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22 May, 2017 2.13 Understanding our Universe What is this image? Key terms • Orbit: the path of an object moving through space such as the path of the Earth as it goes around the sun The Solar System • The Solar System consists of the Sun and all the objects that are attracted to the Sun by gravity • These include the eight planets and other objects such as asteroids and meteroids • The Sun is the brightest star and is the centre of the Solar System • Because the Sun is so huge, its gravity holds the planets in their orbits around it Objects in the night sky (1) • If you look at a clear night sky, you will see that it is filled with various objects • With the naked eye you can see the light of thousands of stars, which seem to be arranged in patterns, called constellations • Because the Earth rotates, the stars rise and set like the Sun • You will also see planets • These do not shine their own light but reflect light from other sources • Because they are close to the Earth, they shine brightly and do not twinkle Objects in the night sky (2) • If you are lucky you may see an object with a bright tail • This is likely to be a comet, which are made from rock, dry ice and frozen gases such as CO2 and CH4.They come from outside our Solar System • You may also see ‘shooting stars’ which are meteors, these are bits of dust and rock which enter the Earth’s atmosphere • Astronomers have also discovered hundreds of stony objects called asteroids, which also orbit the Sun • The Earth’s moon is clearly visible and its appearance changes through the month as it orbits the Earth • With a good telescope you can see that other planets have moons. Jupiter has 63 moons, one of which has volcanoes. Origin of the Solar System • Astronomers believe that the Solar System was formed when clouds of gas and dust collided • Eventually our sun was formed, together with other objects such as planets • Asteroids and meteoroids are believed to be remains of that cloud. • Geologists have investigated meteorites and estimate they are 4.5 billion years old • The effect of meteoroids and asteroids that hit the surface of the moon can clearly be seen even with the naked eye • Some astrophysicists believe that the Earth was formed by collisions of asteroids and meteoroids Assessment Activity • You are an astronomer working for an observatory. You are invited to a primary school to describe our Solar System to young children – Working in groups of three, construct a model of the solar system, showing the distances of the eight planets from the Sun – In your groups, investigate the theory described above of how the Solar System was formed. Present your results in the form of a poster