Geography [2 Mark Question Answer]

Saturn. Saturn is the second-largest planet in the solar system. The planet itself is mostly made up of light gases and it is less dense than water. If Saturn were placed in a large ocean, it will float on water Scientists, however, believe that the planet may have a solid core.

Components of the Solar System: Our Solar System. consists of the Sun and its nine planets, major and minor, 63 satellites, a large number of very small planets called asteroids, millions of other heavenly bodies called meteors or shooting stars, and the scores of comets. All these components are held together by the Sun’s great gravitational pull.

Its equatorial diameter is 12,756 km and the polar diameter is 12,713 km. Its total area is 51.1 crore sq. km. The average distance between the Sun and the Earth is 14,88,00,000 km. No other planet has life. Its circumference is about 40,000 km.

Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun. It takes 248 years to orbit the Sun. Its distance from the Sun is about 6000 million km. Due to its extreme remoteness, it is the coldest planet of the Solar System.

Saturn is the second-largest planet in Solar System. The planet itself is mostly made up of light gases and-it is less dense than water. Saturn was placed in a large ocean, it will float on water. Scientists, however, believe that the planet may have a solid core.

Mercury is closer to the Sun than the Earth. Mercury lies at a distance of 59 million Kms from the Sun, while the distance between the Earth and the Sun is 150 million kms. Therefore, mercury takes less time to complete its orbit because its orbit is much shorter.

The unit used for measuring distances in the Universe is the light year. One light year is defined as the distance traveled by light in a vacuum in one year.
One light year = 95 × 1012 km

Venus is hotter than Mercury because the atmosphere around Venus is mainly composed of carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide produces Greenhouse effect on the surface of Venus. Thus, the tempreature on its surface remain very high.

The earth is so for the only planet which consists of life- system. It is due to its ideal average temperature of 17°C to support life and provide with atmosphere and hydrosphere to impart air and water essential for life.

In the beginning, at the time of evolution of the planets, the earth was also a body of burning clouds of gases and dust. After the cooling process, the heavy elements subsided downwards and the gases floated upwards and formed the atmosphere around the earth like a blanket.

The planets whose structure is similar to that of Jupiter are – called Jovian planets. They have ring systems around and have a large number of moons. They are of gaseous origin. Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are Jovian planets.

Members of the solar system include the Sun and everything that orbits it like planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,.Uranus, and Neptune), their satellites, asteroids, comets, interplanetary gas and dust.

The view of the earth's surface as seen from a height is circular. We can prove that the earth is a sphere by looking at the horizon as with increase in altitude, the circular horizon also widens. Had the earth's surface been flat, the horizon would have been the same irrespective of the altitude.

There are total of eight planets included in the solar system which revolve around the sun in their particular elliptical tracks. According to their distance from the sun from near to far, these are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Temperature — The earth is the third planet from the sun. It has an average temperature of 17°C which is suitable for life to exist. If the average temperature on the earth’s surface changes by only a few degrees, many species would perish due to extreme heat or cold.