Transcript presentation name

OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
7th Grade Science
Mrs. Monti & Ms. Riley
The Sun
• The sun accounts for
99.8% of the solar
system’s total mass.
WOW!
• The sun is a star.
• The sun is made of two
gases: hydrogen and
helium
Features of the Sun
• Sunspots – dark areas
on the sun that are
cooler
• Solar Flares –
eruptions of gases at
sun’s surface
• Solar Wind – these
particles can affect
the Earth’s magnetic
field
The Inner Planets
• These are small, dense planets with rocky
surfaces. Often called terrestrial planets.
• Mercury – craters, no atmosphere, iron core
• Venus – volcanoes, sulfuric acid atmosphere
• Earth – liquid water at surface & atmosphere
• Mars – red planet, has seasons like Earth due
to its tilt
The Outer Planets
• These planets are more massive with no solid
surfaces. Known as gaseous planets.
• Jupiter – Largest and most massive planet
with Great Red Spot
• Saturn – rings
• Uranus – rotates from top to bottom
• Neptune – cold, blue planet with clouds
What about Pluto?
• After watching the Youtube clip, write three
reasons why Pluto was no longer considered a
planet in 2006?
• The orbit is very strange intersecting other
planet’s.
• It is not as big as first thought.
• They have found other similar bodies.
• Now called a dwarf planet.
Comets
• Comets are loose collections of ice, dust and
small rocky particles whose orbits are usually
very long, narrow eclipses.
• Parts of a comet:
– Coma = fuzzy outer layer (gas part)
– Nucleus = solid inner core (ice & dust)
– Tail = points away from sun; there are 2 (a gas tail
and a dust tail)
– Click here for Comet Animation
Asteroids
• These are rocky objects
revolving around the sun
that are two small and
numerous to be considered
planets.
• The Asteroid Belt is
between Mars and Jupiter.
• They are possibly leftover
pieces of the early solar
system that never formed
into planets.
Meteors
• A meteroid is a chunk of rock or dust in space
that does not orbit the sun. They come from
comets or asteroids.
• A meteor is a meteoroid which enters the
Earth’s atmosphere.
• A meteorite is a meteor that hits the Earth’s
surface.
Hoba Meteorite
• Largest recovered meteorite.
• Discovered inNambia (Africa) in 1920
• Weighs over 60 tons or 60,000 kg