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There are four main categories of classifications when determining the type of celestial body an object is. These classifications are: terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars), gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn), ice giants (Uranus and Neptune), and dwarf planets (Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake). Ceres at this current time is still ...
Upon completion of this chapter, you will be able to classify objects within the solar system, state their distances of in terms of light-time, describe the Sun as a typical star, relate its share of the mass within the solar system, and compare the terrestrial and Jovian planets.
Celestial bodies or heavenly bodies are objects in space such as the sun, moon, planets, and stars. They form a part of the vast universe we live in and are usually very far from us.
- 3 min
- Celestial bodies or heavenly bodies refer to the planets, stars, moons and all the other natural objects present in space.
- Celestial bodies or heavenly bodies include: 1) Planets 2) Stars 3) Satellites 4) Comets 5) Asteroids 6) Meteors and Meteorites 7) Galaxies
- Most of the asteroids are found in the asteroid belt which is a region between Mars and Jupiter.
- Comets are small chunks of ice and rock that come from the outer edge of the solar system. When its orbit brings it closer to the sun, the ice on t...
- The sun and our solar system are a part of the Milkyway galaxy.
- Unlike planets, stars produce their own source of light. Planets just reflect the light coming from another star like the sun.
First, we have the really big ones: clockwise from upper left, Earth, Mercury, Mars and Venus. Next, the four large moons of Jupiter: clockwise from upper left, Io, Europa, Callisto, Ganymede. Finally, three more large moons: Titan and Triton in the upper row, and, at lower left, the Earth's Moon.
- Mercury
- Venus
- Earth
- Mars
- Beyond The Solar System
- Non-Terrestrial Planets
- Additional Resources
- Bibliography
Mercuryis the smallest terrestrial planet in the solar system, about a third the size of Earth. It has a thin atmosphere, which causes it to swing between burning and freezing temperatures. Mercury is also a dense planet, composed mostly of iron and nickel with an iron core. Its magnetic field is only about 1 percent that of Earth's, and the planet...
Venus, which is about the same size as Earth, has a thick, toxic carbon-monoxide-dominated atmosphere that traps heat, making it the hottest planet in the solar system. Venus has no known moons. Much of the planet's surface is marked with volcanoes and deep canyons. The biggest canyon on Venus stretches across the surface for 4,000 miles (nearly 6,...
Of the four terrestrial planets, Earthis the largest, and the only one with extensive regions of liquid water. Water is necessary for life as we know it, and life is abundant on Earth — from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains. Like the other terrestrial planets, Earth has a rocky surface with mountains and canyons, and a heavy-metal core. ...
Marshas the largest mountain in the solar system, rising 78,000 feet (nearly 24 km) above the surface. Much of the surface is very old and filled with craters, but there are geologically newer areas of the planet as well. At the Martian poles are polar ice caps that shrink in size during the Martian spring and summer. Mars is less dense than Earth ...
During its lifetime, NASA's Keplerspace observatory discovered more than 2,300 confirmed alien planets — and thousands more possibilities — as of January 2019. Kepler ran out of fuel in 2018, but many of its possible planet discoveries still need to be confirmed with follow-up observations from other telescopes. Using the data from the telescope, s...
Not all planets are terrestrial. In our solar system, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are gas giants, also known as Jovian planets. It's unclear what the dividing line is between a rocky planet and a terrestrial planet; some super-Earths may have a liquid surface, for example. In our solar system, gas giants are much bigger than terrestrial pla...
For an in-depth look into our solar system, check out NASA's interactive Solar System Exploration webpage. The Planets: The Definitive Visual Guide to Our Solar Systemby DK, is also an excellent illustrative guide to all things planets.
Courtney Dressing et al, "The mass of Kepler-93b and the composition of terrestrial planets," The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 800, February 2015. Simon Grimm et al, "The nature of the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets", Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 813, May 2019, https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201732233. George Ricker et al, "Transiting Exoplanet Surv...
Jan 1, 2006 · There are a few groups of bodies: the Sun, giant planets, terrestrial planets (Earth, Venus, Mercury, and Mars), large and dense satellites (Io, the Moon, Europa), large and dense rocky planetoids (Pallas, Vesta) and then all the rest.
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Oct 18, 2023 · According to a definition issued by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2006, a planet is a celestial body that: orbits the Sun; possesses sufficient mass to assume a nearly spherical...
