The Solar System

Robert Harvey BA ARPS EFIAP CENV CSCI MCIWEM is a Chartered Natural Scientist and an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society. He chases elusive astronomical phenomena around the world and leads landscape astrophotography tours and courses in Britain and overseas.

Contents includes:

Introduction

THE SUN
Contains most of the Solar System’s mass

MERCURY AND VENUS
Closest planets to the Sun
Impact craters and ridges on Mercury’s
surface
Venus is hottest planet, with numerous
volcanoes

EARTH AND MOON
The only planet where life is know to exist
Only planet with plate tectonics Asteroids

MARS
Iron oxide in the soil gives it a red appearance
Atmosphere mainly carbon dioxide Surface volcanoes
Rift valleys
Two satellites: Deimos and Phobos

JUPITER AND ITS MOONS
2.5 times the mass of all other planets combined
79 satellites, including: Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa
Great Red Spot Cloud bands

SATURN AND ITS MOONS
Ring system
82 confirmed satellites, including Titan
(second-largest moon in Solar System) and Enceladus

URANUS AND NEPTUNE
Uranus has 27 known satellites, including:
Titania, Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel,
and Miranda
Neptune has 14 satellites: The
largest, Triton, is geologically active,
with geysers of liquid nitrogen
Neptune trojans

MINOR PLANETS, ASTEROIDS AND COMETS
Dwarf planets – Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Makemake and Haumea
Asteriod belt
Kuiper belt
Centaurs
Comets
Scattered disc

Index