appointed spacebus - every seat has a viewscreen! Ample photo opportunities A real live planetary Scientist will be your guide! FREE universal translator Ð99.95 Latinum Bars or Federation Credit equivalent Void where prohibited Close approach to Sol during a spectacular flare N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

2. Quark Presents: Holiday Tour of the Star System Sol Fly by each of Sol’s 9 planets (and selected moons) See all the major natural wonders of this Star System Optional 4-day extension on Terra (home of strange U-Manz creatures) N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

3. Quark’s Holiday Tour Part I: Sol overview; the outer planets Origin of Sol and its planets Properties of Sol Paired planets Pluto - Charon Jovian Planets Neptune Uranus Saturn Jupiter As seen by U-manz during a lunar eclipse on Terra Solar Corona N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

4. The Outer Planets of Sol Pluto Neptune Uranus Saturn Jupiter N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

5. Average size star Located in Milky Way Galaxy Formed by collapse of cold stellar nebula Radiates energy equal to 5 million tons of matter each second A middle-aged star - 4.6 billion years old Will burn 4 billion more years N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1999 SOL - THE STAR Quark’s Holiday Tour CORONA Prominence Radiative interior Convective Zone Core (Fusion) Sun Spots

6. Houghton-Mifflin - Dolgoff, 1998; N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1999 STELLAR NEBULAE Quark’s Holiday Tour Disk is gaseous ring with oxygen and nitrogen Disk is gaseous ring with oxygen and nitrogen Primitive solar systems condense from stellar nebulae like this one.

7. Condensation Hypothesis: A. Primitive solar nebula B. Nebula flattens, forms rotating disk, matter concentrates in center C. Disk cools, forms particles that grow into planetesimals - composition varies with temperature/distance from star D. Some planetesimals grow large enough to attract others. These collide and coalesce to become primitive planets. N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1999 ORIGIN OF PLANETS Quark’s Holiday Tour A B C D

8. PLUTO - CHARON Quark’s Holiday Tour Approaching the outer edge of the Solar System: Pluto and its moon Charon (“Karen”). Charon is half as big as Pluto - one of two paired planetary systems around this star. Pluto Charon N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

9. PLUTO - CHARON Quark’s Holiday Tour Charon is bluer than Pluto: they have different surface composition and structure Pluto has bright highlights: smooth reflecting surface layer Pluto and Charon always keep the same face towards each other AaaaaAaaaa N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

10. PLUTO - CHARON Quark’s Holiday Tour Pluto’s atmosphere: Nitrogen; some carbon monoxide, methane Usually frozen, except when closest to Sol in its irregular orbit Pluto’s density: 2.1 g/cm 3 more than Jovian planets (0.7-1.7) less than terrestrial planets (4-5.5) Pluto’s composition: probably about 70% rock, 30% water ice Charon Pluto N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

11. JOVIAN PLANETS Quark’s Holiday Tour Low densities - 0.7-1.7 g/cm 3 All have rings, although only Saturn’s are spectacular All have multiple small moons Most have small rocky cores and dense hydrogen-rich atmospheres Jupiter Saturn Neptune Uranus N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

12. NEPTUNE: Atmosphere Quark’s Holiday Tour Hydrogen and helium, minor methane Blue color caused by absorption of red light by methane Rapid winds confined to bands of latitude and huge storms or vortices Fastest winds in the Solar System: 2000 km/hr “Great Dark Spot” “Scooter” “Little Dark Spot”

13. NEPTUNE: Rings Quark’s Holiday Tour Barely visible rings are dispersed clots of dirty ice Unusual twisted structure of ring Outermost ring has three brighter arc- shaped clumps - no one knows why N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

14. NEPTUNE: Moons Quark’s Holiday Tour Triton is the largest of 8 known moons Triton is probably about 75% rock, 25% water ice Its surface is relatively young, with few impact craters (Neptune’s 7 other moons are small and not very interesting.) N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

15. NEPTUNE: Triton Quark’s Holiday Tour Volcanically active today (like Terra, Venus, Io) Ice Volcanoes erupt liquid nitrogen, dust, or methane compounds from beneath the surface Eruptions driven by seasonal solar heating N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

16. URANUS: Atmosphere Quark’s Holiday Tour Hydrogen (83%), helium (15%), methane (2%) Zoned into bands (visible in false color image) True color is blue-green due to absorption of red light by methane in upper atmosphere False color image shows brown haze or smog over the south polar region N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

17. URANUS: Rings Quark’s Holiday Tour Uranus has multiple faint rings of dark dust, ice, and boulders N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

18. URANUS: Moons Quark’s Holiday Tour A dozen small dark inner moons 5 large outer moons - named from the writings of Shakespeare and Pope, rather than classical mythology N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

19. URANUS: Miranda Quark’s Holiday Tour Half water ice, half rocks Mixed up surface: Heavily cratered terrain Grooves, valleys, cliffs Smooth plains Caused by repeated upwelling of melted ice? N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

20. SATURN Quark’s Holiday Tour Sol’s second largest planet Oblate shape - smaller across poles than equator Shape due to rapid rotation and fluid, low density state Radiates more energy into space than it receives from Sol N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

21. SATURN Quark’s Holiday Tour Interior - rocky core, surrounded by layers of: liquid metallic hydrogen molecular hydrogen Overall density: 0.7 g/cm 3 (less than water) N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

