PV Gap

Jimmy Said:

Where did the gravitational force in the Solar system originate from?

We Answered:

The only way to understand the current consensus on how it works is by reading the book "The Elegant Universe" or one like it. Essentially matter warps space and that causes objects that would be traveling straight to curve.

Benjamin Said:

What is a good solar system colonization novel series?

We Answered:

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Great book. Basically the people of Earth move to Mars and live with the Martians. Check it out.

Julie Said:

What Is The Biggest Mountain In The Whole Solar System?

We Answered:

The biggest known moutain in the universe, which is also on Mars, is Olympus Mons. The longest moutain chain in the universe is the Mid-Ocean ridge and is over 47,000 miles long.

Norman Said:

How wide is the solar system in light years?

We Answered:

About 200 AU. This is just a loose approximation or best guess. Even the definition of where the Heliopause is is uncertain (check the wikipedia article on it). The Voyager craft have crossed a few boundaries on the way, hitting the Termination shock and entered the Heliosheath (before the heliopause) at about 85-95 AU (in radius, double for diameter)

It takes light about 8 minutes to travel 1 AU (from the Sun to Earth), so multiply 8 minutes by 200 and you'll have the tiny fraction of a light-year that the Solar System is across.

Adam Said:

What is the temperature out side a solar system?

We Answered:

Q1: It depends.

Firstly, one has to be careful about terminology.
Where does our Solar System 'end'?

Is it the orbit of Pluto?

The Edgeworth-Kuiper belt?

Perhaps the magnetopause?

All of these are equally valid ways to mark the edge of the Solar System, but all of these regions lie at different distances from the Sun and have different densities.

Densities?

Yes. Space is not a perfect vacuum. A tenuous mist of elementary particles and quanta pervades all space. The density and temperature of this low-density gas depends on where you are and what's around you.

At the very low densities of interstellar space (midway between stars, say) then it is not really meaningful to speak of temperature - temperature is a measure of how heat is concentrated in an object - the particles in deep space are so few and far between that they are essentially unconnected.

A cosmic ray particle, for example, can travel light years without being scattered. So if one were to be struck by such a particle (and they can deliver a fair amount of energy) would you class this as part of the local environment, or as something from further away?

For dense objects that *can* have a meaningful temperature, well, we know the temperatures (from microwave and deep infra-red observations) of many objects such as gas clouds, that lie far beyond our Solar System.

I suggest a little research may answer some of your questions:

http://www.astrophysicsspectator.com/top…

and

http://www.astrophysicsspectator.com/top…

Oh, and if you get stuck, there's wikipedia and Google - both invaluable resources.

Arthur Said:

What is the difference from solar system and Ptolemy's astronomy?

We Answered:

i believe ptolemy thought the sun + all other stuff rotated around earth. I mite be wrong though

Audrey Said:

What is the HELIOCENTRIC model of the solar system?

We Answered:

Heliocentric

Helio = sun
centric = centered

Heliocentric means sun centered model of the solar system.

Stellar parallax can be used to determine if heliocentrism is correct because if stellar parallax is observed, the earth cannot be at the center of the solar system and has to be orbiting something. If the earth were stationary there would be no parallax effect.