Beyond Earth

A star near Earth – S _ _
A heavenly body that revolves around the Earth – _ O _ _

Movement around another object – _ _ _ _ L _ _ _ _ _
The fourth planet from the sun – _ A _ _
Objects found between Mars and Jupiter – _ _ _ _ R _ _ _ _

The ringed planet – S _ _ _ _ _
The nearest planet to the sun – _ _ _ _ _ _ Y
The planet with 25 moons – _ _ _ _ S
An imaginary curved line taken by the revolving planet – _ _ _ _ T
A burning piece of rock from space – _ E _ _ _ _
A heavenly body that has a head and tail,
and orbits around the sun – _ _ M _ _ _
The Solar System
Write some details about what you know about
the sun. Use the 2-column chart below
Topic/Sketch Characteristics/
Details

How the Solar System Evolved
1. Planetisimal Theory – sun and

other star collided
2. Companion Star Theory – sun
had a companion star which
explode and collided with sun
3. Nebular Hypothesis – a vast,
saucer-shaped nebula, swirling
slowly in space, cooled and
shrank, causing it to spin
faster
What’s in Our Solar System?
• Our Solar System consists of a

central star (the Sun), the planets
orbiting the sun, moons, asteroids,
comets, meteors, interplanetary
gas, dust, and all the “space” in
between them.
• The planets of the Solar System are

named for Greek and Roman Gods and
Goddesses.
The Sun
• The sun’s energy comes from
nuclear fusion (where
hydrogen is converted to
helium) within its core.
This energy is released from
the sun in the form of heat
and light.
• Remember: Stars produce
light. Planets reflect
light.
• A star’s temperature
determines its “color.”
Salient Features of the Sun
 Photosphere – bright surface
• Granules – cover entire photosphere’s surface except
areas with sunspots
• Faculae – bright spots or “little torches”
• Sunspots – dark spots; cooler area
 Chromosphere – reddish glow around the
photosphere
• Solar Flares – most tremendous explosion or eruptions
• Solar Prominence – large, bright, gaseous feature
extending outward from sun’s surface
 Corona – outermost layer; visible during total solar
eclipse
International Astronomical Union (IAU)
A. Planet
– Always orbit around the sun
– Possess sufficient mass enough for its own
gravity to overcome rigid forces to make it
nearly round in shape
– Needs to have cleared neighborhood of smaller
objects; must consume them or sling them away
with its gravity
B. Dwarf Planet – same as planet but must not be
a natural satellite
The 1 st
Four Planets
These first four planets are all
terrestrial planets.
They are also called inner planets.
MERCURY
MARS
VENUS
EARTH
Characteristics of Inner or
Terrestrial Planets
• They are made up mostly of rock and
metal.
• They are very heavy.
• They have no rings and few moons (if
any)
• They have a diameter of less than
13,000 km.
Mercury
• Closest planet to the sun
• Approximately half the
size of Earth
• Rocky surface covered by
craters
• No water or air results in
unchanged appearance
• No moons and 88 days of
revolution
Venus
• Second planet from the
Sun
• Approximately the same
size as the Earth
• Atmosphere consists of
poisonous gases
• Venus has no moons and
takes 225 days to
complete an orbit.
Earth
• Third planet from the Sun
• Largest of the four inner
planets
• Only planet where life is
known to exist
• 70% of the surface is covered
by water
• Earth has one moon and
an oxygen rich
atmosphere.
Mars
• Fourth planet from the Sun
• Approximately half the size of
Earth
• Known as the Red Planet
• Resembles Earth more than
any other planet
• Mars has two moons and
takes about two years to
complete an orbit.
Outer/Jovian Planets
These four planets are all giant gas planets.
URANUS NEPTUNE
SATURN
JUPITER
Characteristics of Outer/Jovian
• They are made up mostly of gases

(primarily hydrogen & helium).
• They are very light for their
size.
• They have rings and many moons.
• They have a diameter of less than
48,000 km
Jupiter
• Jupiter is the largest and
most massive planet.
• It takes about 12 years
for Jupiter to orbit the
sun.
• Jupiter has 68 known
moons.
Saturn
• Saturn has many rings
made of ice. Saturn’s
rings are very wide
• Saturn has 62 known
moons, some of which
orbit inside the rings!
• It takes Saturn about
30 years to orbit the
sun.
Uranus
• Uranus is blue in color

due to methane gas in its
atmosphere.
• Uranus has 11 dark rings
surrounding it.
• Uranus has 27 known
moons and takes 84 years
to complete one orbit.
Neptune
• Neptune has the
fastest winds in the
solar system: up to
2,000 km/hr.
• Neptune is also blue in
color due to methane
gas in its atmosphere.
• Neptune takes 165
years to orbit the sun
and has 14 moons.
Recap of the Planets
My Very Enthusiastic Mother Just Served Us Nachos
Bring the ff.(by group):
empty plastic bottle (1.5 L),
scissors, masking tape/duct
tape, 4 popsicles, baking
soda, vinegar, tissue paper
ASTEROIDS AND METEORS
• Asteroid – minor planets circle the Sun in a
region called asteroid belt
• Meteoroid – fragment of an asteroid floating in
space before it hits the surface of Earth
• Meteor – glowing fragment of rock that burn
and glow upon entering atmosphere
• Meteorite – already landed at the surface

Beyond Earth

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Beyond Earth

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A star near Earth – S _ _

A heavenly body that revolves around the Earth – _ O _ _

1. Planetisimal Theory – sun and

• Our Solar System consists of a

• The planets of the Solar System are

• They are made up mostly of gases

• Uranus is blue in color

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