Whether you’re curious about Pluto or the origins of our solar system you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a brief rundown of exoplanets from the first confirmed ones discovered in 2009 to the latest. The majority of these planets were detected indirectly. Some of these have been observed directly by scientists while others were detected indirectly by using radio emissions. So how many planets are there in the universe?
Pluto
Depending on how you define ‘planet’ there are many different answers to the question: ‘How many planets are in the universe?’ The number of planets in our solar system is estimated at nine with Pluto being the smallest. Pluto has a rocky surface and its moon Charon is only about half its size. There are also eight planets in our solar system including Pluto but they are classified as dwarf planets. Pluto’s moon Ceres and Eris are also dwarf planets.
When we first studied the planets we only knew of four including Earth. Initially we only saw the planets Mercury Venus and Earth. But then in the 1840s and 1930s several more planets were discovered. The number of planets was initially thought to be nine but that number was reduced to eight by 2006. In 2006 the International Astronomical Union outlined criteria that constitute a planet. The criteria included orbiting a star being rounded in shape and not having any other bodies in its orbit. Pluto did not meet the last criterion so modern astronomers think there are eight planets in our solar system.
The solar system contains eight planets but a planet that is 10 times more massive than Pluto would be a dwarf planet. In fact Pluto has just been demoted to the ninth planet. Observational evidence has also hinted at the existence of another planet beyond Neptune. These objects are thought to be part of the Kuiper Belt a region of planetary debris that may hold planets 10 times the size of Earth.
Earth’s uniqueness
We’ve long known about Earth’s uniqueness in the universe but have you ever wondered what that means? We’ll discuss the answer to that question in this article. Then we’ll look at some facts about our planet. After reading this article you’ll know why we love our home planet so much. After all it’s not just us who are unique – we’re part of a larger community.
There are many reasons for Earth’s uniqueness in the universe from its abundance of liquid water to its location in a foreign galaxy. The Earth’s mantle is composed primarily of silicon iron magnesium and oxygen. Oxygen the most abundant element is found in the deepest parts of the Earth’s crust and mantle. Iron and magnesium are also present but these elements are rare.
In the Bible God declares that he created the world so that human life could flourish. This simple statement carries enormous meaning. It is only when we study the Earth’s uniqueness in the universe that we recognize the profound meaning behind it. We know that there are a limited number of planets in the universe but a vanishingly small fraction of that area is habitable. That is why we don’t see many stars so we don’t see them.
Evolution of life on Earth
The rapid evolution of life on Earth has led scientists to conclude that life originated on planets in other parts of the universe and that they are not merely clumped together. The rapid evolution of life on Earth took place during an age of ozone and oxygen. However scientists are not quite sure how many planets there are or what they represent. There are three major domains of life.
The development of complex life takes billions of years and major disasters can wipe out many species. However it is important to understand that life on Earth was only possible because of the circumstances that allowed it to grow and spread. The Earth’s early stages were so hot that life could not survive. Geological evidence dated back 3.4 billion years. The evolution of life on Earth is a complex process and complex life developed from single-celled organisms to complicated forms.
While many people believe that evolution refers to biological evolution scientists have also observed evolution in the processes that form stars planets and galaxies. In the late 19th century astronomer Edwin Hubble made an important discovery. The observations that he took showed that distant stars were receding from the Earth in all directions and the rate of recession increased with distance. He further confirmed these findings with repeated measurements.
Origin of our solar system
The first theory for the origin of our solar system is called the nebular hypothesis. This theory proposes that the solar system began as a spinning nebula with the sun at its center and planets at varying distances from the sun. It is believed that these planets formed in the early solar system because there was no space for anything else to accrete and the nebular hypothesis explains that the outer planets are made from frozen gases that vaporized during the formation process.
As the sun’s light warmed the objects in the inner solar system the volatiles were blown out. When they reached the outer solar system they were stripped of all but the densest elements. This process created planets with varying densities. Despite their differences in composition the outer planets are composed primarily of metals and rocks. This process led to the formation of a stable solar system.
The second theory posits that our solar system formed through a massive bombardment roughly 3.9 billion years ago. Exactly where the material came from is not known but it is likely that it originated from the Oort cloud or Kuiper belt. The asteroid belt is unlikely to have accounted for all of these objects. In either scenario however both theories have their place. It’s important to note that scientists disagree on whether the asteroid belt formed after the bombardment.
Size of our solar system
The diameter of our solar system in the universe is largely a matter of perspective. It can be measured as the distance between the Earth and the farthest planet orbit or as the distance to the outermost observable object. This article will consider all three options and how far they differ. If we take the farthest planet orbit as our starting point our solar system is approximately 34 billion miles (55 billion km) across.
The Sun dominates local space out to two light-years (AU). Its gravity stretches the region out to more than a million light-years from the Sun. Pluto is the smallest dot in the diagram. The Oort cloud sits at more than 100000 AU away but is considered a part of our solar system. So how do we know how big our solar system is in the universe?
The Milky Way galaxy is between 100000 and 120000 light-years across and contains 200 to 400 billion stars. The discovery of other galaxies by the telescope of Edwin Hubble and subsequent creation of an astronomical classification system confirmed that there are at least 170 billion galaxies in the universe. Many of these stars are part of clusters including globular clusters which are made up of hundreds or thousands of old stars.
Distance from the sun
The distance between a planet and the sun is expressed as a number called the astronomical unit (AU). AU is the average distance from Earth to the Sun which is 149600000 kilometers or 92957000 miles. The number 1 corresponds to the Earth so AUs for planets far away are greater than one and those closer to Earth are less. Scientists create models to explain complex processes or ideas.
The solar system consists of eight major planets and innumerable smaller bodies called dwarf planets. Each of the six major planets has its own natural satellites which are commonly referred to as moons. Some of these objects are much larger than the moon and are encircled by planetary rings. Other smaller bodies are categorized as asteroids and are found in the Kuiper Belt which contains many icy objects.
In a classroom activity students estimate the relative distances of the planets from the Sun. After making calculations for the distances of each planet students must convert these numbers into centimeters. Then students must recreate the model using the answer key. It is important to note that the distances between the planets change constantly due to the ellipticity of their orbits. Therefore students may want to work in groups of two or three to ensure that they have the correct numbers.
