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THE SOLAR SYSTEM Unit Overview The solar system includes an average-sized star (the Sun), its planets, their moons, asteroids, and comets that orbit that star. THE SUN The Sun is an average-sized yellow star that is the center of the solar system. It contains more than 98 percent of all the matter in the solar system. Matter is anything that has mass and takes The powerful nuclear up space. reactions at the core of the Mass is the amount of matter in an object. Sun provide the light and Volume is the amount of space an object heat of the solar system. takes up. The gravitational pull of the Sun keeps the planets, asteroids, and comets in regular orbits circling the Sun. The Sun is about five billion years old and will gradually begin to run out of fuel in another five billion years, eventually becoming a white dwarf. Page 1 of 28 THE INNER PLANETS There are four inner planets largely made up of rocks and metals with a crust, mantle, and core. They have atmospheres but contain very little hydrogen and helium. The inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Mercury is closest to the Sun and Mars is the most distant of these rocky planets. Earth is the only place in the solar system or the universe known to have life. This is because Earth has liquid water, oxygen and a protective atmosphere. MERCURY Diameter: 3,029 miles Average Distance from 36,000,000 miles the Sun: Length of Year: 88 days Length of Day: 59 Earth days (1,416 hrs) Highest Temperature: +810⁰F Color: Orange Number of Moons: 0 Interesting Mercury has the fastest orbiting speed around the Sun. Facts: Scientists think Mercury shrank after it was formed. VENUS Diameter: 7,521 miles Average Distance from 67,200,000 miles the Sun: Length of Year: 225 days Length of Day: 243 Earth days (5,832 hrs) Highest Temperature: +867⁰F Color: Yellow Number of Moons: 0 Interesting Has the hottest temperature of any planet. Space probes melted there. Facts: Page 2 of 28 EARTH Diameter: Average Distance from the Sun: Length of Year: Length of Day: Highest Temperature: Color: 7,926 miles 93,000,000 miles 365 days 1 day (24 hrs) +133⁰F Blue (water), brown and green (land) Number of Moons: 1 Interesting Earth is the only known planet to Fact: support life due to liquid water, oxygen and a protective atmosphere Earth is the only planet not named after a god http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect16/full20earth2.jpg MARS Diameter: 4,221 miles Average Distance from 141,500,000 miles the Sun: Length of Year: 687 days Length of Day: 24.5 hours Highest Temperature: +77⁰F Color: Red Number of Moons: 2 Interesting Mars is called the red planet Fact: THE OUTER PLANETS Density- amount of matter (solid, liquid, or gas) in a given space. The outer planets do not have rocky Page 3 of 28 or solid surfaces. These planets are gigantic balls of swirling gases and liquid cores held together by the gravitational force of each planet. The outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and would easily hold all the other planets. It is also the fastest rotating, or spinning, planet. Saturn is the lightest, least dense of all the planets and would actually float on a liquid ocean. Uranus has a very tilted axis and spins on its side. It has the longest seasons. Neptune has the fastest winds. JUPITER Diameter: 88,846 miles Average Distance from 483,300,000 miles the Sun: Length of Year: 11.9 years Length of Day: 10 hours Highest Temperature: - 238 ⁰F Color: Yellow, red, brown, white Number of Known 63 Moons: Interesting Jupiter is so large it could hold 1,300 Fact: Earths SATURN Diameter: 74,898 miles Average Distance from 886,700,000 miles the Sun: Length of Year: 29.5 years Length of Day: 10.6 hours Highest Temperature: -292⁰F Color: Yellow Number of Known At least 47 Moons: Interesting Saturn is light enough to float on Fact: water. Page 4 of 28 URANUS Diameter: 31,763 miles Average Distance from 1,782,000,000 miles the Sun: Length of Year: 84 years Length of Day: 17 hours Highest Temperature: -353⁰F Color: Green Number of Known At least 27 Moons: Interesting Fact: Uranus rotates, or spins, on its side. NEPTUNE Diameter: 30,775 miles Average Distance from 2,774, 000,000 miles the Sun: Length of Year: 164.9 years Length of Day: 16 hours Highest Temperature: -364⁰F Color: Blue Number of Known At least 13 Moons: Interesting Neptune has the fastest winds in the Fact: solar system In order of relative position from the sun: Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune In order from smallest to largest: Mercury Mars Venus Earth Neptune Uranus Saturn Jupiter Page 5 of 28 PLUTO: THE DWARF PLANET Pluto was discovered in 1930 by the American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh. There has long been a discussion as to whether Pluto qualified as a planet because of its unusual behavior and size. It is less than half the diameter of Mercury, the next smallest planet. It is made of ice and rock and is extremely cold. Pluto has a very eccentric, or odd, orbit that brings it inside the orbit of Neptune for 20 years of its 248-year orbit around the Sun. Pluto may be an escaped moon from another planet that had a collision and was forced into a new orbit. Pluto