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Solar System Study Guide

Phases of the Moon:

There are 8 phases of the moon in a 4 week lunar cycle. The time in days counted from the time of the “New Moon” is called the moon’s age. The phases are:

1. New Moon

2. Waxing Crescent

3. First Quarter

4. Waxing Gibbous

5. Full Moon

6. Waning Gibbous

7. Last Quarter

8. Waning Crescent

Draw and label the Phases of the Moon for your review:

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How Earth’s rotation results in day and night at any particular location:

The Sun is the nearest star to the Earth. When the light from the Sun hits the Earth’s surface, day is experienced. The side of the Earth on which the Sun’s light does not shine, experiences night. The Earth rotates on its axis completing one rotation in a 24 hour period.

Difference between revolution and rotation:

The Earth revolves around the Sun which means it orbits around a central point. The Earth also rotates on its axis. An axis is an imaginary line around which and object spins on itself. The Earth’s axis is and imaginary line that runs through the north and south poles.

1. Draw the Earth REVOLVING around the Sun: 2. Draw the Earth ROTATING on its axis:

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The Role Of Gravity As An Attractive Force Between Celestial Objects:

Gravitational forces exist between all objects. Gravity holds together the entire Solar System and galaxies. Gravity is the force that holds the moons in their orbit around their planet, and planets in orbit around the Sun. The force of gravity depends on how close an object is to the center of the planet. Here on Earth, your weight is the measure of gravity’s pull on you. If you were to become an interplanetary traveler, you would see that your weight is different on each planet. That is because the planet’s gravity is determined by its own size. Larger planets have more gravity; smaller planets have less gravity. For example, if you weigh 100lbs on the Earth you would weigh 17 lbs on the Moon, 38 lbs on Mercury, 236 lbs on Jupiter and 7 lbs on Pluto.

The Planets of the Solar System:

1. Mercury

2. Venus

3. Earth

4. Mars

5. Jupiter

6. Saturn

7. Uranus

8. Neptune

9. Pluto

What phrase can you use to remember the planets in their order?

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Draw the Planets in their order from the Sun:

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|* Label the inner and outer planets in your diagram. |

The distinguishing characteristics of the Planets:

The planets can be divided into two groups. The first group is called the inner planets. The second is called the outer planets. The inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are smaller and are made of mostly rock and iron. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune make up the outer planets, which are much larger. These planets are made mostly of hydrogen, helium and ice. Pluto is the smallest planet and the farthest from the Earth. Jupiter is the largest planet. It is eleven time wider than the Earth! All nine planets are much smaller than the Sun. Some planets, like the Earth, only have one moon. Other planets, like Jupiter and Saturn, have as many as 30 moons traveling around them!

Asteroids, comets, stars, meteors/shooting stars:

Besides the nine planets and their moons, there are thousands of other smaller objects in our Solar System. One of which are small chunks of rocks called asteroids. The tiniest asteroids are less than a mile wide. The largest is over 600 miles wide. Small chunks of iron and rock that break away from asteroids are called meteoroids. Many meteoroids fall close to the Earth. Most of them burn up before they reach the Earth’s surface. Meteoroids that fall through the sky like streaks of light are called meteors or “shooting stars.” When a meteoroid is found on the Earth’s surface, it is called a meteorite.

Comets are another part of our Solar System. They travel around the Sun just like the planets. A comet looks like a fuzzy star with a long tail. It is made of frozen gases, ice, and bits of dust. Every comet takes a different amount of time to make a full orbit. One famous comet called “Halley’s Comet” takes about 77 years to orbit once around the Sun.

Real Motion and Apparent Motion:

There are two kinds of motion generally discussed in astronomy-real and apparent. Apparent motion is caused by the observer moving, whereas real motion is caused by the object moving. We could imagine that the Earth is at the center of a large sphere, called the celestial sphere; and the Sun, stars, etc. are located on the sphere and move from east to west across the sky, caused by the Earth’s rotation.

Efforts to Explore Space- Apollo Missions, Space Shuttles, Hubble Space Telescope, Space Probes:

The exploration of space began hundreds of years ago with Greek and Roman astronomers like Galileo. Since the days of Galileo, astronomers and astronauts have been improving our lives in many ways. Since Astronaut, Neil Armstrong took his “giant leap for mankind” onto the moon 30 years ago; exploration has been a big part of Americans’ lives. Exploration of other worlds, other planets and satellites helps us understand the history and possible future of our own planet. Space shuttles, the Hubble Space telescope and space probes play a central role in the process of discovery. Our missions and research generate most of the coolest news coming out of NASA. As a result, we are responsible for all of NASA’s programs relating to astronomy, the Solar System and the Sun and its interaction with the Earth. Our science stretches from the middle levels of Earth’s atmosphere to the beginning of the universe, billions of light years away.

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