Download Classifying the Solar System

Name _____________________________________________________________
Classifying the Solar System
Introduction
Scientists classify planets in many different ways. Today you work for NASA and will
use information you gather from the Solar System Data Sheet to make decisions on how
you will classify the planets.
The Task
1. Classify each of the eight planets using these criteria:
 Its orbit in relation to Earth
 Inferior (between Earth & Sun)
 Superior (farther away from the Sun than the Earth).
 The make-up of its surface
 Rocky (Terrestrial)
 Gas (Jovian)
 Its size or diameter
 Giant (larger than Earth)
 Small (smaller than Earth).
 Its ability to be seen by our eyes
 Classical (planet that can be seen without a telescope – Mercury, Venus,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn)
 Modern (planets than cannot be seen without a telescope)
1. The following planets are considered…
a. Inferior Planets
1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________
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b. Superior Planets
1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________
2. The following planets are…
a. Rocky (Terrestrial) Planets
1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________
b. Gas (Jovian) Planets
1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________
3. The following planets are…
a. Giant Planets (larger than Earth)
1. ______________________________________________________
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2. ______________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________
b. Small Planets (smaller than Earth)
1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________
4. The following planets are…
a. Classical Planets (planet that can be seen without a telescope)
1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________
b. Modern Planets (planets than cannot be seen without a telescope)
1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________
5. Dwarf Planets
1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________
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3. ______________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________
6. Describe the following and identify either where they are found.
a. Comet ______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
b. Asteroid ____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
c. Meteor _____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
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Classifying the Solar System Fact Sheet
Planet
Inferior/Superior Rocky/Gas
Giant/Small Classical/Modern
Mercury
Inferior
Rocky
Small
Classical
Venus
Inferior
Rocky
Small
Classical
Rocky
Earth
Mars
Superior
Rocky
Small
Classical
Jupiter
Superior
Gas
Giant
Classical
Saturn
Superior
Gas
Giant
Classical
Uranus
Superior
Gas
Giant
Modern
Neptune
Superior
Gas
Giant
Modern
Dwarf Planets
Ceres
Eris
Haumea
MakeMake
Pluto
Asteroids
Description
Where Found
Asteroids are small, irregularly-shaped rocky
bodies.
 Asteroids are mostly found between the
orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
 Some can be found orbiting inside the
orbit of Jupiter.
 Size ranges from 330 mi to around 100
yards.
 Two largest - Vesta – 330 mi; Pallas – 300
mi.
(Note – Asteroids cannot be seen without a telescope.)
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Comets
Description
Where Found
Kuiper Belt
 Found outside the orbit of Neptune
to around 10,000,000,000 from Sun.
 Made of icy objects.
 Estimated over 1,000,000 objects.
Comets are made of water ice, dry ice,
ammonia ice, dirt, and rocks. They are
sometimes called “dirty snowballs.”
Comets are made of the following three
parts:
Oort Cloud
 Found from ½ light-year to over
1 light-year from Sun.
 Made of icy objects.
 Estimated over 1,000,000,000,000
objects.
 Nucleus – The “dirty snowball.”
 Coma – Dense cloud of vaporized
ices and dirt that surrounds
Nucleus.
 Tail – Gases and other particles
blown off the comet by the Solar
Wind (particles from the Sun).
Always points away from the Sun.
(Note – A few comets can be seen without a telescope; a telescope is needed to
see most comets.)
Meteoroids/Meteors/Meteorites
Description
Where Found
They are irregularly-shaped rocky bodies
ranging in size from a grain of sand to
around a mile or two.
Most come from the Asteroid Belt. A few
come from particles left from comets
when Earth crosses their path.
 Meteoroid – Rocky body travelling in
space.
 Meteor – Rocky body traveling
through an atmosphere.
 Meteorite – Rocky body hits
surface of a object.
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