Download The Solar System - Jefferson School District

By: Seemani Dash
Our focus question:
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star: a huge ball of very hot, burning gas that
gives off energy
ellipse: a shape like an oval
satellite: an object that orbits another object in
space
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The Sun
Eight planets
Dwarf planets
Moons
Asteroids
Comets
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An average sized star made mostly of hydrogen and helium
The central and largest body in our solar system
Takes up almost 99% of the mass in our solar system
Very hot with no solid surfaces
Has three layers: the photosphere, the chromosphere, and the
corona
Has three special things: sunspots, prominences, and solar
flares
Special
Description
Sunspot
o Dark spots on the Sun that occur since
they are not so hot like the rest of the
Sun
Prominence
o A eruption that looks like a ribbon of
glowing gases
o When it starts, it goes away after a few
days or months
Solar Flare
o a bright spot on the Sun
o similar to volcanoes on Earth
o usually last for only minutes or
sometimes hours
o gives off a lot of energy
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a large, round object that revolves around a star
cooler and smaller than stars
shine because the light of the star reflects off the
planet’s surface
stay in their elliptical orbit around the star because
of gravity
eight known planets in solar system
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the four planets closest to the Sun
the four smallest planets
The Names of the Inner Planets
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
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1st planet from the Sun
has no moons
has thousands of craters
almost no atmosphere
very hot at day
freezing cold at night
Average distance from Sun
35,983,000 miles
Diameter
3,032 miles
Length of one day in Earth time
59 days
Length of one year in Earth time 88 days
Average surface temperature
243 degrees (F)
• 2nd planet from the Sun
• about the same size as Earth
• rotates in the opposite direction than the other planets
• has an atmosphere of thick, poisonous, and swirling
clouds
• Sun reflects off clouds, so the planet is one of the
brightest objects in the sky
Average distance from Sun
67,200,000 miles
Diameter
7,521 miles
Length of one day in Earth time
243 days
Length of one year in Earth time
225 days
Average surface temperature
867 degrees (F)
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3rd planet from the Sun
only planet with liquid water
atmosphere supports life
largest rocky planet in the solar system
one moon that has many craters
Average distance from Sun
93,000,000 miles
Diameter
7,926 miles
Length of one day in Earth time
24 hours
Length of one year in Earth time
365 days
Average surface temperature
59 degrees (F)
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4th planet from the Sun
has two deeply cratered moons
sometimes called the “Red Planet” because of soil that contains iron oxide
dust storms occur
has polar ice caps
many volcanoes
many probes landed on this planet
Average distance from Sun
141,600,000 miles
Diameter
4,222 miles
Length of one day in Earth time
25 hours
Length of one year in Earth time
686 days
Average surface temperature
-85 degrees (F)
the four planets farthest from the Sun
 the four largest planets
The “Gas Giants”, and the planets with rings
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Name of the Planets
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
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5th planet from the Sun
largest planet in the solar system
atmosphere made mostly of hydrogen and helium
at least 63 moons
has a large storm called the great red spot
Average distance from Sun
484,000,000 miles
Diameter
88,846 miles
Length of one day in Earth’s time
10 hours
Length of one year in Earth’s time
12 years
Average surface temperature
- 234 degrees (F)
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6th planet from the Sun
has a low mass
has visible rings made of ice, dust, and rock
at least 47 moons
Average distance from Sun
885,900,000 miles
Diameter
74,897 miles
Length of one day in Earth’s time
11 hours
Length of one year in Earth’s time
29.4 years
Average surface temperature
- 288 degrees (F)
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7th planet from the Sun
atmosphere consists of hydrogen, helium, and methane
methane can become a liquid and makes a cloud that gives the planet
a bluish color
at least 27 moons
rotates on its side
Average distance from the Sun
1,784,000,000 miles
Diameter
31,763 miles
Length of one day in Earth’s time
17 hours
Length of one year in Earth’s time
84 years
Average surface temperature
- 357 degrees (F)
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8th planet in the solar system
smallest of the gas giants
has one huge storm called the “Great Dark Spot”
at least 13 moons
Average distance from Sun
2,795,000,000 miles
Diameter
30,775 miles
Length of one day in Earth’s time
16 hours
Length of one year in Earth’s time
165 years
Average surface temperature
- 353 degrees (F)
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rocky object up to hundreds of kilometers long
sometimes called minor planets
most are found in between Mars and Jupiter, in the asteroid belt
some asteroids have smaller asteroids orbiting the bigger ones
This is Eros.
This is Ida
Examples
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frozen mass of different kinds of ice and dust
much smaller than planets
have two tails, outward moving particles from the Sun
always push tails in a direction away from the Sun
This is a close look at a
comet.
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it is a small, ball shaped or round object that revolves
around the Sun
Pluto, Eris, and Ceres are all dwarf planets
Pluto orbits the Sun in a tilted ellipse
Pluto
Eris
Ceres
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5th grade science book
I hope this helped you!