Report On

Stars and Planets

( P r e p a re d u n d e r D i w a l i A s s i g n m e n t )

November-2010

O ver a ll G uid a nc e M r s. K umud ini Ba ng era

Hea d mis tre ss

Hor iz on Acad e my

Ga n gap ur R oad , Na s hik -13 .

P r ojec t I n c ha rg e M r s. Sa n g ita Ba dg uja r

Cla ss T eac he r

I CS E G rad e-I A

P rep a red By Ma s t. N eil P a rk he

S tud en t of I CS E

G r ad e- I A

S upp o rt By M r . Dig a mb a r Pa rk he &

M r s. Jy o ti P a rkhe

P a rent o f N eil

School Name

Horizon Academy
Gangapur Road, Nashik-13.
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 PREFACE

This is the Report on Stars and Planets and prepare it under

Diwali Assignment. This report deals with an introduction of
Our Solar System, Stars & Planets. Astronomy is a vast
subject that deals with celestial objects, space, and the
physical universe as a whole. Here my aim was only introduce
the stars and planets, but I also introduce the Universe, the
Galaxy and Our Solar System in short to understand an
existance of all celestial bodies.

In this report I describe the Stars, their birth, their death,

their life & type of stars. Here also describe the Planets,
definition, how they form, type of planets, their orbit around
the sun, facts & figure. For the preparation of report some
books & websites I referred, the address of books &
websites are also given here in reference Para.

I am very grateful to my Headmistress Mrs. Kumudini

Bangera and my Class teacher Mrs. Sangita Badgujar who
gave a chance to prepare this report and guide me. I special
thanks to my parents who really help me to prepare this
report. My parents help me to browse the data, to print the
report and binding the report. With their help only it was
possible to get prepare this report.

Neil Parkhe

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 CONTENTS

SR.
DESCRIPTION PAGE NO.
NO.
1.0 THE UNIVERSE 1
2.0 OUR GALAXY- MILKY WAY 1
3.0 SOLAR SYSTEM 2
3.1 The sun 3
4.0 STARS 4
4.1 Brightness of stars 4
4.2 Star colors 4
4.3 Birth of stars 4
4.4 Binary stars 5
4.5 Star clusters 5
4.6 Death of stars 5
4.7 White Dwarf Stars 6
4.8 Supernovas 6
4.9 Black holes 6
5.0 PLANETS 7
9 5.1 Dwarf planets 7
5.2 Mnemonic phrase 8
5.3 Facts & figure of planets 8
5.3.1 Mercury 10
5.3.2 Venus 10
5.3.3 Earth 11
5.3.4 Mars 12
5.3.5 Jupiter 13
5.3.6 Saturn 14
5.3.7 Uranus 15
5.3.8 Neptune 16
6.0 REFRENCES 17

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1.0 The Universe
The universe is a huge wide-open space that holds everything
from the smallest particle to the biggest galaxy. No one
knows just how big the Universe is. Astronomers try to
measure it all the time. They use a special instrument called a
spectroscope to tell whether an object is moving away from
Earth or toward Earth. Based on the information from this
instrument, scientists have learned that the universe is still
growing outward in every direction.
Scientists believe that about 13.7 billion years ago, a
powerful explosion called the Big Bang happened. This
powerful explosion set the universe into motion and this
motion continues today. Scientists are not yet sure if the
motion will stop, change direction, or keep going forever.

2.0 Our Galaxy-Milky Way

A galaxy is a system made up of billions of stars, like our Sun,
and there are probably more than one hundred billion galaxies
in the observable universe (The Universe which can see from
the Earth). The Milky Way consists of at least 200 to 400
billions stars. The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy. The
Milky Way is about 100 000 light years across. Our galaxy is
visible form Earth as a band of light in the night sky, but the
low surface brightness makes it difficult to see due to light
pollution.
Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy (Sister galaxy) and it
is about twice as big as the Milky Way. Andromeda is about
2.5 million light years away. The oldest star in Milky Way is
estimated to 13.2 billion years, nearly as old as the Universe
itself.

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 Suns orbit the Milky Way’s core at extremely high speeds
4800 meter per second. It would take our Earth 3 days only
to orbit around the Sun at that speed. There should be
hundreds of dwarfs, small galaxies, gravitationally bound to
the Milky Way, but only about 20 dwarfs have been observed.
Galaxies owe their existence to cold dark matter. This
matter does not emit any light, so you cannot observe it
directly.

