CHAPTER 12 SOLAR SYSTEM 太阳系

1 The Solar System consists of planets 星球 which orbit 依轨道绕 the Sun.
2 The Sun is the centre 中心 of the Solar System.

Comparison 相比 of Planet Distances 距离 in the Solar System from the Sun

1 Astronomical unit (AU)天文单位
Astronomical unit (AU) represents 代表 the average 平均 distance from the centre of the Earth to the centre
of the Sun.

1 astronomical unit (AU) =150 million km =1.5 x 108 km

1.5 亿

2 Light year (ly)光年

A light year is the distance travelled 走 by light through vacuum 真空 in one year.
The symbol 标志 of light year is ly.

1 light year = 9.5 x 1012 km 9.5 兆

1 light year = 63 000 AU

Converting 转换 units between Astronomical Unit, Light Years and Kilometres

Example 1
The average distance of Mars from the Sun is about 2.28 x 108 kilometres
What is the distance in astronomical units?

Solution:
Distance of Mars from the Sun = = 1.52 AU
Hence, Mars is 1.52 AU times further from Sun than the Earth.

Example 2
The distance of Saturn from the Sun is 1.43 x 103 kilometres
What is the distance in ly?

Solution:
The distance of Saturn from the Sun == = 1.51 x 10 – 4 ly

Hence, the distance of Saturn from the Sun is 1.51 x 10 – 4 ly

Planets in the Solar System

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 Planet Types of planet Characteristics Diagram
Mercury Terrestrial planet • The closest 最靠近 planet to the Sun
水星 类地行星 • The smallest 最小 planet in the Solar System
• The surface is similar to the surface of the
moon 月球 because of the presence of asteroid
小行星 craters 陨石坑
• No atmosphere 没有大气层
• The sky 天空 looks dark 黑暗
Venus Terrestrial planet • The second closest planet to the Sun
金星 • It is known as the 'greenhouse effect 温室效
应’ because it has high contents of carbon
dioxide. The trapped 困住 heat can reach
460oC
• The Sun rises from the west because Venus
rotates 旋转 from the east to the west
• Size 大小 and age 年龄 are the same with the
Sun
Earth Terrestrial planet • The third planet from the Sun
地球 • It has atmosphere, so there are living things
on the Earth

Mars Terrestrial planet • The fourth planet from the Sun

火星 • It is known as the red planet
• It: has 2 moons: Phobos and Demos
• It consists of dusts and red sands, polar
region has frozen ice and carbon dioxide

Jupiter Gas planet • The fifth planet from the Sun

木星 气体星球 • The biggest planet
• It has strong gravitational force 地心引力
• It diverts 转移 an object to avoid from
colliding 碰撞 with the Earth
Saturn Gas planet • The sixth planet from the Sun
土星 • The second biggest planet
• It has a ring 环 system that consists of ices 冰
and rocks 岩石
• There are 62 moons that orbit Saturn
Uranus Ice planet • The seventh planet from the Sun
天王星 冰星球 • The third biggest planet
• It has a ring system
• It has many moons
• The axis of rotation tilts 倾斜 to the side
• Blue-green coloured 蓝绿色
Neptune Ice planet • The eighth planet from the Sun
海王星 • A giant ice and gas planet
• The furthest 最远 from the Sun
• Pale blue 淡蓝 in colour
• Has a ring

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 Complete revolution 公转 complete rotation 自转

The Relationship 关系 between Temperature of a Planet and the Sun

1 Planets that are closer 比较靠近 to the Sun have higher surface temperature.
2 Planets that are further away 远离 from the Sun have lower surface temperature.

