The Universe and the Solar System

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There exist several hypotheses of the origin of the Solar System, there are two of 
them: 
The “catastrophic” theory. This held that the planets were formed of material torn 
away from the sun by the action of another star, either by collision or by tidal 
phenomena. This star may have been one which its proper motion brought into the 
neighbourhood of the sun or it might have been a “companion”, assuming the sun to 
have once been a double star, like many binary systems in the universe. 
The nebular theory. This theory suggested that the sun was originally surrounded 
by a mass of gas extending beyond the limits of the present solar system. This nebula 
resulted either from the evolution of the sun, or from the capture by the sun of a cloud 
of interstellar matter, which, condensing, separated from it and gradually 
agglomerated to form the planets. Our solar system seems to have developed 
according to this latter pattern. 
6.5 Say whether the following statements are true or false 
1. Galaxy is a great star system. 
2. Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is classified as an elliptical galaxy. 
3. Seventeen galaxies of a supergalaxy are concentrated within a radius of about one 
million kilometeres. 
4. The Solar System consists of the sun, its nine planets and a variety of smaller 
bodies. 
5. The sun’s temperature is equal at its surface and at its core. 
6. The sun is almost entirely solid. 
7. Of all nine planets Pluto is closest to the sun.
8. Asteroids are small masses of solid particles, held loosely together. 
9. There exist several hypotheses of the origin of the Solar System. 
6.6 Fill in the blanks with the suitable words from the text 
1. Of all nine planets Mercury is ………. to the sun .……... by Venus, Earth, Mars, 
..…….., Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in that order. 
2. The ………. planets are closer together and the ………. ones are farther apart. 
3. The planets ………. around their axes and ………. around the sun in elliptical 
………. determined by the force of ………. . 
4. The ………. diameter of ………. is about 7 billion miles. 
5. As to the ………. of the Solar System there exist several hypotheses. 
6. The ………. theory suggested that the planets are formed of material torn away 
from ………. by the action of another star. 
6.7 Ask questions to which these sentences are the answers 
1. The Universe as we view it today is made up of at least a billion aggregations of 

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stars called galaxies. 
2. Yes, there may be millions of star systems like our own in the universe. 
3. The approximate age of our Solar System as determined by the radioactive 
method is about 4,5-5 thousand million years. 
4. The planets rotate around their axis and revolve around the sun. 
5. No, Neptune isn
’
t the farthest planet to the sun. It’s Pluto. 
6. According to the “catastrophic” theory the planets were formed of material torn 
away from the sun by the action of another star. 
7. Our Solar System is believed to have originated from an immense cloud of gas 
and dust. 
8. Stars differ in surface temperature that’s why they are of different colour: white, 
blue, yellow and even red. 
6.8 Translate into English 
1. Галактики различаются по форме и структуре. Млечный Путь – это 
спиральная галактика. 
2. Солнечная система – это крошечная частица вселенной. Она состоит из 
солнца, планет, спутников, космической пыли. 
3. Структура солнца газообразная. Преобладающий газ – водород. 
4. Солнечная система включает 31 спутник планет (не считая искусственных 
спутников Земли). 
5. Астероиды – это малые планеты, размером от 1 мили до 300 миль. 
6. Небулярная теория предполагает образование небесных тел путем 
концентрации космического вещества. 
6.9 Read and translate the dialogue. Reproduce it 
A.: Did the sun and the planets form at the same time? 
B.: You see, there exist several concepts of the origin of the solar system. Some of 
them suggest that the sun and the planets originated at the same time from a 
tremendous cloud of gas, mostly hydrogen and cosmic dust. 
A.: And what do other hypotheses suggest? 
B.: Other hypotheses suggest that the planets are younger than the sun, that first the 
center of the cloud condensed and became a star – the sun, and then various densities 
gave birth to the planets. 
A.: I see. 
B.: But it must be said that there is still no generally accepted theory to explain how 
and when the sun and the planets formed. 
6.10 Using the given chart , answer the following questions 
1. Which planets have a longer day than year?
2. Which planet has the most moons? 

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3. Which is the hottest planet? 
4. Which planet has the shortest day and the longest year? 
5. Which planet has the closest length of a day to the Earth? 
6. Which is the smallest planet? 
7. If an Astronomical Unit is the distance from the Earth to the Sun, how many 
astronomical units away is Pluto? 
Table 1 
Name Moons 
Average 
Temp.C 
Rotation Orbit Av. distance 
from Sun 
(million miles) 
Diameter 
(miles) 
Mercury 0 
-167to427 58.6 
days 87.97 
days 
36.04 3031 
Venus 0 
427 
243.2 
days 
224.70 
days 
67.11 7521 
Earth 
1 
-51 to 48 
23.9 hrs 
365.26 
days 
92.99 7926 
Mars 2 
-123to-30 
24.6 
hrs 686.98 
days 
141.61 4217 
Jupiter 16 
-117 
9.8 
hrs 
11.86 
years 
483.66 88734 
Saturn 18 
-180 
10.7 
hrs 29.46 
years 
886.72 74566 
Uranus 15 
-221 
17.2 
hrs 84.01 
years 
1783.38 31566 
Neptune 3 
-216 
16.0 
hrs 
164.79 
years 
2794.38 30758 
Pluto 1 
-230 6.3 
days 247.69 
years 
3666.19 1429 
6.11 Answer the following questions 
What is the cosmos? What is the Universe? 
What galaxy do we live in? 
What does the Solar System consist of? 
Give all the data relating to the sun. 
How are the planets arranged in the Solar System? 
Distinguish between the asteroids and the comets. 
How could the Solar System have originated according to the “catastrophic” theory? 
How could the Solar System have originated according to the nebular theory? 
6.12 Write down a summarizing sentence for each paragraph of the text “The 
Universe and the Solar System”. On the basis of the above task prepare an oral 

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summary of the text

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