and its moon may be a double-planet system, or it may be a large asteroid from the Kuiper Belt, a huge number of asteroids beyond the orbit of Neptune. In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union declared that Pluto was not a planet. They labeled it a “dwarf planet”. This shows that our understanding changes as new discoveries are made. PLUTO (DWARF PLANET) Diameter: 1,423 miles Average Distance from 3,672,000,000 miles the Sun: Length of Year: 248.6 years Length of Day: 6.4 days Highest Temperature: -382⁰F Color: Yellow Number of Moons: 1 Interesting Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf Fact: planet after a vote by astronomers on August 24, 2006. Our understanding changes with new discoveries. Page 6 of 28 Comparisons of Our Average-Sized Star (Sun) and its Planets, and a Dwarf Planet (Pluto): Page 7 of 28 Page 8 of 28 Can you see why our star, the Sun, is called an averagesized star? Sources: This passage was reformatted almost verbatim from Standards-Based Science Investigations, Grade 6, for readability, accessibility and educational purposes only. Images not directly cited in the passage or below were obtained from Microsoft Word 2007 clipart. Reading: Seeing is Believing: “Space Probes to the Planets” http://www1.free-clipart.net/gallery2/clipart/Zodiac/Galaxy.jpg Standards-Based Science Investigations, Grade 6 TCR 8966 http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/breakingorbit/breakingorbitima ges/orion-constellation.jpg http://www.kiroastro.com/writings/perspective Page 9 of 28 NOTES Page: Page 10 of 28 Concept Map for Earth-Sun-Moon Unit Aristotle (384- 322 B.C.) Greek philosopher Earth-Centered systematic observations of the physical world Ptolemy (100- 170 A.D.) Egypt Earth-Centered model was widely accepted for about 1,400 years Copernicus (1473- 1543 A.D.) Polish astronomer Sun-Centered model Galileo (1564- 1642 A.D.) Italian Sun-Centered model improved telescope Scientists study patterns in order to understand relationships Moon Earth Sun 1/4 size of Earth Rotates (spins) on axis takes 24 Is a star that provides heat and Virtually no atmosphere hours & is on 23.5 degrees tilt light Extreme Temperatures causing day and night Approximately 4.6 Billion Small, rocky satellite (Ro-ta-tion D-A-Y) years old Sun’s light creates a repeating Revolves around the sun Composed of very hot gases: pattern known as the phases of which causes seasons and takes mostly hydrogen and helium, the moon 365 days with small amounts of other A complete cycle takes 29 ½ (Re-vo-lu-tion Y-E-A-R) gases days New Moon Waxing Crescent First Quarters Waxing Gibbous (Never mind) (What Can) (Five Quarters) (With Gold) Waning Crescent (White Chocolate) Last Quarter (Little Quarters) Waxing- Light INCREASES Waning Gibbous (Wait! Give) Full Moon (Faces Mean) Waning- Light DECREASES Page 11 of 28 What tools or processes do scientists use when they are conducting experiments with earth and space? Scientists who study the origin, history and composition of the celestial bodies: planets, sun, moon and Earth, asteroids, comets and meteorites include astronomers, astronauts and planetary geologists. Astronomers and other scientists must design experiments to study the solar system and/or determine a cause and effect relationship. This process is known as scientific investigation or inquiry. Scientific investigation is how and why we know about our world today and is a very valuable tool. In order to study our solar system or determine a cause and effect relationship, an astronomer must formulate a testable question. A testable question is one that can be measured and proven. A testable question should include facts and not opinions. Once an astronomer has a testable question, s/he must construct a hypothesis (an educated guess). A good hypothesis must have the language: “If I________________, then _________________”. An astronomer then conducts research, plans an experiment, conducts an experiment(in which s/he tests only ONE VARIABLE at A TIME) on her/his testable Page 12 of 28 question, collects and records data, comes to a conclusion and repeats the experiment. Career Job Description Facts Astronomer A scientist who studies planets, stars and galaxies Astronaut A scientist trained by a spaceflight program to command, pilot or serve as a crewmember of a spacecraft Planetary A scientist concerned Harrison “Jack” Schmitt Geologist with the geology, origin, collected lunar samples history, composition during the Apollo 17 processes and structure mission of the celestial bodies: planets, sun, earth, moon, asteroids, comets, meteorites The NASA Apollo Missions were designed to land astronauts on the moon and to bring them safely back to the Earth. The missions have returned many objects and artifacts to help us learn about the composition of the moon. Therefore the Apollo missions add greatly to our understanding of the moon. Page 13 of 28 Who are the scientists that contributed to our understanding of the solar system? Aristotle (384- 322 BC) http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/retrograde/aristotle.html Aristotle was a Greek philosopher. He aimed to develop a universal means of reasoning. With this universal method, Aristotle thought it would