Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Chapter 3
Document related concepts
Discovery of Neptune wikipedia , lookup
Nebular hypothesis wikipedia , lookup
History of astronomy wikipedia , lookup
Tropical year wikipedia , lookup
Rare Earth hypothesis wikipedia , lookup
Geocentric model wikipedia , lookup
Astronomical unit wikipedia , lookup
Aquarius (constellation) wikipedia , lookup
Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems wikipedia , lookup
Planetary system wikipedia , lookup
Astrobiology wikipedia , lookup
Exoplanetology wikipedia , lookup
Extraterrestrial skies wikipedia , lookup
Astronomical naming conventions wikipedia , lookup
Dwarf planet wikipedia , lookup
Comparative planetary science wikipedia , lookup
Planets beyond Neptune wikipedia , lookup
Extraterrestrial life wikipedia , lookup
Planetary habitability wikipedia , lookup
History of Solar System formation and evolution hypotheses wikipedia , lookup
Satellite system (astronomy) wikipedia , lookup
Definition of planet wikipedia , lookup
IAU definition of planet wikipedia , lookup
Solar System wikipedia , lookup
Formation and evolution of the Solar System wikipedia , lookup
Transcript
Earth and Its Place In the Solar System Mrs. Tweedie May 2006 The solar system is the sun and the objects that orbit around it. An orbit is the path an object takes as it moves around another object in space. A planet is a large body of rock or gas that orbits the sun. Moons are large, rocky objects that orbit planets. The sun is the center of the solar system. It is a star. A star is a hot ball of glowing gases. Gravity is the force of one object’s pull on another. The inner planets are the four planets closest to the sun. Mercury is the planet closest to the sun. In the daytime Mercury’s surface is hot enough to melt lead. Venus rotates backward compared with most of the other planets. Earth is the only planet known to support life. Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system. The outer planets are the five planets farthest from the sun. They are made mostly of frozen gases and are much colder than the inner planets. Jupiter is the solar system’s largest planet. Two Earth-sized circles could fit inside Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. Saturn has a large system of rings that reach 260,000 miles from its surface. Uranus rolls on its side as it orbits the sun. Neptune is the farthest planet from the sun for a 20-year period when Pluto crosses its orbit. Pluto is made of ice. It has a moon almost as large as it is. An asteroid is a chunk of rock or metal that orbits the sun. There are thousands of asteroids in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. A comet is a large ball of ice and dust that orbits the sun. A comet is shaped like a large, flat oval. My very enormous mother just scoffed up nine pizzas. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
