Download Solar System Study Guide

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Solar System Study Guide
Phases of the Moon:
There are 8 phases of the moon in a 4 week lunar cycle. The time in days counted from
the time of the “New Moon” is called the moon’s age. The phases are:
1. New Moon
2. Waxing Crescent
3. First Quarter
4. Waxing Gibbous
5. Full Moon
6. Waning Gibbous
7. Last Quarter
8. Waning Crescent
Draw and label the Phases of the Moon for your review:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
8.
6.
7.
How Earth’s rotation results in day and night at any particular location:
The Sun is the nearest star to the Earth. When the light from the Sun hits the Earth’s
surface, day is experienced. The side of the Earth on which the Sun’s light does not shine,
experiences night. The Earth rotates on its axis completing one rotation in a 24 hour
period.
Difference between revolution and rotation:
The Earth revolves around the Sun which means it orbits around a central point. The
Earth also rotates on its axis. An axis is an imaginary line around which and object spins
on itself. The Earth’s axis is and imaginary line that runs through the north and south
poles.
1. Draw the Earth REVOLVING around the Sun:
2. Draw the Earth ROTATING on its axis:
1.
2.
The Role Of Gravity As An Attractive Force Between Celestial Objects:
Gravitational forces exist between all objects. Gravity holds together the entire Solar
System and galaxies. Gravity is the force that holds the moons in their orbit around their
planet, and planets in orbit around the Sun. The force of gravity depends on how close an
object is to the center of the planet. Here on Earth, your weight is the measure of
gravity’s pull on you. If you were to become an interplanetary traveler, you would see
that your weight is different on each planet. That is because the planet’s gravity is
determined by its own size. Larger planets have more gravity; smaller planets have less
gravity. For example, if you weigh 100lbs on the Earth you would weigh 17 lbs on the
Moon, 38 lbs on Mercury, 236 lbs on Jupiter and 7 lbs on Pluto.
The Planets of the Solar System:
1. Mercury
2. Venus
3. Earth
4. Mars
5. Jupiter
6. Saturn
7. Uranus
8. Neptune
9. Pluto
What phrase can you use to remember the planets in their order?
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Draw the Planets in their order from the Sun:
* Label the inner and outer planets in your diagram.
The distinguishing characteristics of the Planets:
The planets can be divided into two groups. The first group is called the inner planets.
The second is called the outer planets. The inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and
Mars are smaller and are made of mostly rock and iron. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune make up the outer planets, which are much larger. These planets are made
mostly of hydrogen, helium and ice. Pluto is the smallest planet and the farthest from the
Earth. Jupiter is the largest planet. It is eleven time wider than the Earth! All nine planets
are much smaller than the Sun. Some planets, like the Earth, only have one moon. Other
planets, like Jupiter and Saturn, have as many as 30 moons traveling around them!
Asteroids, comets, stars, meteors/shooting stars:
Besides the nine planets and their moons, there are thousands of other smaller objects in
our Solar System. One of which are small chunks of rocks called asteroids. The tiniest
asteroids are less than a mile wide. The largest is over 600 miles wide. Small chunks of
iron and rock that break away from asteroids are called meteoroids. Many meteoroids
fall close to the Earth. Most of them burn up before they reach the Earth’s surface.
Meteoroids that fall through the sky like streaks of light are called meteors or “shooting
stars.” When a meteoroid is found on the Earth’s surface, it is called a meteorite.
Comets are another part of our Solar System. They travel around the Sun just like the
planets. A comet looks like a fuzzy star with a long tail. It is made of frozen gases, ice,
and bits of dust. Every comet takes a different amount of time to make a full orbit. One
famous comet called “Halley’s Comet” takes about 77 years to orbit once around the Sun.
Real Motion and Apparent Motion:
There are two kinds of motion generally discussed in astronomy-real and apparent.
Apparent motion is caused by the observer moving, whereas real motion is caused by
the object moving. We could imagine that the Earth is at the center of a large sphere,
called the celestial sphere; and the Sun, stars, etc. are located on the sphere and move
from east to west across the sky, caused by the Earth’s rotation.
Efforts to Explore Space- Apollo Missions, Space Shuttles, Hubble Space Telescope,
Space Probes:
The exploration of space began hundreds of years ago with Greek and Roman
astronomers like Galileo. Since the days of Galileo, astronomers and astronauts have
been improving our lives in many ways. Since Astronaut, Neil Armstrong took his “giant
leap for mankind” onto the moon 30 years ago; exploration has been a big part of
Americans’ lives. Exploration of other worlds, other planets and satellites helps us
understand the history and possible future of our own planet. Space shuttles, the
Hubble Space telescope and space probes play a central role in the process of discovery.
Our missions and research generate most of the coolest news coming out of NASA. As a
result, we are responsible for all of NASA’s programs relating to astronomy, the Solar
System and the Sun and its interaction with the Earth. Our science stretches from the
middle levels of Earth’s atmosphere to the beginning of the universe, billions of light
years away.