Planet Earth

Formation of the Solar System

protostar circumstellar disk

planetesimals home

www.jwst.nasa.gov/birth.html Credit: Shu et al. 1987

 Composition of the Solar System
• Jovian planets: Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, Neptune
– Large masses & low densities.
– Mainly composed of gaseous H & He and
frozen C-H-N volatiles.
– Interiors may be similar to that of Earth
 Composition of the Solar System
• The inner, terrestrial planets: Small
masses & high densities.
– Mercury: No atmosphere. Similar in
composition to Earth.
– Venus: Dense atmosphere of CO2 & N.
Similar in composition to Earth.
– Earth: More about “us” later.
– Mars: Polar ice caps in winter – water?
Uniform chemical composition – i.e. no
iron core and silicate mantle as in Earth.
The Asteroids

www.aerospaceweb.org/
 Parts of earth
Shape – spheroid
Only planet to sustain life
Parts – atmosphere, lithosphere,
hydrosphere
 Atmosphere
• Outer gaseous part of earth
• Makes about 1-millionth part of total mass
• Gases are held around the planet by
gravitational pull
• Chemically, atmosphere is a mixture of
gases called as air
• Thermally, atmosphere shows interesting
variation in temperature with increasing
height.
 1. Troposphere
• Lower most zone rising upto an average
height of 11km
• Contains 9/10th total mass of atm.
• Its gases are responsible for weather
and meteorological process
• Important character – occurrence of
strong turbulence and thorough mixing
of gases
• Plays major role in sustaining life.
 2. Stratosphere
• 2nd layer, starting from tropopause and
extending to an average height of 50km.
• Temperature remains constant upto
20kms above tropopause and then starts
increasing.
• Contains entire concentration of ozone
gas (9 to 35km)
• Layered structure and no mixing or
turbulence of gases.
 3. Mesosphere
• 3rd thermal zone
• Begins at stratopause about 50km
from surface and continues upto a
height of 80kms
• Shows a deep fall of temperature
upto -100oC at upper limit of
mesosphere
 4. Thermosphere
• Starts above 80kms and extends upto
500km
• In this zone, temperature starts rising
again and reaches 1000oC and above
• Ionosphere : - contains electrically
charged ions
• Exosphere: - above 700kms; rarefied,
low-density and high temperature
region with minimum atomic collusions