Download Chapter Four Science Astronomy

Chapter Four Science Astronomy
Fifth Grade Study Guide
Inner Planets

The inner planets are the planets closest to the sun. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

The inner planets are spaced more closely together, are smaller, and are rockier
than the outer planets.

The inner planets are also known as terrestrial planets because their surfaces are
dense and rocky.
Outer Planets
 The outer planets are large and are composed mostly of gases (gas giants)
 Pluto is the only outer planet that is small, dense and rocky. Known as an icy
planet.
 Outer planets are: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
Know the order of the planets from the sun outwards- Be able to label
Sun- Mercury- Venus- Earth- Mars- Jupiter-Saturn- Uranus- Neptune- Pluto
Vocabulary
Astronomical unit: is the average distance between the Earth and the sun
150,000,000 km
One astronomical unit equals about 8.3 light minutes
Birth of the Moon: The present theory is that the Earth was struck by a large body and
that the debris that was created after the large body collided with the Earth formed the
moon
Meteors: Bright streaks of light that result when rocky bodies burn up
Comets: Frozen bodies made of ice,rock and dust
Asteroids: small, rocky bodies that revolve around the sun
Lunar eclipse: when the Earth’s shadow falls on the moon
Solar eclipse: when the moon’s shadow falls on part of the Earth
Moon phases: the different appearances of the moon during a month
Period of revolution: the amount of time an object takes to orbit around another body
Period of rotation: the amount of time an object takes to rotate once
Charon: Pluto’s moon, is more than half the size of Pluto, Largest satellite relative to its
planet in the solar system
Miranda: small moon of Uranus, its surface has smooth cratered plains as well as regions
That have grooves and cliffs. It may have once broken apart.
Phobos: This moon of Mars has an odd shape. One theory is, it may be a
trapped asteroid.
Triton: large moon of Neptune, it revolves backwards around its planet

reread pages 98 -109, know interesting facts about each planet
Examples: One day on Mercury lasts almost two Earth months!
Venus spins with a retrograde rotation, spins in a clockwise direction.