Transcript The Solar System - Kennesaw State University

By: Liz Moran
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
What is the Solar System?
Stars
Planets
Moons
Space Exploration
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 are burning
spheres of gases.
 Even though they look
small from Earth, they
are enormous.
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 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
Mars
Earth
Venus
Mercury
Jupiter
Saturn
Nine
Planets
Uranus
Pluto Neptune
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
Temp. (C)
Mercury
150
Venus
450
Earth
0
Mars
-50
Jupiter
-150
Saturn
-190
Uranus
-210
Neptune
-230
Pluto
-250
Planet’s Distance from the Sun
Distance from the Sun (millions)
4000
3674.5
3500
2794.4
3000
2500
1,784
2000
1500
886.7
1000
500
483.6
36
67.2
93
141.6
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
0
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Mercury
 Closest planet to the sun
 About the size of the Earth’s moon
 No atmosphere
 Mercury virtual tour
Venus
 Second planet from the sun
 Very dry atmosphere
 Venus virtual tour
Earth
 Our wonderful planet is the third planet from
the sun
 Has water and volcanoes
 Only planet with known life
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
Click here to go back to the
 Mars virtual tour
nine planets site
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
 Sixth planet from the sun
 Known for it’s rings, which can be seen from
Earth with a telescope
 Saturn virtual tour
Uranus
 Seventh planet from the sun
 Most distant planet you can see without using a
telescope
 Has faint rings
 Uranus virtual tour
Neptune
 Eighth planet from the sun
 Neptune virtual tour
Pluto
 Planet farthest away from the sun
 Smallest planet
 Rocky surface surrounded by frozen gases
 Pluto virtual tour
Number of Moons on Each Planet
Each planet has a different number of moons. Mercury
and Venus have zero.
Number of Moons per Planet
2 11 2
15
Earth
18
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
18
Pluto
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


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.
Space ship
launching
telescope
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/astrono
my/planets/
 http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/ -