Earth in The Universe
Earth in The Universe
The Universe
• The universe is made up of many
galaxies.
• Galaxies are made up of many stars.
• Some stars have planetary systems
similar to our solar system.
• Earth is a satellite planet of one
particular star…. our Sun.
Where is our solar system
located?
• Our solar system is located in the Milky
Way Galaxy.
• The Milky Way is part of a cluster of
about 30 other galaxies.
Building Our Milky Way
• The central bulge is at the center.
• Spiral arms are around the central
bulge. They contain mostly blue stars,
gas and dust.
• The Earth is located in one of the spiral
arms.
• There are blue stars and red stars in
our galaxy.
• Blue stars are young and hot stars.
• Red stars are old and cool stars.
Where is the Earth located?
• Earth is the 3rd planet from the Sun in
our solar system.
Is the Earth Round?
• Technically, Earth is an oblate spheroid.
Perihelion
(a) The planet’s position in it’s orbit where it is closest to
the Sun.
(b) The speed is fastest at perihelion
Aphelion
(a) The planet’s position in it’s orbit where it is farthest from
the Sun.
(b) The speed is slowest at aphelion
Earth’s Orbit
Kepler’s Third Law of Planetary Motion