Download Our Solar System - Technology Resources-4

An overview of the
planets and stars
created by:
Mrs. Olson
The First Observation
9 Planets

Mercury

Saturn

Venus

Uranus

Earth

Neptune

Mars

Pluto

Jupiter
Mercury
 Mercury
is the closest planet to the
sun.
 It
 It
is a dense and rocky planet.
is only about one-third the size of
Earth.
Venus
is the 2nd closest planet
to the sun.
 Venus
 It
is the brightest planet.
 Venus
is covered with thick clouds
that create a greenhouse effect that
makes it very hot.
Earth

Earth is the only
planet in the solar
system that
supports life.

Earth is the 3rd
planet from the
Sun and the 5th
largest planet in
the solar system.

From space,
Earth is often
identified by its
distinct dark blue
oceans, its brown
and green
landmasses and
its snow white
clouds.
Mars

Mars is the 4th
planet from the
sun.

Mars is commonly
referred to as the
RED PLANET.

The atmosphere
of Mars is quite
different from that
of Earth – It is
composed
primarily of
carbon dioxide
with small
amounts of other
gases.
Jupiter
is the 5th planet from the
sun and the 3rd brightest object in
the night sky after the Moon and
Venus.
 Jupiter
 Jupiter
 It
has many moons.
has no solid surface which leave
nothing to “tie down” its
atmosphere.
Saturn
 Saturn
 It
has at least 19 moons.
is the 2nd largest planet.
 Saturn’s
rings are made of billions
of ice particles.
 Its
surface consists of liquid and
gas.
Uranus
 Uranus
is the 7th planet from the
sun.
 It
is 4 times the size of Earth.
 Uranus
 The
has at least 22 moons.
planet is blue-green in color.
Neptune
 Neptune
is the
8th planet from
the sun.
 Neptune
was
discovered in
1846 (150
years ago).
 Neptune
orbits
the sun every
165 years and
is 2,790 miles
from the sun.
Pluto
is the 9th
planet from our
sun.
 Pluto
 It
is a very small
planet.
 Pluto
has 1
moon,Charon,
which is ½ the
size of Pluto.
 It
is a rocky
planet covered
with ice and
frozen
methane.
Distance From the Sun
6,000,000,000
5,000,000,000
4,000,000,000
3,000,000,000
2,000,000,000
1,000,000,000
0
Mean Distance from the Sun (km)
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
What about the Earth’s
Moon and Sun?
The Moon
 The
moon is the 2nd brightest
object in the sky after the Sun.
 The
moon orbits around the Earth
once per month.
 Most
of the surface is covered with
fine dust and rocks.
The Sun
 The
sun is the most prominent
feature in our solar system.

The sun appears to have been
active for 4.6 billion years and has
enough fuel to go on for another 5
billion years or so.
What’s the difference between
stars and planets?
 The
planets aren’t as big or as
hot as stars, and they can’t make
light of their own. They were
made from the leftovers of the
same gas and dust cloud that
gave birth to our star, the Sun.
What are stars made of?
 Stars
are made of gases like the air
around you.
 The
two main gases in stars are
called hydrogen and helium. They
are the stars’ fuel. Stars make heat
and light from them.
Why is Earth special?
 Our
planet is the only one in the
solar system with water and living
things on it.
 The
Earth gets just the right
amount of heat and light from the
sun to keep us alive.
For more information about our solar
system, click on the links below.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/index.html
http://www.solarviews.com/eng/homepage.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/25401/data/system/index.html
http://dosxx.colorado.edu/Pluto/1planets.jpg