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The Solar System
5th grade science
Objectives
To discover the wonders that
the cosmos can unlock.
Students will be able to:
• Identify what can be found
in the Solar System
• Compare and Contrast the
Sun, planets, and moons
found in our Solar System.
• Compare the Sun to other
stars.
Think we’re big? Thing again!
A Quiz?!?
Let’s begin by testing your knowledge!
1. How many planets are in our Solar System?
A. 7
B. 8
C. 9
2. How many planets in our Solar System have rings?
A.
B.
C.
D.
1
2
3
4
Let’s see how we
did!
We have 8 planets in our solar
system! We used to have 9
until it was decided that Pluto
didn’t count!
While Saturn has the brightest
and most beautiful rings, all 4
gas giants have some rings
around them! Jupiter, Uranus,
and Neptune also have them!
The First Four. The Rocky Planets
Mercury,
Venus, Earth,
and Mars are
the first four
planets in our
Solar System.
All are solid
planets but
they are also
very different!
And now, something for completely different…
The Asteroid Belt lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, orbiting around the sun.
The Gas Giants!
After the rocky
planets, we venture
out to further away
from the Sun where
giants roam! Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune patrol the
outer reached of our
solar system! They
make our rocky
planets look tiny!
When Mr. Clemons was your age, Pluto was a
planet!
Pluto used to be considered out 9th planet.
Recently, scientists voted to make it a “Dwarf-Planet”.
Why do you think they did that?
Reasons for Pluto’s Demotion to a
Dwarf-Planet:
Pluto just didn’t fit in!
The size of Pluto is smaller
than our moon!
It is so far from the sun, it’s
in a region called the Kuiper
Belt. That’s like the Asteroid
Belt but much further away
and much, much, much
colder! Pluto is just a larger
the normal object in the
Kuiper Belt. There are other
dwarf planets just like Pluto
in the Kuiper Belt too!
Do you agree that Pluto
should be a dwarf-planet?
Moons!
Moons are satellites, rotating around their host planet, dwarf
planet, or even asteroids. They are too small to be planets. Not
all of them are round like our Moon either!
The Earth has one moon. Mars has two! How many are there in
our Solar System?
OVER 146 MOONS!!!
Astronomers have found at least 146 moons orbiting planets in our solar system.
Another 27 moons are awaiting official confirmation of their discovery. This
number does not include the six moons of the dwarf planets, nor does this tally
include the tiny satellites that orbit some asteroids and other celestial objects
(NASA.gov).
Jupiter has 50 with possibly 17 more!
Saturn has 53 with possibly another 9.
Uranus has 27.
Neptune has 13!
And that doesn’t include moons of asteroids or dwarf-planets!
The Sun, our own star.
So how BIG is the Sun?
And yet…the sun isn’t even the largest
star…
VY Canis Majoris is the largest star ever
discovered!
Mean Mr. Clemons’
Second Quiz
1. How many moons are there in the Solar System?
2. What comes after Mars?
3. What’s the smallest planet?
Homework!!!
Take an opportunity to show what you’ve
learned about the layout of our Solar System!
Draw the Solar System in order.
Make sure you make them the right sizes.
Please include the Asteroid Belt.