Download Solar System

What are the inner planets?
The four planets closest to the sun are known as the
inner planets. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
Mercury
This picture of
Mercury was
made by joining
many smaller
photos taken by
Mariner 10. No
photos were taken
of the area that
looks smooth.
Mercury is the planet closest to
the Sun.
It is a small planet, a little bigger
than Earth’s moon.
Mercury is covered with
thousands of dents. The dents are
shaped like bowls and are called
craters.
Craters were made when
meteorites crashed into Mercury’s
surface long ago.
Venus
Venus is the second planet
from the Sun.
It is about the same size as Earth,
but Venus turns in the opposite
direction.
Like Mercury, Venus is very hot
and dry.
Unlike Mercury, Venus has an
atmosphere made of thick,
swirling clouds.
Using the chart, What is one reason people cannot live
on Mercury or Venus?
They are both too hot to live on!
Using the chart, how much longer is Venus’ Earth year?
137 years longer
Earth
Earth, our home, is the third
planet from the Sun.
It is also the solar system’s
largest rocky planet.
Earth is the only planet that
has liquid water on its surface.
In fact, most of Earth’s surface
is covered with water.
Earth is the only planet in the
solar system known to support
life.
Earth’s
Moon
Moons are satellites of
planets.
A satellite is an object that
orbits another object in space.
Just as planets revolve around
the Sun because of gravity,
moons revolve around planets.
Earth has one large moon.
The diameter of the Moon is
about one-fourth the diameter
of Earth.
Mars
The fourth planet from the
Sun is Mars.
The rocks and soil that cover
much of Mars contain the
mineral iron oxide.
This mineral is reddish-brown
in color. It is the same material
that makes up rust.
This has given Mars its
nickname, the "Red Planet."
How much lighter is a 100 pound person on Mars?
62 pounds
Why is the average surface temperature considerably
lower on Mars compared to Earth
It is farther from the sun.
Quiz Time!
Let’s see how you do
locating the planet!
Find the planet
This Planet has an atmosphere
made of thick, swirling clouds.
Earth
Venus
Mars
Oh no! Quick
guess again!
Great Job Kids!
Find the planet
This planet is closest to the
sun.
Earth
Mercury
Mars
Oh no! Quick
guess again!
Great Job Kids!
Find the planet
This is the fourth planet from
the sun.
Earth
Venus
Mars
Oh no! Quick
guess again!
Great Job Kids!
Find the planet
This is the largest of the inner
planets.
Earth
Venus
Mercury
Oh no! Quick
guess again!
Great Job Kids!
What are the Outer planets?
The four planets farthest from the sun are known as the
outer planets. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Jupiter
Jupiter, the fifth planet from
the Sun, is a gas giant.
A gas giant is a very large
planet made mostly of gases.
Jupiter is the largest planet in
our solar system. In fact, if it
were hollow, it is so big that all
of the other planets could fit
inside it!
Jupiter has many moons.
Galileo was the first
person to see the four
largest moons through his
telescope in 1610.
They are about the size of
Earth's moon.
One Example is Europa –
This is the smoothest
object in the solar system.
Jupiter’s atmosphere has a weather system
called the Great Red Spot that has been
raging for centuries.
It is a disturbance more than three times
the size of Earth.
Saturn
The sixth planet
from the Sun, Saturn
is also a gas giant.
Like Jupiter, Saturn’s
atmosphere is mostly
hydrogen and helium.
The Voyager space
probe explored
Saturn’s rings. It
showed that the
particles that make up
the rings range in size
from tiny grains to
boulders.
Using the chart, What is one reason people cannot live
on Jupiter and Saturn?
They are both too cold to live on!
Using the chart, What planet has more moons?
Jupiter with at least 63!
hmmm I wonder why
it says “at least” for
the number of
moons??
Uranus
In 1781, William Herschel discovered a
seventh planet orbiting the Sun.
The gas giant Uranus is the farthest planet you
can see without a telescope.
Uranus is so cold that the methane is a liquid.
Tiny drops of liquid methane form a thin cloud
that covers the planet.
This gives Uranus its fuzzy blue-green look.
Uranus rotates on its
side. No one knows
for sure why Uranus
has this odd tilt.
Scientists think that a
very large object may
have collided with the
planet when the solar
system was still
forming. This bump
may have knocked
Uranus onto its side.
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth
planet from the Sun. It is the
smallest of the gas giants.
Even so, if Neptune were
hollow, it could hold about
60 Earths.
It is so far away that it can't
be seen without a telescope.
In 1846 astronomers
discovered Neptune.
A few days later they
spotted Triton, Neptune's
largest moon.
Which planet has a larger diameter?
Uranus
How much longer is the Earth day on Uranus?
One hour
Galileo lived from 1564
to 1642. He was a
mathematician and
astronomer. He agreed
with Copernicus that
all planets revolve
around the Sun.
Galileo used a
telescope to observe
the Sun, Moon,
planets, and stars.
When I saw Saturn
through my telescope, I
was surprised. I saw
what looked like a
planet with handles!
The “handles” were
actually the brilliant
ring system that orbits
the planet.
Until 2006, Pluto was considered a ninth planet. But Pluto is
different from the eight planets in several ways. Now scientists
refer to Pluto as a dwarf planet. A dwarf planet is a small, ballshaped object that revolves around the Sun.
Quiz Time!
Let’s see how you do
locating the planet!
Find the planet
The farthest planet you can
see without a telescope.
Jupiter
Uranus
Neptune
Oh no! Quick
guess again!
Great Job Kids!
Find the planet
The largest planet in our solar
system.
Jupiter
Saturn
Neptune
Oh no! Quick
guess again!
Great Job Kids!
Find the planet
The smallest planet of all the
gas giants.
Jupiter
Saturn
Neptune
Oh no! Quick
guess again!
Great Job Kids!
Find the planet
This Planet has a weather system
called the “Great Red Spot”.
Jupiter
Saturn
Neptune
Oh no! Quick
guess again!
Great Job Kids!
Find the planet
This Planet rotates on its side.
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Oh no! Quick
guess again!
Great Job Kids!
You passed!
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