Download POWERPOINT with Facts - Mrs. Brown`s Third Grade Class

Mrs. P!
What is the Solar System?
• The solar system consists of the sun
and all the planets that orbit around it.
• What does orbit mean?
– The path an object takes as it moves
around another object in space.
THE SUN
• The sun plays a very important role in
our solar system. It is not a planet, but
a big hot ball of gas… just like other
stars. Gravity on the Sun is so strong,
that it keeps all of the planets in orbit.
• Fun fact: the sun is about 838,900
miles across! This means one million
Earth’s could fit inside it!
Mercury
• Mercury is the
closest planet to the
sun. It will orbit the
sun in about 88 Earth
days. Mercury has a
rocky surface with
many craters, and it
is about 3,100 miles
across.
• Fun fact: In the daytime,
Mercury’s surface is so hot it can
melt lead!
• The second planet from
the sun is Venus. It
also has a rocky
surface and is
constantly covered
with thick clouds.
Venus makes its way
around the sun in 225
Earth days. It is over
twice the size of
Mercury, measuring at
7,500 miles across. It
is the hottest planet in
the solar system.
• Fun fact: Venus
rotates backwards!
Venus
Greetings Earthlings!
• Fun fact: Earth is the
only planet known to
support life!
• Earth is the third
planet from the sun.
We are about 7,920
miles across and
the majority of the
Earth’s surface is
water. We have one
moon, and it takes
365 ½ days to orbit
the sun.
Planet Mars
• Mars is about 4,200 miles across and covered
with volcanoes, canyons, and red dust. Just one
year on Mars would be like two Earth years.
• Fun fact: Mars is home to the largest volcano in
the solar system! It is called Olympus Mons.
The Inner Planets
• The four planets we just reviewed are known
as the inner planets. Can you list them in
order?
• The inner planets are closer to the sun,
making them warmer than the outer planets.
They all have rocky surfaces and are smaller
than the remaining planets we are about to
discuss.
The Outer Planets
• The outer planets are made mostly of frozen
gases and they are much further from the sun.
This makes their surface cooler than the inner
planets. They are all larger than the inner
planets. They also have many moons and some
even have rings.
• Jupiter does not have
a solid surface, but is
made of a cold,
slushy gasses. It
takes Jupiter about
12 Earth years to
make a full orbit, and
it is about 88,900
miles across.
• Fun fact: Jupiter is
known for its Great
Red Spot, which is a
huge hurricane like
storm on Jupiter’s
surface.
Jupiter
Saturn
• Saturn is about 75,000
miles across and is
made entirely of frozen
gases. It takes about
29 Earth days for
Saturn to orbit the sun.
• Fun fact: Saturn has a
large system of rings
that reach 260,000
miles from its surface.
Uranus
• Uranus is the 7th planet from the sun. It is
32,000 miles across and, like Saturn, also made
of frozen gases. Saturn orbits the sun in about
84 Earth years.
Fun fact: Uranus rolls
on its side as it orbits
the sun.
Neptune
Fun fact: Pluto crosses Neptune’s
orbit for 20 year periods. When
this happens, Neptune becomes
the farthest planet from the sun.
• Yet another planet made of frozen gases,
Neptune is about 30,400 miles across and
is the 8th planet from the solar system. It
orbits the sun in about 165 Earth years.
• Pluto is the farthest
planet from the sun.
The planet is made of
ice, and it even has a
moon that is almost
as large as it is. It
takes 248 Earth
years for Pluto to
orbit around the sun.
• Fun fact: Pluto is the
smallest planet in the
solar system,
measuring at 1,500
miles across.
Pluto
That’s Our Solar System!