Download Ch. 20 Classifying Objects in the Solar System

Name___________________________________________________
Date _________
Hour______
Classifying Objects in the Solar System
Types of
Objects
Stars
Planets
Dwarf
Planets
Moons
Size
Shape
Movement/Orbit
Largest objects
within a solar
system. Gravity is
what pulls the
other objects
around it.
Sufficient size to
produce enough
gravity to maintain
shape and clear its
orbit of other
objects
Mostly round as
gravity pulls it
equally towards its
center.
Nearly round
shape
Can orbit by itself within
a galaxy or can orbit with
other stars attracted by
gravity to each other.
Binary=2 stars orbiting
Trinary=3 stars orbiting
Orbits a star in a
moderate elliptical path
Sufficient size to
produce enough
gravity to maintain
shape but is not
big enough to
clear it’s orbit.
No current limits
Nearly round
shape
Inner= 4 terrestrial
closest to the Sun
Outer=4 gas giants and
Pluto (may be others)
Orbits a star and is not a
satellite
Ex: Jupiter’s
smallest =1-2 km
Asteroids
Comets
Meteoroids
Meteors
Meteorites
Largest =5268 km
Smaller than
planets can be as
small as dust
particles and over
300 km across.
Head/nucleus is
about 6 miles
across Tails can
reach millions of
miles
All are broken
pieces of comets
or asteroids
No current limits
round or irregular
Some may be
asteroids pulled
into orbit by a
planet’s gravity.
Irregular shape
Irregular shaped
head or nucleus
can produce
rounded coma and
long tail
No specific shape
Orbits are more elliptical
and may cross over the
orbits of other planets
Solid objects which
orbits a planet as a
natural satellite.
Most orbit around the
Sun within the Asteroid
Belt located between
Mars and Jupiter.
Very long, narrow
elliptical orbits around
the Sun.
Most from the Kuiper
Belt and Oort cloud
Outside of planet
atmosphere
Fallen into/through
planet atmosphere
Has hit planets surface
Other
Made of plasma gases hot
enough to make their own
energy and light by nuclear
fusion.
“Clearing its orbit” means it
either attracts or pushes
away objects in its orbital
path (neighborhood).
Most are found orbiting in
the Kuiper Belt with many
more suspected there. At
least one found in the
Asteroid Belt.
Some are volcanically active.
Can be classified as
provisional until confirmed
as a “moon”
Once believed to be broken
pieces of planets as they are
rocky and made of the same
kind of materials as
terrestrial planets.
Called dirty snow balls made
of loose collections of ice,
dirt and dust and frozen
gases which produce a tail
when it approaches the Sun.
Also called shooting stars
as they burn up and glow
in planet’s atmosphere.
Name___________________________________________________
Date _________
Hour______
What Am I?
Directions: A new solar system has been discovered and is diagramed above. Use the classification guide, diagram and
clues given below to classify each object and complete
Object
What does it Orbit?
A.
Within a galaxy
Key Special
Identifying
Feature(s)
Fuses hydrogen into
helium in its core
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
Other
Identifying Info.
Must have a greater
mass then all other
objects combined
Made of rock, ice and
frozen gases
Has cleared its
orbiting neighborhood
Gas giant with rings
of dust, gas and ice
Is not capable of
nuclear fusion
Is “clearing its
neighborhood
One example of a
natural satellite.
Falling into object F’s
atmosphere
Has not cleared its
orbiting neighborhood
I.
J. (1-3)
A star
Is primarily made of
rock and metals.
What Am I?
Name___________________________________________________
Date _________
Hour______
Directions: Use your facts sheets and information from your text book (Pgs. 712-727) to complete the Venn diagram
below to compare and contrast Inner Planets with Outer Planets and Dwarfs. Use the word bank below to complete the
Venn diagram and to write a summary paragraph comparing and contrasting these three types of planets on the lines
provided below.
Word Bank
gas giants
smallest size
orbits Sun
fastest orbits
terrestrial
smaller
most moons
slowest orbits
more dense (2)
less dense
very large in size
clears orbit
some no moons
closest to Sun
“failed stars”
gravity shaped spheres
solid rocky surface
part of Solar System
farthest from Sun
coldest temperatures
Compare/Contrast Summarizing Paragraph
rocky icy surface
no solid surface
does not clear orbit
hottest temperatures
Name___________________________________________________
Date _________
Hour______
Identifying the Location of Objects in the Solar System
Directions: Label the name of each object or set of objects within the solar system on the lines provided in the diagram
above. Then answer the questions below.
1. The Sun is considered a star because it is the only object in our solar system hot enough to undergo the process
of ______________ _____________ where two hydrogen molecules are joined to form ________________.
2. Objects which orbit the Sun, are nearly round and have sufficient gravity to “clear” their orbits are called
_______________. The first four of these objects closest to the Sun are called the ___________ ____________
and are described as __________________, meaning rocky or Earth like. The four largest objects farthest from
the Sun are called the ______________ _________________, which are often called ________ ____________
because they are so large, made mostly of _____________ and ___________, and are considered “failed stars”.
3. Asteroids are primarily located in a region called the ______________ _____________ which is located
between the planets ________________ and ____________ which is labeled item _____ in the diagram above.
4. Comets on the other hand are primarily located in two regions within the Solar System. The first is in the area
called the _____________ _________, located between Neptune and ___________ (labeled _____ above).
The second region is an area called the ________ __________ which is labeled item _____ in the diagram.
5. __________ __________ (regions of immense gravity where light can’t escape) are ______ in the Solar System.