THE SOLAR SYSTEMBy: Seemani Dash
What is the Solar System?
Our focus question:
Vocabulary for this Chapter
star: a huge ball of very hot, burning gas that gives off energy
ellipse: a shape like an oval satellite: an object that orbits another
object in space
What is our Solar System Made of?
The Sun Eight planets Dwarf planets Moons Asteroids Comets
What is the Sun? An average sized star made mostly of hydrogen and
helium The central and largest body in our solar system Takes up almost 99% of the mass in our solar system Very hot with no solid surfaces Has three layers: the photosphere, the chromosphere,
and the corona Has three special things: sunspots, prominences, and
solar flares
Sunspots, Prominences, and Solar Flares
Special Description
Sunspot o Dark spots on the Sun that occur since they are not so hot like the rest of the Sun
Prominence o A eruption that looks like a ribbon of glowing gaseso When it starts, it goes away after a few days or months
Solar Flare o a bright spot on the Suno similar to volcanoes on Eartho usually last for only minutes or sometimes hourso gives off a lot of energy
Planets a large, round object that revolves around a
star cooler and smaller than stars shine because the light of the star reflects off
the planet’s surface stay in their elliptical orbit around the star
because of gravity eight known planets in solar system
What are the Inner Planets? the four planets closest to the Sun the four smallest planets
The Names of the Inner PlanetsMercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Mercury 1st planet from the Sun has no moons has thousands of craters almost no atmosphere very hot at day freezing cold at night
Average distance from Sun 35,983,000 miles
Diameter 3,032 miles
Length of one day in Earth time
59 days
Length of one year in Earth time
88 days
Average surface temperature
243 degrees (F)
Venus
Average distance from Sun 67,200,000 miles
Diameter 7,521 miles
Length of one day in Earth time
243 days
Length of one year in Earth time
225 days
Average surface temperature 867 degrees (F)
• 2nd planet from the Sun• about the same size as Earth• rotates in the opposite direction than the other planets• has an atmosphere of thick, poisonous, and swirling clouds• Sun reflects off clouds, so the planet is one of the brightest objects in the sky
Earth 3rd planet from the Sun only planet with liquid water atmosphere supports life largest rocky planet in the solar
system one moon that has many craters
Average distance from Sun 93,000,000 miles
Diameter 7,926 miles
Length of one day in Earth time
24 hours
Length of one year in Earth time
365 days
Average surface temperature
59 degrees (F)
Mars 4th planet from the Sun has two deeply cratered moons sometimes called the “Red Planet” because of soil that contains iron
oxide dust storms occur has polar ice caps many volcanoes many probes landed on this planet
Average distance from Sun 141,600,000 milesDiameter 4,222 milesLength of one day in Earth time
25 hours
Length of one year in Earth time
686 days
Average surface temperature
-85 degrees (F)
What are the Outer Planets?
the four planets farthest from the Sun the four largest planets The “Gas Giants”, and the planets with
ringsName of the PlanetsJupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Jupiter 5th planet from the Sun largest planet in the solar system atmosphere made mostly of hydrogen and
helium at least 63 moons has a large storm called the great red spot
Average distance from Sun 484,000,000 milesDiameter 88,846 milesLength of one day in Earth’s time
10 hours
Length of one year in Earth’s time
12 years
Average surface temperature - 234 degrees (F)
Saturn 6th planet from the Sun has a low mass has visible rings made of ice, dust,
and rock at least 47 moons
Average distance from Sun 885,900,000 milesDiameter 74,897 milesLength of one day in Earth’s time
11 hours
Length of one year in Earth’s time
29.4 years
Average surface temperature - 288 degrees (F)
Uranus 7th planet from the Sun atmosphere consists of hydrogen, helium, and methane methane can become a liquid and makes a cloud that gives
the planet a bluish color at least 27 moons rotates on its side
Average distance from the Sun
1,784,000,000 miles
Diameter 31,763 milesLength of one day in Earth’s time
17 hours
Length of one year in Earth’s time
84 years
Average surface temperature - 357 degrees (F)
Neptune 8th planet in the solar system smallest of the gas giants has one huge storm called the “Great Dark
Spot” at least 13 moonsAverage distance from Sun 2,795,000,000 milesDiameter 30,775 milesLength of one day in Earth’s time
16 hours
Length of one year in Earth’s time
165 years
Average surface temperature - 353 degrees (F)
Asteroids rocky object up to hundreds of kilometers long sometimes called minor planets most are found in between Mars and Jupiter, in the
asteroid belt some asteroids have smaller asteroids orbiting the bigger
ones
This is Eros. This is Ida
Examples
Comets frozen mass of different kinds of ice and dust much smaller than planets have two tails, outward moving particles from
the Sun always push tails in a direction away from the Sun
This is a close look at a comet.
Dwarf Planets
it is a small, ball shaped or round object that revolves around the Sun
Pluto, Eris, and Ceres are all dwarf planets Pluto orbits the Sun in a tilted ellipse
PlutoEris
Ceres
References
5th grade science book
I hope this helped you!