Our Solar System - Alvin Independent School District



Our Solar System

A Journey to Our Planetary Neighbors

1. Ideas about the night sky have changed over time…

_____________________________-centered model – early Greeks thought planets, Sun, Moon and stars rotated around the Earth

Modern view –

The sun is the ________________________ of our solar system

All other objects in the solar system _________________________ around the sun in elliptical orbits at different speeds.

2. How did our solar system form?

A ____________________________ of gas, ice, and dust slowly formed in space, and rotated in space.

The cloud began to ______________________________ and the matter was squeezed into less space.

The cloud became dense, heated up and triggered a nuclear ________________________ reaction that created the sun.

3. What happened next?

All leftover _____________________________ became the planets and asteroids

The four inner planets – (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) are small and rocky with iron cores

The four outer planets – (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) are large, lightweight, and composed of gases.

4. Inner Planets

______________________________ - closest to the Sun, smallest planet

Many craters and high cliffs

No true __________________________________ so temperatures can range from -292 to 806° F.

It orbits the sun once every 88 days and is an average of 36 million miles from the sun.

5. Inner Planets

________________________________ – second from the sun and similar to the Earth in size and mass

Mostly smooth volcanic plains

Extremely dense atmosphere of clouds

Carbon dioxide gas traps solar energy resulting in temperatures between 842 to 887° F.

It is an average distance of 67 million miles from the sun and orbits every 225 days

6. Inner Planets

_______________________________ – third planet from the Sun

More than 70 percent of surface is covered with water

Atmosphere consists of several layers, is mostly composed of nitrogen and oxygen, and protects the surface from meteors and Sun’s radiation

It is an average of 93 million miles away from the sun, and completes its orbit in 365.5 days

7. Inner Planets

_______________________________ – fourth planet from the Sun

Called red planet because of iron oxide in rocks

Polar ice caps made of frozen carbon dioxide and water

Surface contains gullies, mountains and canyons, plains and the largest volcano in the solar system

The thin atmosphere mostly contains carbon dioxide

It is an average of 141 million miles from the Sun, and completes its orbit in 1.9 years

8. Asteroids and Other Objects in Our Solar System

Asteroids – rocks similar to that which formed the planets

Asteroid Belt – group of asteroids that orbit the Sun between the planets Mars and Jupiter

9. Comets

__________________________ - dust and rock particles combined with frozen water, methane, and ammonia

Halley’s comet (occurs every 76 years), Hale-Bopp (1995)

Look similar to a dirty snowball

The ice and dust vaporize as it approaches the sun

This forms a comets tail

10. Meteoroid, Meteor, and Meteorite

__________________________________ – small pieces of debris in space

__________________________________ – small meteoroid that burns up in Earth’s atmosphere (falling or shooting star)

__________________________________ – meteoroid that strikes Earth

11. Outer Planets

_________________________________ – Fifth planet from the sun and the largest in our solar system

Atmosphere mainly consists of hydrogen and helium

Surface is suspected to be composed of liquid hydrogen and helium, and may have solid core at the center

It is an average of 484 million miles from the sun and 11.8 years to complete one orbit

Has 16 moons

12. Outer Planets

_________________________________ – sixth planet from the Sun

Thick outer atmosphere of hydrogen, helium, ammonia, methane, and water vapor

Might have rocky core

Rings that circle around planet are composed of ice and rock particles

It is an average of 887 million miles from the Sun, and completes one orbit in 29.5 years

13. Outer Planets

________________________________ – seventh planet from the sun

Atmosphere of hydrogen, helium, and methane

Rotates on its side

Contains thin, dark rings

It is an average of 1.8 billion miles from the sun, and completes one orbit in 84 years

14. Outer Planets

________________________________ – eighth planet from the Sun

Atmosphere is similar to that of Uranus

Storms on Neptune reveal an active and rapidly changing atmosphere

It is an average of 2.8 billion miles from the sun, and completes its orbit every 165 years

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