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About Our
Trip
Planets
Michael F. Ruffini
About Our Trip……
The Solar System is an exciting place! There are eight planets that orbit
the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune. Pluto was discovered in 1930 and long considered to be the
ninth planet. But after the discoveries of similar intriguing worlds even
farther out. Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet. The Sun is the
center of our solar system; the planets, their moons, the asteroids,
comets, and other rocks and gas all orbit the Sun. On this fieldtrip, you
will learn interesting facts and information about the planets in our solar
system. Let’s find out what we will learn on our trip…..
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Explain how each Planet got its name.
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Describe where each Planet is positioned from
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the Sun.
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Explain how long it takes for each Planet to
rotate on its axis. Describe the size of each
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planet.
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Describe the size of each planet and how it
relates to the sizes of the other planets.
List and describe the temperature range of each
planet.
List the number of moons if any orbiting each
planet.
Explain the force of gravity at the surface of
each planet in relation to your weight.
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Describe if and how a human could survive on
each planet.
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Explain how long it takes each planet to orbit
the Sun.
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Describe two interesting facts about each planet.
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Explain the composition of the atmosphere of
each planet.
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Describe the difference between a comet,
asteroid, and meteorite.
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Asteroid - a small, rocky body that orbits a star.
Atmosphere - the layers of gases which surround a star, like our Sun, or a planet,
like our Earth.
Astronomical Unit - The distance from the Earth to the Sun. Usually written AU.
- the giant explosion that is theorized to have created the universe 10 billion to 20
billion years ago.
Comet - Comets are basically dusty snowballs which orbit the sun. They are made
of ices, such as water, carbon dioxide, ammonia and methane, mixed with dust.
Galaxy - an enormous gravitationally bound assemblage of millions or billions of
stars.
Meteor - the flash of light that we see in the night sky when a small chunk of
interplanetary debris burns up as it passes through our atmosphere. "Meteor"
refers to the flash of light caused by the debris, not the debris itself.
Meteorites - a part of a meteoroid that survives through the Earth's atmosphere.
Planet - a large rocky or gaseous body that orbits a star
Speed of light - the fastest possible speed in a vacuum, equivalent to 186,000
miles per second (300,000 km per second).
Rotation - the spinning of an object on its axis.
Solar System - the system containing the sun and all the smaller bodies in orbit
around it.
Sun - is the star at the center of our solar system.
Universe - the vast expanse of space which contains all of the matter and energy
in existence.
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C Asteroids&
Meteorites
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Mercury
Web Links
ThinkQuest
Kids Astronomy
The Eight Planets
Your Weight on Other
Worlds
See Travel Journal for
Questions
Mercury is the planet closest to the
Sun in our Solar System. This
small, rocky planet has almost no
atmosphere. Mercury has a very
elliptical orbit and a huge range in
temperature.
During the long daytime (which
lasts 58.65 Earth days or almost
an entire Mercurian year, which is
88 days long), the temperature is
hotter than an oven; during the
long night (the same length), the
temperature is colder than a
freezer.
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Venus
Web Links
ThinkQuest
Kids Astronomy
The Eight Planets
Your Weight on Other
Worlds
See Travel Journal for
Questions
Venus is the second planet from
the sun in our solar system. It is
the hottest planet in our Solar
System. This planet is covered
with fast-moving sulfuric acid
clouds which trap heat from the
Sun. Its thick atmosphere is
mostly carbon dioxide.
The surface of Venus is a very
unpleasant place featuring very
high temperatures, winds that
blow hundreds of miles per hour
and an atmosphere of sulfuric
acid.
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Earth
Web Links
ThinkQuest
Kids Astronomy
The Eight Planets
Your Weight on Other
Worlds
The Earth is the third planet from
the Sun in our Solar System. It is
the planet we evolved on and the
only planet in our Solar System
that is known to support life.
From a distance, our planet looks
like a beautiful big blue marble.
There are a number of things
that make our planet unique in
the solar system, not the least of
which is that we are the only
planet so far that we know for
certain has ever had life of any
kind.
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Mars
Web Links
ThinkQuest
Kids Astronomy
The Eight Planets
Your Weight on Other
Worlds
Mars, the red planet, is the fourth
planet from the sun and the most
Earth-like planet in our solar system.
It is about half the size of Earth and
has a dry, rocky surface and a very
thin atmosphere.
The Red Planet is named after the
Roman god of war. Its distinctive rust
color is easily seen through a small
telescope. The surface of Mars
features many mountains, canyons
and even polar ice caps that look a lot
like those here on Earth.
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Jupiter
Web Links
ThinkQuest
Kids Astronomy
The Eight Planets
Your Weight on Other
Worlds
The fifth planet in our solar
system is also the largest planet
in our system, both in size and
mass. Jupiter is the fifth and
largest planet in our solar
system.
This gas giant has a thick
atmosphere, 39 known moons,
and a dark, barely-visible ring.
Its most prominent features are
bands across its latitudes and a
great red spot (which is a
storm).
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Saturn
Web Links
ThinkQuest
Kids Astronomy
The Eight Planets
Your Weight on Other
Worlds
See Travel Journal for
Questions
Saturn is the sixth planet from
the sun in our solar system. It is
the second-largest planet in our
solar system (Jupiter is the
largest). Saturn is one of the
most beautiful planets in the
solar system.
Its fascinating system of rings
has been a source of wonder
since we first saw them with the
earliest telescopes. In addition,
Saturn has so many moons that
it is like a miniature solar
system.
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Uranus
Web Links
ThinkQuest
Kids Astronomy
The Eight Planets
Your Weight on Other
Worlds
See Travel Journal for
Questions
Uranus is the seventh planet
from the sun in our solar system.
This huge, icy planet is covered
with clouds and is encircled by a
belt of 11 rings and 22 known
moons. Uranus is one of the
giant gas planets in the solar
system.
Its mysterious blue-green color
provides very few clues as to
what is going on underneath the
surface clouds. If you get a
chance to look at Uranus through
a telescope, all you will see is a
faint blue disk that appears
exceptionally dull and lifeless.
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Neptune
Web Links
ThinkQuest
Kids Astronomy
The Eight Planets
Your Weight on Other
Worlds
See Travel Journal for
Questions
Neptune is the eighth planet
from the sun in our solar system.
This giant, frigid planet has a
hazy atmosphere and strong
winds. This gas giant is orbited
by eight moons and narrow, faint
rings arranged in clumps.
Actually, there are times when
Neptune is the furthest planet
from the Sun. Pluto, which has a
very elliptical orbit, is sometimes
closer to the Sun that Neptune
for a period of time, but, for the
most part, Neptune is closer to
the Sun than Pluto.
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Asteroids
Web Links
NASA
Kids Astronomy
See Travel Journal for
Questions
Asteroids are chunks of rock and
metal that orbit around the Sun.
Scientists think that they are loose
material that never formed into
planets. Asteroids are rocky or
metallic objects, most of which orbit
the Sun in the asteroid belt between
Mars and Jupiter. None of the
asteroids have atmospheres.
Asteroids are also known as
planetoids or minor planets.
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