Q&A for How to Draw the Solar System

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  • Question
    How do people know that it is a new asteroid rather than the same asteroid discovered twice?
    Community Answer
    Because astronomers check the "orbital elements" of the asteroid - stuff like how far away it is, if it's moving in a circle or an ellipse, and how long it takes - and see if they're the same as those of an existing asteroid. Two asteroids can't have the same orbital elements or they'd be in the same place.
  • Question
    Which color do I have to apply to the chart paper before drawing the solar system?
    Community Answer
    It is up to you, but you should probably choose black or some sort of dark blue color. It really helps with drawing the planets.
  • Question
    What is the color of outer space?
    Community Answer
    It would be black with scattered white areas. Stars look white to the eye in space, but the atmosphere of earth makes them look different colors.
  • Question
    What is the color of moon exactly?
    TomPN
    Top Answerer
    It depends on which part and in what light. It's generally gray, but the "seas" are a darker gray than the rest, because they are covered in solidified lava.
  • Question
    What are orbital elements?
    Community Answer
    Orbital elements are the parameters required to uniquely identify a specific orbit. In celestial mechanics, these elements are generally considered in classical two-body systems, where a Kepler orbit is used.
  • Question
    What is under the universe?
    Community Answer
    Since the universe is infinitely expanding in all directions, nothing can be "under" it, at least that we know of.
  • Question
    What is the color of space?
    Community Answer
    It would be black with scattered white areas. Stars look white to the eye in space, but the atmosphere of earth makes them look different colors.
  • Question
    Is this an approximate scaled-down model, and if so, what is the scale?
    Community Answer
    There isn't to scale - it would get impossible to see. Just for comparison, the moon is 384,400 km away from Earth, Mars is 54.6 million km, and Venus is 261 million km. As you can see, the distances are too vast.
  • Question
    Are there belts in the solar system?
    Community Answer
    Yes! There is the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and the Kuiper belt from Pluto outwards.
  • Question
    How many moons are there?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    There are 181 known moons orbiting the 13 planets and dwarf planets in our solar system.
  • Question
    What is a solar system?
    Community Answer
    The solar system is the area of the universe where planets exist, almost tied to a star-centered piece (Our system's star is our Sun.) Our solar system is located within the Milky Way Galaxy, where we all live.
  • Question
    Is Pluto still in existence?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Yes. Nothing has changed except our awareness of how small Pluto is.
  • Question
    Why is Pluto missing?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    It isn't. It's still there. It just got "demoted," because we recently realized that it's smaller than we previously thought.
  • Question
    Where does the comet go?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Comets orbit the sun just like we do. They follow elliptical paths that (apparently) never end.
  • Question
    What is the colour of Jupiter?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Jupiter is dominated by large bands of different colors ranging from white to brown and tan.
  • Question
    How was the sun formed?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    The theory is that the entire solar system formed from a nebula (a cloud of gas and dust) that gravitationally collapsed upon itself into a disk and subsequently into a star at the disk's center and planets and other objects in orbital rotation around the star.
  • Question
    What color is used in Mercury and Mars?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Mercury is a medium gray, and Mars is a rusty red.
  • Question
    How many other galaxies do we have?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    It is estimated that there are approximately two trillion galaxies (not stars) in the observable universe. (In other words, the universe is unimaginably huge.)
  • Question
    What colour is Mercury?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    It is primarily a medium shade of gray.
  • Question
    It is compulsory to draw the curved path?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    No, since the "paths" are not actually visible.
  • Question
    Where is Mercury?
    Community Answer
    Mercury is the closest planet to the sun.
  • Question
    Pluto is a planet. Why don't you include it?
    Community Answer
    In 2006 the International Astronomical Union redefined Pluto as a "dwarf planet," because modern observation discovered that it was not as large as we had previously believed. (It is much smaller than our Moon.)
  • Question
    What color is Mars?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Primarily a rusty red, owing to the iron oxide in the dust on the surface and in the atmosphere. Various minerals give some sections of the Martian surface other colors, too, including brown, tan, orange and even green.
  • Question
    Which is bigger, Earth or the Sun?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    The Sun's mass is 330,000 times greater than that of the Earth. The Sun's diameter is more than 100 times greater than the Earth's.
  • Question
    Are shooting stars comets?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    No. Comets are made primarily of ice. "Shooting stars" are meteors, and they are made of rock.
  • Question
    Why is the colour of space black?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Blackness is simply the absence of light. Space appears to be black wherever there's no light source or any surface to reflect light.
  • Question
    What kind of planet is Pluto if it is not a dwarf planet?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Pluto was originally designated a planet when it was first discovered, but as we were able to view it more closely in recent years, we found that it was much smaller than we first thought. Pluto is now designated by the International Astronomical Union as a "dwarf planet" or a "minor planet," not technically a "planet."
  • Question
    What is the color of Saturn?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Saturn's gaseous surface is primarily a pale yellow.
  • Question
    How many planets are in our galaxy?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Eight, not counting Pluto.
  • Question
    What colour is Jupiter?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Jupiter's surface consists almost entirely of prominent stripes of white, brown, orange, red and yellow.
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