Download Slide 1

Our Solar
System
Many objects
make up the
Solar System.
The Sun
Source: NASA
Center of our Solar
System.
895,000 miles in
diameter.
1,300,000 Earths
would fill Sun.
Inner Rocky
Planets
Mercury
Source: MESSENGER Mission Website
Mercury Facts
Closest planet To Sun.
Smallest planet.
88 “day” year/59 “day” day.
Mercury Facts
Very, very thin atmosphere.
No rings or moon.
Venus
Source: NASA
Venus Facts
Second planet from Sun.
6th largest planet.
225 “day” year/243 “day” day.
Venus Facts
Entire surface covered with
clouds (very thick atmosphere).
Hottest planet (900 F.).
No rings or moons.
Earth
Source: NASA/Goddard Spaceflight Center
Earth Facts
Third planet from Sun.
5th largest planet.
365 “day” year/24 hour day.
Earth Facts
Thick atmosphere.
Only place we know there is
life.
No rings/one moon.
Mars
Source: Hubblesite.org
Mars Facts
Fourth planet from Sun.
7th largest planet.
687 “day” year/24 hour day.
Mars Facts
Very thin atmosphere.
No rings/two moons.
Outer Gas
Giants
Jupiter
Source: Hubblesite.org
Jupiter Facts
Fifth planet from Sun.
Largest planet.
12 “year” year/10 hour day.
Jupiter Facts
Very thick atmosphere.
Faint rings/sixty-three
moons.
Saturn
Source: Hubblesite.org
Saturn Facts
Sixth planet from Sun.
2nd largest planet.
29 “year” year/10 hour day.
Saturn Facts
Very thick atmosphere.
Bright, easily seen rings/
sixty-three moons.
Uranus
Source: Hubblesite.org
Uranus Facts
Seventh planet from Sun.
3rd largest planet.
84 “year” year/17 hour day.
Uranus Facts
Very thick atmosphere.
Very, very faint rings/twentyseven moons.
Neptune
Source: Hubblesite.org
Neptune Facts
Eight planet from Sun.
4th largest planet.
165 “year” year/15 hour day.
Neptune Facts
Very thick atmosphere.
Very, very faint rings/thirteen
moons.
Dwarf
Planets
Dwarf Planets
There are currently five dwarf
planets. These are:
Pluto
Eris
MakeMake
Haumea
Ceres
Dwarf Planets
Diameters range from Pluto
(1,400 miles) to Ceres (590
miles).
None have rings.
Pluto (3), Haumea (2), and
Eris (1) have moons.
Other
Members of
the Solar
System
Asteroids
Asteroids
Found between Mars
and Jupiter.
Source: Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Asteroid Facts
Over 100,000 asteroids.
Vesta is the largest – 330
miles in diameter.
Asteroid Facts
Size range – 330 miles to
about 100 yards.
Irregular-shaped rocky
bodies.
Some asteroids have moon(s).
Click here to see
Dawn’s Virtual
Flight Over the
Asteroid Vesta.
Comets
Source: European Space Agency
Comets
Spaced Out - Comets
Comets
Origin of Comets
Comets
Long-period comets
(over 200 years) found
in the Oort Cloud.
The Oort Cloud.
Comets
Oort Cloud
is about one
light year
from the
Sun.
Comets
The Oort Cloud.
Comets
Short-period comets
(less than 200 years)
found in the Kuiper
Belt.
Comets
The Kuiper
Belt is found
beyond the
orbit of
Neptune.
Comets
Comets are made up of
three parts.
Comet Facts
Nucleus – icy body – ice, frozen
ammonia, dirt (“dirty snowball”).
Coma- vaporizing gas.
Comet Facts
Nucleus.
Coma.
Tail – gas and dust pushed away
from comet by “solar wind.”
Comets
Bright Tails, Black
Hearts: Exploration of
Comets
Meteoroid, Meteor,
Meteorite
Meteoroid, Meteor,
Meteorite
Spaced Out: Meteors
Meteoroid, Meteor,
Meteorite
Asteroid and Meteorite
Meteoroid, Meteor,
Meteorite
These are made of rocks
and dirt.
A meteoroid is rocks or
dirt in outer space.
Meteoroid, Meteor,
Meteorite
A meteor is
when the
rock enters
the
atmosphere.
Meteoroid, Meteor,
Meteorite
A meteorite
is when the
rock hits
the Earth.
What holds
the Solar
System
together?
Gravity is the force
that holds the Solar
System together.
No gravity, no Solar
System.
Planets would fly off in a
straight line.
Gravity keeps the
planets in orbit.
The Sun is so large, its
gravity holds everything
together.
The Orbit of
the Planets
Fact #1 – The closer to
the Sun, the shorter the
planet’s year.
Fact #2 – The farther
from the Sun, the longer
the planet’s year.
Why?
Closer to the Sun, planet
must move faster because
Sun’s gravity stronger.
Farther from the Sun,
planet can move slower
because Sun’s gravity
weaker.
Why?
Closer to the Sun, planet
travels along a smaller
orbit.
Farther from the Sun,
planet travels along a larger
orbit.
Examples
Mercury is 36,000,000
miles from the Sun. It
travels about 226,000,000
miles revolving around the
Sun in one Mercury year.
Examples
Neptune is 2,800,000,000
miles from the Sun. It
travels about
217,500,000,000 miles
revolving around the Sun
in one Neptune year.
Weight on
Other Worlds
The larger the
body, the more
mass and gravity
it has.
The Sun has so much
mass, if you weighed 100
pounds on Earth, you
would weigh 2,700 pounds
on the Sun.