The Relationship between Density 密集度 and Gravitational Force 吸引力 of the Planets
1 The gravitational force on the surface of a planet depends on the mass 质量 and density of the planet.
2 The gravitational force of the Earth is 9.8 m s -2.
3 The gravitational force of Mercury and Mars are weaker 比较弱 than the Earth.
4 The gravitational force of Venus is almost the same as the Earth because the mass and density are almost
same as the mass of the Earth.
5 The gravitational force of Jupiter is very strong because the mass is very high and its density is very low.
6 Although Saturn, Uranus and Neptune have the same mass, the gravitational force are not as strong
compared to the Earth because the planets have gases and low density.

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The Relationship between Distance, Time and Speed
1 Planets that are far away from the Sun have larger orbits.
2 Hence, a longer time is required to revolve 围绕 the Sun in an orbit.
3 For example, Mercury takes 88 days while Neptune takes 164.8 years to orbit the Sun.

Rotational Direction 旋转方向 of the Planets

1 All planets rotate from west 西 to east 东 except 除了 for Venus that rotates from east to west and Uranus
rotates on its side.
2 Planets that rotate from west to east will cause the Sun to rise 升 from the east and sets 落 in the west.
3 Planets that rotate from east to west will cause the Sun to rise from the west and sets in the east.

Hypothetical 假设 Situations 情况 Related to the Solar System

What will happen if the Earth rotates slowly or the Earth stops rotating?
If the rotation of the Earth becomes slower,
• a day will exceed 超过 24 hours

If the Earth stops rotating,

• daytime 白天 and night-time 夜晚 events will not take place 发生 alternately 交替
• the side of the Earth that faces 面向 the Sun will experience 经历 daytime 白天 all the time 整天 and this
area will become very hot
• the side of the Earth that is not facing the Sun will experience night-time all the time and becomes very
cold
• tides 潮汐 will change

Natural satellite 天然卫星

1 The moon is the natural satellite of the Earth.
2 A natural satellite is a body that surrounds 围绕 a planet within its orbit. 轨道
3 The moon rotates on its axis 轴 and orbits around the Earth.
4 The period of a moon’s rotation on its axis 自转 and revolution 公转 around the Earth is the same, which
is 27 days.
5 So, the same surface of the moon will face the Earth at all times.

The Earth Supports 支撑 Living Things

1 The Earth is the only planet that has living things 生物.
2 This is because the Earth
(a) has gravitational force 地心引力 to pull 拉 objects towards 向 the Earth
(b) has water to supply 提供 the needs 需要 for living things
(c) has oxygen for the process of respiration 呼吸作用
(d) has a suitable 适宜的 temperature range 温度范围
(e) has an atmosphere 大气层 to protect 保护 the surface of the Earth from excessive 过多的 ultraviolet rays
紫外线
(f) obtain 获取 sunlight for photosynthesis 光合作用

Ecological Footprint 生态足迹

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1 An ecological footprint is the measurement for the sustainability 可持续性 of nature.自然

2 The ecological footprint measures:

(a) The ability 能力 of water and land to provide continuous 持续 sources 资源 for humans
(b) The ability of the Earth to absorb all human wastes 排泄物
(c) The ability of the Earth to reproduce 繁殖 used resources

3 If an ecological footprint exceeds 超出 the ability of the Earth to renew 更新 its resources, the Earth will
run out 耗尽 of resources 资源 and becomes unsustainable 不能再持续.

4 Besides 除了 from measuring carbon footprint, ecological footprint also measures the ratio of resources
for
(a) building areas 建筑业
(b) forests 森林
(c) agricultural areas 农业
(d) livestock farms 牧场
(e) fisheries 渔业

5 To reduce the ecological footprint, we should

• reduce 减少 the use of fossil fuels 化石燃料, water and electricity 电
• recycle 在循环 and reuse 再用 materials chat are made of plastics, glasses and metals
• use green products 绿色产品 chat are environmentally-friendly 环保的 and energy efficient 高效节
能
• use alternative energies 替代能源 widely 广泛 such as solar energy 太阳能 and wind energy 风能
• use public transports 公共交通 to reduce the release 释放 of carbon 碳