be possible to learn everything there is to know about reality. Aristotle believed that the Earth went through processes that were so gradual or slow that they were not observed. He believed that the Earth did not move. He estimated the distance of the moon and the sun. Aristotle believed that the world never had a beginning, nor did it having an endingleaning to the belief of “eternity” or forever. He believed that Earth was at the center of the solar system. Source: http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/aris.htm Source: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/aristotle.html Ptolemy (~90- 168 AD or 100- 170 AD) Ptolemy was a Greek astronomer who, like Aristotle, believed that the Earth was at the center of the solar system. He contributed greatly to what we know about the solar system by creating models of the motion of the sun, moon and planets. Ptolemy developed valuable tools known as tables or maps. Page 14 of 28 Copernicus (1473- 1543) The Copernican Model http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/retrograde/copernican.html Copernicus denounced the Aristotle and Ptolemy’s belief that the Earth was the center of the solar system. Copernicus believed that the Sun is the center of the solar system. He found that Earth rotates once in 24 hours, causing day and night. Galileo (1564- 1642) Galileo was an Italian scholar who made great contributions to what we know about the solar system. Using a telescope, Galileo showed that the moon’s surface was not smooth; rather it is covered by mountains and craters. He also showed that the planets were disks, not points of lights. Using his telescope, he thought he saw what appeared to be “ears” on Saturn. We now know that what he was seeing were really “rings”. Galileo showed that the great “cloud” called the Milky Way was composed of enormous stars that had not been seen before. Galileo improved the telescope. Source: http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/galileo.html ; http://www.phy6.org/stargaze/Ssolsys.htm Page 15 of 28 NASA Apollo Missions View of the Earth as seen from the Moon Source: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/ap11ann/kippsphotos/6550.jpg On July 20, 1969, mankind accomplished its greatest feat by setting foot onto another celestial body, the moon. Neal Armstrong stepped off of his lunar module and stepped onto the surface of the moon. From his location, he could see the Earth in the heavens. He and another astronaut brought back with them 46 pounds of rock from the surface of the moon. The NASA Apollo missions add greatly to our understanding of the moon. Source: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/ap11ann/introduction.htm The moon has virtually no atmosphere, but some believe there may be water in the form of ice in some of the deep craters near the Moon’s south pole. Source: http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/Apollo.html Our understanding of the sun, moon and the solar system continues to change with new scientific discoveries. Page 16 of 28 What are the major characteristics of the Earth, Sun and Moon? Celestial Body Earth Size Color Overall Composition 12,756 kilometers (7,927 miles) in diameter Blue (water), Brown and green (land) -rocks -dirt, soil -plant life -water (solid-ice, snow, liquid- rain, rivers, oceans, lakes; gas- water vapor) -protective atmosphere to block out the sun’s harmful rays -numerous gases: including oxygen and carbon dioxide - life: including plants and animals Sun 110 times the size of the Earth Yellow, orange -gases: mostly hydrogen and helium, small amounts of other gases Moon ¼ diameter grayish of the Earth -rocks -virtually no atmosphere -some scientists think there is possibly icy (but no liquid water) Page 17 of 28 What is rotation and revolution? Definition Rotation Revolution The motion of turning or To orbit or move around spinning on an axis (an a central point. imaginary line). Motion Spins or Turns Moving Around Duration 24 hours 365 days or 1 year Importance Earth spins or turns on Due to earth’s axial tilt, an axis which causes day Earth experiences and night. If rotation seasons were faster, days would be shorter. If rotation were slower, days would be longer. Page 18 of 28 What are the eight moon phases fourth/fifth graders should kn0w (complete cycle is 29 ½ days meaning there are actually 29 ½ phases)? Page 19 of 28 Moon Phases Study Guide and “Pegs” New Moon- “Never mind” When the moon is directly between the sun and the Earth, the side of the moon facing the Earth is in darkness; hence, it is not visible in the sky. The intensity of the sun is so great that the moon is lost in the sun’s glare. This phase is called the “new moon” Waxing Crescent- “What Can” As the moon continues to move in its orbit around the Earth, a sliver of the illuminated side of the moon becomes visible. This phase is called the “Waxing Crescent” (To wax is to increase) Page 20 of 28 First Quarter- “Five Quarters” When the moon has completed one quarter of its orbit around the Earth, it makes a right angle with the Earth and the sun. One half of the moon is still illuminated by the sun, and the other half is still in darkness. However, from the Earth, the moon now appears