Planets

[docm]

The mutual gravitational attraction of its atoms for each other holds it together, the same way stars gain and hold mass. The sphere has the smallest surface area enclosing a given volume. Put a drop of a liquid in microgravity and it'll assume a sphere too. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[spacecrusader]

cool i never knew that

 

[fatal291]

it has come to my attention people may have thought i was being rude with my reply, im posting to tell you that it is not the case. I am just as much of an beginner astronomer as the next guy, i guess i just should have waited for a better person to explan the exact reason to you but at the time i thought i was being helpful..

 

[dragon04]

Saturn is not "light" it's just far less dense considering its diameter versus its mass.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>The sphere has the smallest surface area enclosing a given volume<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />*pedantic nitpick*<br /><br />Actually, Saturn is not spherical -- it's an oblate spheroid, same as the other major planets, but since it is so low density, it is the most oblate of the major planets. In fact, if you look closely at photos of it, your eye is able to tell. It's that squashed. This is a centrifuge effect; since it's rotating rapidly, it flattens out a bit like a hand-tossed pizza crust. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[cheese51]

How many planets are there in our solar system? Is there an up-to-date website to go to for this?

 

[doc3170]

8 Planets plus Pluto the dwarf planet. This site is a good start. <br /><br />http://www.nineplanets.org/ <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[weeman]

8 planets. No more Pluto <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /> Of course, as Doc said, it is still classified as a Dwarf Planet. <br /><br />Now that we've covered that, what order do the planets go in?<br /><br />Mnemonics are always a helpful tool for memorization. When Pluto was still a part of the bunch, a well known mnemonic was:<br /><br />"My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas."<br /><br />Of course, with no Pluto, it would now have to be:<br /><br />"My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nectarines."<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000">Techies: We do it in the dark. </font></strong></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>"Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.</strong><strong>" -Albert Einstein </strong></font></p> </div>

 

[kelvinzero]

Im guessing you also mean dwarf planets?<br /><br />I really like the wiki list though I guess it is not the most up to date: (this includes moons)<br /><br />List of solar system objects by radius <br /><br />That isnt a complete list by any means. I expect they stopped counting for objects below some size or for which we did not have enough information to speculate. they also have lists by mass and other interesting ones, eg list of transneptunian objects. If you follow their references you may find some more up to date source but the wiki site is still great to browse

 

[doc3170]

A couple of free downloads you might want to check out...<br /><br />Celestia. Planetary Software that maps the Solar System. <br /><br />http://www.shatters.net/celestia/<br /><br />Google Earth. Satelite imagery of Earth, & sky application with Hubble pics. <br /><br />http://earth.google.com/<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

Let's not forget Ceres, the other Dwarf Planet <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[doc3170]

Thanks MW. I was misinformed. I thought Ceres was a large asteroid. Here's the wiki on Ceres, very interesting. <br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet) <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

And also, my bad, I forgot the 3rd Dwarf Planet, Eris <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[weeman]

Very interesting indeed. I had no idea that it may posess a liquid ocean! I have one question about it.<br /><br />Considering that it holds 1/3 of the asteroid belt's total mass, is it possible that Ceres could ever grow in size and become a full-fledged planet? If it were to sweep up smaller asteroids in its path, and grow in mass, could it ever clear enough of the asteroid belt to become as massive as Mercury or a small Mars? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000">Techies: We do it in the dark. </font></strong></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>"Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.</strong><strong>" -Albert Einstein </strong></font></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

No not really possible. First, it's not really massive enough to "sweep up" anything.<br />Second, the orbits of objects in the asteroid belt rarely intersect; once every many millions of years a substantial impact occurrs, and because of the velocity difference, it tends to shatter the objects, not absorb them.<br /><br />Finally, even if it did sweep up the whole asteroid belt, it wouldn't even be as heavy as Pluto, never mind the Moon, Mars or Mercury. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[cheese51]

Thank you all so much!

 

[bdewoody]

You just did someones homework for him lol <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em><font size="2">Bob DeWoody</font></em> </div>

 

[weeman]

Cool. That's what we're all here for. At least I have the satisfaction of knowing that somewhere out there, someone is getting a good grade in their science class because of something I told them <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000">Techies: We do it in the dark. </font></strong></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>"Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.</strong><strong>" -Albert Einstein </strong></font></p> </div>

 

[symbolite]

Mercury -> Venus -> Earth -> Mars -> Ceres (dwarf in asteroid belt) -> Jupiter -> Saturn -> Uranus -> Neptune -> Pluto (dwarf) -> Eris (dwarf) <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[derekmcd]

How does that mnemonic work when Pluto is closer than Neptune <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" />. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#0000ff" class="Apple-style-span">"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</span></div> </div>

 

[alokmohan]

Pluto is eccenric character movig aimlesslyDont thing of him.