The Milky Way-Our Galaxy

3.0 Solar system

The solar system is our Sun and everything that travels
around it. Our solar system is elliptical in shape. That means
it is shaped like an egg. The Sun is in the center of the solar
system. Our solar system is always in motion. Eight known
planets and their moons, along with comets, asteroids, and
other space objects orbit the Sun. The Sun is the biggest
object in our solar system. It contains more than 99% of the
solar system's mass. Astronomers think the solar system is
more than 4 billion years old.

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 Our Solar System

3.1 The Sun

The Sun is our closest star. It is a member of the Milky
Way galaxy. The Sun is a yellow dwarf star, which means it
is a medium size star. It is believed to be over 4 billion
years old. The Sun spins slowly on its axis as it revolves
around the galaxy. The center, or core, of the Sun is very
hot. A process called "nuclear fusion" takes place there.

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4.0 Introduction
Stars are mainly huge balls of gas held together by gravity
that give off light and heat. But there are also many
different kinds of stars. Stars have different colors, sizes,
and temperatures.

Stars in Sky

4.1 Brightness of Stars

When we observe them at night from Earth, they all look
as if they are all the same distance away from us, but
truly, all the stars are from different distances away. If
we just look at the star from Earth, we can't tell how
bright a star is.

4.2 StarColors
Of course, when you first look at a star, it seems that
they are all the same color. But while observing the
stars carefully, you can see a little color, such as a blue
and orange.

4.3 Birth of stars

A nebula is a cloud of gas and dust in space. Astronomers
think a star's explosion causes this cloud to spin. While
it is spinning and moving, gravity from the gases, rocks,
and dust pull itself together in the cloud. These things in

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 the center of the nebula become very tightly packed.
This causes the atoms of gas to fuse together. When
this happens, enormous amounts of energy are released.
The gases in the nebula then shine because of the
energy that was released. If the star turns out big or
small all depends on the amount of material in the cloud.

4.4 Binary Stars

Sometimes the cloud might have enough material to
create two stars or even more. Most nebulae seem to
create more than one star most of the time. When a
nebula creates two stars that orbit each other, they are
called binary stars. When a nebula forms more than two
stars that orbit around each other, they are called
multiple stars.

4.5 Star Clusters

Clusters of stars can form from one nebula and then
they live bounded together by gravity. They are called
globular (a cluster of stars that form a globe shape), or
open or galactic star clusters (star clusters that don't
have any specific shape).

4.6 Death of stars

Stars die in different ways. Stars might change size and
brightness over time but these are only minor changes. A
major change happens when a star runs out of fuel. That
is the end of its life. When the hydrogen in the middle
of the star is gone, the nuclear reaction stops and the
outward pressure from the star fades. When this
happens, the inward force and the outward force no
longer match, so the inward pressure shrinks the star.
This happens to all stars, but what happens next
depends on the star's mass and temperature.

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4.7 White Dwarf Stars
When the center of the star contracts enough, the
shrinking will stop. The star will brighten up again. A
planetary nebula will burst from the surface and is then
thrown outward. A planetary nebula is a sphere of gases.
After that, the only thing remaining is a small star that
will lose energy and become a white dwarf star. White
dwarf stars are the size of a planet. Stars smaller than
the sun will not create a planetary nebula, they will just
shrink to a white dwarf star.

4.8 Supernovas
Stars larger than the sun will experience much different
things when their nuclear reaction shuts down. These
kinds of stars go through a quick shutdown of their
nuclear reaction. If a star has more than eight to twelve
times the mass of the sun, it will shrink like the Sun, but
not for long. When the center of the star contracts to
where it can't anymore, a shockwave happens throughout
the star and throws out an irregular nebula. This is a
supernova. The thing remaining is a neutron core, a very
dense star that is as big as a city on Earth.

4.9 BlackHoles
If a star has more than ten times the mass of the Sun,
the remaining core from the supernova will shrink even
smaller than a neutron core. The more mass the star has,
the greater its gravity. The greater the gravity, the
more force there is to pull the star's outer layer inward.
The star will collapse so tightly that its gravity gets
greater and greater. The gravity will become so strong
that nothing can escape from it, even light can't escape
from it. This is called a black hole. Scientists don't
actually know if black holes do exist but a lot of
evidence supports the theory.
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5.0 Introduction
A planet is a large space object which revolves around a star.
It also reflects that star's light. Eight planets have been
discovered in our solar system. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and
Mars are the planets closest to the Sun. They are called the
inner planets. The inner planets are made up mostly of rock.
The outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
The outer planets are large balls of gases with rings around
them. Between the inner and outer planets is an asteroid belt.
Every planet, except for Earth, was named for an ancient
Roman god or goddess. Some of the planets have naturally
occurring satellites, or moons, while others do not. All eight
planets orbit the Sun in their own unique way. All eight
planets travel around the Sun in a different orbit. In its
orbit, there are not many other objects like the planet.

