Transcript Introduction to the Solar System

Introduction to the
Solar System
•The solar system is made up of the
sun, orbiting planets, their moons, and
other objects traveling around the sun.
•The sun is the nearest star to the
Earth.
Essential Questions
• What are the objects in our solar system?
• How can technology be used to observe
distant objects in the sky?
• How does the optical telescope differ from
the radio telescope?
What is a planet?
• A planet is a large body of rock or gas in
space that moves around a star.
• A planet DOES NOT produce light of its
own. That is why planets almost never
twinkle as stars twinkle.
• You can see planets in the night sky
because of the sun’s light reflecting or
bouncing off of them.
Moon
• You can also see Earth’s moon in the
night sky.
• A MOON is a small, rounded body in orbit
around a planet.
• A moon does NOT produce its own light.
It reflects light from the sun. Most planets
have at least one moon.
Moon
Earth’s Year
• The farther a planet is from the sun, the
longer it takes to orbit. The time it takes to
complete one trip around the sun is called
a YEAR.
• Earth’s year is about 365 days long.
Mercury makes a complete orbit in just 88
days. Neptune takes about 165 Earth
years to complete its orbit around the sun.
Sun, Moon, and Sky
• For thousands of years, people have been
observing the sun, the moon, and other
objects in the sky.
• Scientists did not learn how these objects
move until a few hundred years ago.
• Why do you think they took so long?
Telescopes
• A telescope is a tool that makes distant
objects appear larger, brighter, and
sharper.
• Telescopes help scientists study stars, the
moon, and the planets.
• Scientists have used telescopes to
discover that stars have regular patterns,
and planets move among the stars.
Never Look at the Sun
• NEVER look straight at the sun, especially
with a telescope. Doing so can damage
your eyes.
• It is SAFE to look at other stars that are
more distant than the sun.
Optical Telescope
Hubble Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
• It is different from other telescopes
because it is in space.
• It moves around the Earth every 97
minutes.
• It was launched into space in 1990.
• It is the size of a school bus.
• It takes photographs of space from beyond
Earth’s atmosphere.
Radio Telescope
• This type of telescope collects radio waves
instead of light.
• Computers use the radio waves to make
pictures of space.
• As more powerful telescopes are invented,
scientists learn more about objects in
space.
Radio Telescope
Essential Questions
• What are the objects in our solar system?
• How can technology be used to observe
distant objects in the sky?
• How does the optical telescope differ from
the radio telescope?