22. SATURN: Atmosphere Quark’s Holiday Tour Hydrogen (75%), helium (25%), traces of water, ammonia, methane Zoned atmosphere is sometimes marked by huge storms The Great Red Oval consists of gases that absorb more blue and violet light than the rest of the atmosphere - possibly brought up from deeper in the atmosphere N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

23. SATURN: Rings Quark’s Holiday Tour Most spectacular ring system in the Solar system Rings are ice particles, silt to boulder size Saturn with two of its moons Tethys Dione N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

24. SATURN: Moons Quark’s Holiday Tour 18 named moons (and at least a dozen more unnamed ones) Most are small, icy, low density Impact craters are visible on Dione N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

25. SATURN’S MOONS: Titan Quark’s Holiday Tour Size: larger than Mercury, slightly smaller than Mars The only satellite with a significant atmosphere Thick, opaque orange smog of nitrogen (>90%), argon (6%), traces of hydrocarbons (methane, ethane) N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

26. SATURN’S MOONS: Titan Quark’s Holiday Tour Surface: Light and dark areas - continents, oceans, impact craters? Oceans of liquid hydrocarbons Hydrocarbon rain N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

27. JUPITER Quark’s Holiday Tour Largest planet of Sol Twice the combined mass of the other planets Colors of outermost layers due to chemical reactions of trace elements like sulfur Colors correlate with cloud’s altitude: blue lowest, then browns and whites, reds highest N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

28. JUPITER: Energy Quark’s Holiday Tour Still undergoing gravitational contraction Gives off twice as much energy as it receives from Sol If a little larger, would have become a star itself N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

29. Hydrogen (90%), helium (10%), traces of water, ammonia, methane High velocity winds confined in wide bands of latitude. Winds blow in opposite directions in adjacent bands. Complex vortices (storms) at boundaries, turbulent to great depths and driven by internal heat. JUPITER: Atmosphere Quark’s Holiday Tour Great Red Spot N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

30. JUPITER: Atmosphere Quark’s Holiday Tour Great Red Spot A high pressure region whose cloud tops are higher and colder than surrounding regions Has persisted for over 300 years, according to historic records of the U-manz (or Terrans) N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

31. JUPITER: Rings Quark’s Holiday Tour Fainter, smaller, and darker than Saturn’s rings Mostly rock dust rather than ice N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

32. JOVIAN MOONS Quark’s Holiday Tour 16 known satellites: 12 small moons Four large “Galilean” moons: IoEuropaGanymedeCallisto N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

33. JOVIAN MOONS: Io Quark’s Holiday Tour Io’s surface is unique - very young lava flows of sulfur compounds, heated by Jupiter’s tidal action Lake of molten sulfur Smooth surface lacks impact craters N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

34. JOVIAN MOONS: Io Quark’s Holiday Tour The most volcanically active body around Sol Surface covered with calderas and lava flows of silicates and sulfur Some eruption plumes are 300 km high N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

35. JOVIAN MOONS: Callisto Quark’s Holiday Tour Callisto has an icy crust over a salt-water ocean Heated by radioactive decay A magnetic field is generated by circulation of the salt water N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

36. JOVIAN MOONS: Europa and Ganymede Quark’s Holiday Tour Ice tectonics rule the surface: Ridges and rafts of water ice formed when meltwater erupted, then froze Heated by Jupiter’s tides Rocky mantle of silicate rock with small metallic core Europa: ice ridges Ganymede N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998

37. Quark’s Holiday Tour Part II: the Inner Planets of Sol N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998 Mars Venus Terra Mercury Jupiter

38. Composition - All have: metallic core siliceous mantle basaltic crust Relatively dense: 4 - 5.5 g/cm 3 Different history from Jovians All shaped by: 1. Impact cratering 2. Volcanism 3. Tectonism 4. Erosion and deposition Houghton-Mifflin, Dolgoff, 1998; N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1999 Geology of Terrestrial Planets Quark’s Holiday Tour Terra (“Earth”) Venus Mars Luna (“Moon”) Mercury

39. A planet’s evolution is controlled by how long internal heat lasts Luna (Earth’s Moon) is small, became quiet 3 b.y. ago Terra (“Earth”) is large, stilll hot, remains dynamic today N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1999 Evolution of Terrestrial Planets Quark’s Holiday Tour

40. Venus - carbon dioxide Earth - nitrogen/oxygen Mars - carbon dioxide Venus - runaway greenhouse effect No plate tectonics Too much Solar energy Earth - plate tectonics recycles oxygen by subducting and remelting oceanic lithosphere and sediments Carbon dioxide trapped biogenically Size and mass just right to maintain internal heat that drives tectonic cycle Mars - water, oxygen locked up in rocks No plate tectonics Too small to hold dense atmosphere Houghton-Mifflin, Dolgoff, 1998; N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1999 Atmospheres - Venus, Earth, Mars Quark’s Holiday Tour

41. Crater Density and Age of Surface Many craters on older, original lunar crust (anorthosite brecciated by repeated impacts) Fewer craters on younger crust of basalt in the lunar mare (dark colored basins) Crater density provides relative dating for lunar surfaces N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1999 LUNA Quark’s Holiday Tour B A CD b.y. ago Crater Density (arbitrary units)

42. TERRA: Unique! Quark’s Holiday Tour Oxygen-rich atmosphere Over 70% surface is water Plate tectonics recycles oxygen and water Only known life in Solar System (but is it intelligent?) N. Lindsley-Griffin, 1998