The Inner Planets The Outer Planets Dwarf Planets

(Terrestrial) (Gas Giant)
Mercury Jupiter Ceres
Venus Saturn Pluto
Earth Uranus Haumea
Mars Neptune Makemake
Eris

5.1 Dwarf planets

Dwarf planets are objects that are similar to planets except
that they orbit the Sun in areas where there are many similar
objects. Dwarf planet is a new class of astronomical objects.
After much debate, it was decided that to be a planet in our
solar system, an object must be in orbit around the Sun, have
enough mass so that it has become round in shape due to its

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 own gravity, and have cleared out its orbital path around the
Sun (so there are not similar objects to itself at roughly the
same distance from the Sun). Dwarf planets are not planets.
Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, makemake and Eris became the
members of this dwarf planet classification, and many others
are expected to follow.

5.2 Mnemonic phrase

The Eight planets in our solar system are Mercury, Venus,

Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Making up
a mnemonic phrase is a good way to remember the order of
the planets, from closest to the Sun to furthest away. In a
mnemonic phrase, the first letter of each word helps you
remember a list of things.
My Very Educated Mom Just Sent Us Noodle
E E A A U A R E
R N R R P T A P
C U T S I U N T
U S H T R U U
R E N S N
Y R E

Can you create other mnemonic phrases to help you remember

the order of the eight planets from the Sun? Use the magnet
board to design a new phrase.

5.3 Facts & Figures of Planets

Followings are the facts and figures of planets in our solar

system.

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 Fast Facts: Planets in our Solar System

Planet Color Moons Rings Gravitational Diameter Orbital Average Distance

Force in Miles Rotation period Atmosphere from the Sun in
Compared to period (years) Miles
Earth (days) (around the
sun)
Mercury gray 0 No 0.38 3,032 36,000,000
58.64 0.24 Minimal
Venus yellow-white 0 No 0.91 7,523 67,000,000
243.02 0.62 CO2, N2

Earth blue 1 No 1.00 7,928 93,000,000

1.00 1.00 N2, O2

Mars red 2 No 0.38 4,218 141,000,000

1.03 1.88 CO2, N2

Jupiter brown and 49 Yes 2.54 88,863 482,000,000

beige striped 0.41 11.86 H2, He

Saturn yellow and 52 Yes 1.16 74,916 885,000,000

brown 0.43 29.46 H2, He

Uranus green 27 Yes 0.91 31,771 1,780,000,000

0.72 84.01 H2, He

Neptune aqua (greenish 13 Yes 1.20 30,783 H2, He 2,788,000,000

blue) 0.67 164.8

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5.3.1 Mercury
Mercury is one of the smallest planets. Mercury is the
sun's closest neighbor. Its average distance from the sun is
58 million kilometers. Unlike most other planets, Mercury
has no moon. Its temperature during the day is 662*F, it is
so hot that lead would melt. But at night it is very cold, its
temperature is -275*F. Mercury is an airless, silent,
cratered planet.

Mercury

5.3.2 Venus
Venus is the second planet from the sun. It's average
distance from the sun is 67.6 million miles. It is called the
Sister Planet because it is almost the same size as Earth.
Venus was named after the Roman goddess of love. Venus is
7,565 miles in diameter. Venus's average temperature is
900*F! Unlike most other planets, Venus has no moon.
Venus's revolution around the sun is 225 days long, which is
strange because Venus's rotation is 243 days long. It is the
only planet in the solar system who has a rotation longer
than a revolution (a day longer than a year). If you were

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 born on Venus, you would be one year old and not one day
old yet!