to be a half circle. This phase is called the “First Quarter” Waxing Gibbous- “With Gold” As the moon continues in its orbit, the portion of the illuminated side of the moon visible from the Earth continues to increase. When the moon appears to be more than a half moon but less than a full moon, it is called a “Gibbous Moon” At this point in its orbit, the moon appears to be growing, so this phase is called a “Waxing Gibbous” Page 21 of 28 Full Moon- “Faces Mean” When the moon has completed one half of its orbit around the Earth, it is almost in a straight line with the Earth and the sun. The entire side of the moon that faces Earth is illuminated. This phase is called a “Full Moon”. Waning Gibbous- “Wait, Give” The darkened side of the moon begins to reappear to observers after the full moon. This phase is called a “Waning Gibbous”. The moon is described as waning when it appears to grow smaller. (To wane is to decrease) Page 22 of 28 Last Quarter- “Little Quarters” When the moon has completed three-quarters of its orbit around the Earth, it again makes a right angle with the Earth and the sun. This phase is called the “Third Quarter” or “Last Quarter”. Waning Crescent- “White Chocolate” As the moon’s orbit continues, the moon appears as a crescent shape once again. Since it appears to grow smaller, this phase is called a “Waning Crescent”. The darkened area continues to grow larger until no portion of the illuminated moon can be seen. The moon has returned to the new moon phase. Page 23 of 28 What are examples of Earth, Moon & Sun System Pegs? 1-“The Sun is at the center of the universe” (move your finger in a circular motion) 2- “Motions- Rotation” (one finger to the top of your head and turn your body) “Revolution” (arms go around in a circle) 3- “Reasons for our season- The Sun” (motion one side of the triangle), “Earth’s tilt” (motion second side of the triangle), “Revolution” (third side of the triangle) 4- “Scientists- Aristotle, Ptolemy, Earthcentered. Galileo, Copernicus knew the Sun is at the center”.(cup your hand and move across the burners of a stove) 56- “Our understanding changes with new discoveries” (pick up your words) Page 24 of 28 7- “Water, oxygen, atmosphere” (break up the syllables as you pretend to drink your words) “Support and maintain life” (break up the syllables as you pretend to drink your words) 8- “Phases for our moon”THINK OF OR SAY THIS SILLY PHRASE TO REMEMBER THE PHASES: “Never Mind, Whaaat Can Five Quarters With Gold Faces Mean? Wait! Give Little Quarters White Chocolate!” New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, Waning Crescent 9- “An axis is the imaginary line Earth tilts on” (use your pinky to draw a slanted line) Page 25 of 28 Science Vocabulary: Term Definition Axis A straight line around which a body spins or rotates. Axis is also a Latin word that can mean “hub”, “axis”, or “axle”. Cycle Eclipse A repeated pattern Ecliptic The plane in which the Earth orbits the sun. Ellipse The shape that results when a cone is sliced on a diagonal. Elliptical Having a shape that is in the form of an ellipse. Experiment A fair test designed to answer a question. Focus (plural: foci) One of the two points around which an ellipse is constructed. Hypothesis A statement that is made to be proved or disproved. Scientists make hypotheses based on what they expect will happen and then test whether or not the hypotheses are correct. The temporary disappearance or darkening of one celestial body, such as the sun or moon, when another body moves between it and an observer or between it and the light source. An eclipse of the sun is seen by an observer on Earth when the moon is between the observer and the sun. An eclipse of the moon is seen by an observer on Earth when the Earth moves between the sun and the moon and the Earth’s shadow falls across the surface of the moon. Page 26 of 28 Inference A conclusion based on evidence that results from events that have already occurred. Light A source of illumination, such as the sun or a lamp. Light is also a form of energy that scientists call “electromagnetic radiation”. Model A system that is built to represent or help us understand a more complicated system. For example, a small-scale version of the sun-Earth-moon-system is a model. A model can also be a larger version of something we can’t see (e.g., a model of an atom). Observation Something that is noticed by using the senses. Observe To notice or see. Prediction A forecast about what may happen in some future situation. A prediction is based on information and evidence, and is different from a guess. Rotate To turn or spin on an axis. This word comes from the Latin word rota, which means “wheel”. Rotation The motion of turn on an axis. Revolution A complete orbit around a central point or object. Revolve To orbit around a central point. Sequence A series of events that occur in a natural order. Shadow An area that receives no light or less light than the areas that are around it. Temperature A measure of how hot or cold an object or area is. Page 27 of 28 Notes Page Concept Map and Study Guide compiled by Regina Ferebee using information derived from Virginia Beach City Public Schools curriculum/objectives unless otherwise cited. Page 28 of 28