(Background) Voyager 2, one of the most remarkable robotic space probes to travel through the solar system, sent back a wealth of scientific data about several of our neighboring planets. As it sped toward interstellar space after its close encounter with Neptune, it took this "family portrait" of our planetary system. The diagram depicts the positions at which numerous photographs were taken, superposed on a sketch of the solar system. The inserts show some of the actual images radioed back to Earth.
Studying this chapter will enable you to:
Discuss the importance of comparative planetology to solar system studies.
Describe the overall scale and structure of the solar system.
Summarize the basic differences between the terrestrial and the jovian planets.
Identify and describe the major nonplanetary components of the solar system.
Describe some of the spacecraft missions that have contributed significantly to our knowledge of the solar system.
In less than a single generation, we have learned more about the solar system—the Sun and everything that orbits it—than in all the centuries that went before. By studying the planets, their moons, and the countless fragments of material that orbit in interplanetary space, astronomers have gained a richer outlook on our own home in space. Instruments aboard unmanned robots have taken close-up photographs of the planets and their moons and in some cases have made on-site measurements. The discoveries of the past few decades have revolutionized our understanding not only of our cosmic neighborhood but also its history, for our solar system is filled with dlues to its own origin and evolution.