Venus

5.3.3 Earth
Earth is the third planet from the sun. Earth's average
distance from the sun is 93 million miles. Earth is the only
planet which supports life in the solar system. Earth is a
planet of life. There are billions of species and other life
forms on Earth. 70 percent of the Earth is covered with
water. Water can't be found as a liquid on any other planet.
Earth's atmosphere is made up of mostly nitrogen and
oxygen. Our average temperature here on Earth is 60*F.
Earth has four seasons and they are caused by the tilt of
Earth's axis. Earth has only one moon which is 2155 miles in
diameter. Since the Earth only has one moon, it doesn't
have a name. The Moon is the only place humans have
visited besides Earth.

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 Earth

5.3.4 Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. Mars's average
distance from the sun is 142.4 million miles. Mars is nearly
half the size of Earth. It is 4,242 miles in diameter. Mars
is known as the red planet because of its color. Mars's year
is 687 Earth days long, almost 2 Earth years! But Mars's
day is only 24 hours and 37 minutes long, nearly the same as
ours. The atmosphere pressure is about 100 times less than
here on Earth. If people ever go to Mars, we will have to
wear spacesuits to protect ourselves from the low
temperatures and pressure. . There probably is water still
on Mars in the ice state. Mars has two moons, Phobos and
Deimos. Deimos is the smallest moon in our solar system.

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 Mars

Soil on Mars

5.3.5 Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun and the largest
planet in the solar system. Jupiter's average distance from
the sun is 483.6 million miles. Jupiter's gravitational pull is
318 times stronger than here on Earth. Jupiter's year is

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 almost 12 Earth years long, but its day is only 10 hours long,
which means it has the shortest rotational peroid (day) out
of all the planets. Jupiter was named after the leader of
the Roman gods. Jupiter is made up of helium and hydrogen,
like stars. Jupiter has very colorful clouds. There is Great
Red Spot is on Jupiter. Jupiter has three rings, together
they are a few miles thick and 5000 miles wide. Jupiter has
16 known moons, the largest four are known as the Galilean
satellites because they were discovered in 1610 by Galileo.

Jupiter

5.3.6 Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun. Saturn's average
distance from the sun is 887 million miles. Saturn is the
second largest planet in the solar system after Jupiter.
Saturn was also the most distant planet the ancient people
knew about. Saturn's day is almost 11 hours long, its year is
nearly 29.5 Earth years long. Like Jupiter, Saturn is made
up of hydrogen and helium gases. It has a complete ring
around Saturn. The rings are made up of chunks of rock and

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 ice in the shape of rings all moving around Saturn. Saturn
has at least 18 moons. Saturn has the most moons out of all
the planets in the solar system.Titan are a Saturn's largest
moon.

Saturn

5.3.7 Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun. Its average
distance from the sun is about 1.8 billion miles. Uranus was
discovered in 1781 by William Hershel. It is 31,945 miles in
diameter. Uranus's day is 17 hours and 12 minutes. Uranus's
year is about 84 Earth years long, and sometimes during
the orbital period, Uranus's south and/or north poles are in
total darkness. This is caused by Uranus's axial tilt of
977.9*, which makes it look like it is lying on its side as it
rotates. There is an "ocean" on Uranus made of water,
methane, and ammonia. Uranus has 11 rings around him. It is
completely different from the ones around Saturn and
Jupiter. Uranus has 15 moons in all, the five largest and
farthest from Uranus.

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 Uranus

5.3.8 Neptune

Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun. It was

discovered in 1846 by JG Galle. It was named after the
Roman god of the sea. Neptune's average distance from the
sun is 4.5 billion kilometers. Neptune is 30,760 in diameter.
Its year is 250 Earth years long. Neptune is called the
Windy Planet because it has the strongest winds of all the
planets. There, winds can blow up to 2,000 kilometers per
hour. Neptune has eight moons, two can be seen from
Earth. The Neptune's atmosphere is made of hydrogen,
helium, and methane. Neptune is covered with layers of
clouds. Scientist believes that Neptune's hot core is
responsible for all the winds, storms, and weather hanges.
When Voyager 2 visited Neptune, photographs showed that
Neptune's rings are complete.

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 Neptune

6.0 Refrences
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stars
• http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe
• The International Astronomical Union (IAU)
• http://library.thinkquest.org/J001665/quiz.html
• http://www.kidsastronomy.com/fun/quiz.htm
• http://www.123facts.com/trivia-quiz-details/The-
Astronomical-Quiz-3491.html
• http://www.cosmos4kids.com/files/stars_intro.html
• http://www.solarsystempictures.net/
• http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/universe_lev
el1/galaxies
• http://scienceray.com/astronomy/great-facts-about-the-
milky-way

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