SOLAR SYSTEM

Done by:
Nicole
Antony
10-F
Roll no. 17

SUN
The English proper nameSundeveloped fromOld Englishsunneand may be related tosouth. Cognates to
Englishsunappear in otherGermanic languages, includingOld Frisiansunne,sonne,Old Saxonsunna,Middle
Dutchsonne, modernDutchzon,Old High Germansunna, modern GermanSonne,Old Norsesunna,
andGothicsunn. All Germanic terms for the Sun stem fromProto-Germanic*sunnn.
The English weekday nameSundaystems from Old English (Sunnandg; "Sun's day", from before 700) and is
ultimately a result of aGermanic interpretationof Latindies solis, itself a translation of the Greek
(hmra hlou).The Latin name for the Sun,Sol, is not common in general English language use; the adjectival
form is the related wordsolar. The termsolis also used by planetary astronomers to refer to the duration of
asolar dayon another planet, such asMars.A meanEarthsolar day is approximately 24 hours, whereas a mean
Martian 'sol' is 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35.244 seconds.
Religious aspects
Main article:Solar deity
Solar deities and Sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms, including the
EgyptianRa, the HinduSurya, the JapaneseAmaterasu, the GermanicSl, and the AztecTonatiuh, among others.
From at least the4th DynastyofAncient Egypt, the Sun was worshipped as the godRa, portrayed as a falconheaded divinity surmounted by the solar disk, and surrounded by a serpent. In theNew Empireperiod, the Sun
became identified with thedung beetle, whose spherical ball of dung was identified with the Sun. In the form of
the Sun discAten, the Sun had a brief resurgence during theAmarna Periodwhen it again became the
preeminent, if not only, divinity for thePharaohAkhenaton.
The Sun is viewed as a goddess inGermanic paganism,Sl/Sunna. Scholars theorize that the Sun, as a Germanic
goddess, may represent an extension of an earlierProto-Indo-EuropeanSun deity because ofIndo-European
linguisticconnections between Old NorseSl,SanskritSurya,GaulishSulis,LithuanianSaul, andSlavicSolntse.
In ancient Roman culture,Sundaywas the day of the Sun god. It was adopted as theSabbathday by Christians
who did not have a Jewish background. The symbol of light was a pagan device adopted by Christians, and
perhaps the most important one that did not come from Jewish traditions. In paganism, the Sun was a source of
life, giving warmth and illumination to mankind. It was the center of a popular cult among Romans, who would
stand at dawn to catch the first rays of sunshine as they prayed. The celebration of the winter solstice (which
influenced Christmas) was part of the Roman cult of the unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus). Christian churches were
built with an orientation so that the congregation faced toward the sunrise in the East.

MERCURY
Mercury(0.4AUfrom the Sun) is the closest planet to the
Sun and the smallest planet in the Solar System (0.055
Earth masses). Mercury has no natural satellites; besides
impact craters, its only known geological features are lobed
ridges orrupesthat were probably produced by a period of
contraction early in its history. Mercury's very tenuous
atmosphere consists of atoms blasted off its surface by the
solar wind.Its relatively large iron core and thin mantle
have not yet been adequately explained. Hypotheses
include that its outer layers were stripped off by a giant
impact; or, that it was prevented from fully accreting by the
young Sun's energy.

VENUS

Venus(0.7 AU from the Sun) is close in size to Earth (0.815

Earth masses) and, like Earth, has a thick silicate mantle
around an iron core, a substantial atmosphere, and
evidence of internal geological activity. It is much drier than
Earth, and its atmosphere is ninety times as dense. Venus
has no natural satellites. It is the hottest planet, with
surface temperatures over 400C(752F), most likely due
to the amount ofgreenhouse gasesin the atmosphere.No
definitive evidence of current geological activity has been
detected on Venus, but it has no magnetic field that would
prevent depletion of its substantial atmosphere, which
suggests that its atmosphere is being replenished by
volcanic eruptions.

EARTH
Earth (1 AU from the Sun) is the largest and densest of the
inner planets, the only one known to have current
geological activity, and the only place wherelifeis known to
exist.Its liquidhydrosphereis unique among the terrestrial
planets, and it is the only planet whereplate tectonics has
been observed. Earth's atmosphere is radically different
from those of the other planets, having been altered by the
presence of life to contain 21% freeoxygen.It has one
natural satellite, theMoon, the only large satellite of a
terrestrial planet in the Solar System.

MARS
Mars(1.5AU from the Sun) is smaller than Earth and Venus
(0.107 Earth masses). It has an atmosphere of
mostlycarbon dioxidewith a surface pressure of 6.1
millibars (roughly 0.6% of that of Earth).Its surface,
peppered with vast volcanoes, such asOlympus Mons, and
rift valleys, such asValles Marineris, shows geological
activity that may have persisted until as recently as 2
million years ago. Its red color comes fromiron oxide(rust)
in its soil. Mars has two tiny natural satellites
(DeimosandPhobos) thought to be capturedasteroids.

JUPITER
Jupiter(5.2AU), at 318 Earth masses, is 2.5 times the mass
of all the other planets put together. It is composed largely
ofhydrogen andhelium. Jupiter's strong internal heat
creates semi-permanent features in its atmosphere, such as
cloud bands and theGreat Red Spot. Jupiter has67 known
satellites. The four largest,Ganymede,Callisto,Io,
andEuropa, show similarities to the terrestrial planets, such
as volcanism and internal heating.Ganymede, the largest
satellite in the Solar System, is larger than Mercury.

SATURN
Saturn (9.5AU), distinguished by its extensivering system,
has several similarities to Jupiter, such as its atmospheric
composition and magnetosphere. Although Saturn has 60%
of Jupiter's volume, it is less than a third as massive, at 95
Earth masses. Saturn is the only planet of the Solar System
that is less dense than water.The rings of Saturn are made
up of small ice and rock particles. Saturn has62 confirmed
satellitescomposed largely of ice. Two of
these,TitanandEnceladus, show signs of geological
activity.Titan, the second-largest moon in the Solar System,
is larger than Mercury and the only satellite in the Solar
System with a substantial atmosphere.

URANUS
Uranus(19.2AU), at 14 Earth masses, is the lightest of the
outer planets. Uniquely among the planets, it orbits the Sun
on its side; itsaxial tiltis over ninety degrees to theecliptic.
It has a much colder core than the other giant planets and
radiates very little heat into space.Uranus has27 know
satellites, the largest ones
beingTitania,Oberon,Umbriel,Ariel, andMiranda

NEPTUNE
Neptune(30.1 AU), though slightly smaller than Uranus, is
more massive (equivalent to 17 Earths) and hence
moredense. It radiates more internal heat, but not as much
as Jupiter or Saturn.Neptune has14 known satellites. The
largest,Triton, is geologically active, withgeysersofliquid
nitrogen.Triton is the only large satellite with aretrograde
orbit. Neptune is accompanied in its orbit by severalminor
planets, termedNeptune Trojans, that are in
1:1resonancewith it.