Slide 1 : By: Liz Moran The Solar System S4E1: Students will compare and contrast the physical attributes of stars, star patterns, and planets.
S4E2: Students will model the position and motion of the earth in the solar system and will explain the role of relative position and motion in determining sequence of the phases of the moon.
Table of Contents : Table of Contents What is the Solar System?
Stars
Planets
Moons
Space Exploration
What is the Solar System? : What is the Solar System? The solar system is a group of objects in space that move around a central star (sun).
Includes planets, asteroids, moons and comets
Stars : Stars Stars are burning spheres of gases.
Even though they look small from Earth, they are enormous.
Star Patterns : Star Patterns Constellations are names for groups of stars that appear to form shapes in the sky. They were given their names many hundreds of years ago to help us remember which stars are which. We use constellations to divide up the sky; finding one can help us find another because constellations move so slowly that, in our lifetime, they will always be found in about the same place.
The Sun – The Biggest Star : The Sun – The Biggest Star The biggest star in the solar system is the sun.
The sun is the largest object in the solar system.
The sun is more than 1 million kilometers long.
The Nine Planets in our Solar System : The Nine Planets in our Solar System
Planet Temperatures : Planet Temperatures Since all planets revolve around the sun…they are all different distances away.
The farther the planet is away from the sun, the colder it will be.
Planet’s Distance from the Sun : Planet’s Distance from the Sun
Mercury : Mercury Closest planet to the sun
About the size of the Earth’s moon
No atmosphere
Mercury virtual tour
Venus : Venus Second planet from the sun
Very dry atmosphere
Venus virtual tour
Earth : Earth Our wonderful planet is the third planet from the sun
Has water and volcanoes
Only planet with known life
Mars : Mars Fourth planet from the sun
Known as the red planet because of the color of its soil
Has the largest volcano in the solar system…Mons Olympus
Mars virtual tour Click here to go back to the nine planets site
Jupiter : Jupiter Fifth planet from the sun
Largest planet in the solar system (3 Earths would fit inside of it)
Very active gas atmosphere, almost like a hurricane
Jupiter virtual tour
Saturn : Saturn Sixth planet from the sun
Known for it’s rings, which can be seen from Earth with a telescope
Saturn virtual tour
Uranus : Uranus Seventh planet from the sun
Most distant planet you can see without using a telescope
Has faint rings
Uranus virtual tour
Neptune : Neptune Eighth planet from the sun
Neptune virtual tour
Pluto : Pluto Planet farthest away from the sun
Smallest planet
Rocky surface surrounded by frozen gases
Pluto virtual tour
Number of Moons on Each Planet : Number of Moons on Each Planet Each planet has a different number of moons. Mercury and Venus have zero.
Phases of Earth’s Moon : Phases of Earth’s Moon The moon does not give off its own light. Instead, it reflects light from the sun. Half of the moon always faces the sun and so is always lit. As the moon moves through it’s orbit, different amounts of its lit half can be seen from Earth. That’s why the moon seems to have different shapes or phases. The moons cycle of phases takes about 28 days to complete. Phases of the Moon Diagram (Earth is in center; white part of each moon is the visible part).
Space Exploration : Space Exploration Since the planets and stars are so far away, we need special tools to view them. We can use telescopes from Earth, but to view them up close we need to go closer.
Astronauts can explore the universe up close using space probes to examine different planets and the Earth from afar. telescope Space ship launching
Continue your Journey in Space… : Continue your Journey in Space… The Solar System is a wonderful and exciting thing to discover. There are many sites online to visit and learn much more. Here are a few:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/
http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/ -