A Comparison of the Planets in the Sol System
Shaun J.
Sci350
December 19, 2004
Introduction
Beginning Mercury, this paper will compare the nine planets and major moons
of our solar system and describe their individual characteristics. At the
end of this discussion, the habitability factor of these different worlds
will be discussed as compared to that of the Earth's.
A Brief History of the Sol System
By radiocarbon dating meteorites, we know that roughly 4.6 billion years
ago our solar system began. This happens when a cloud of gas and dust were
disturbed and squeezed by perturbations of the surrounding space, possibly
caused by an exploding supernova. As the cloud began to contract and spin
around a common center of gravity, it also began to heat. After about 10
million years of condensing and heating, our solar system began to take
shape. Towards the center of the cloud, it was hot with cooler areas at the
edge. It is possible that this......
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Approximate Word Count: 2459
Approximate Pages: 10 (260 words per double-spaced page) |