Our Solar Our Solar SystemSystem

By Jeannie SawyerBy Jeannie Sawyer

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Certain materials are included Certain materials are included under the fair use exemption of under the fair use exemption of the U.S. Copyright Law and have the U.S. Copyright Law and have been prepared according to the been prepared according to the educational fair use guidelines.educational fair use guidelines.

ObjectivesObjectives

The students will know what a solar The students will know what a solar system is.system is.

The students will have an The students will have an understanding on how the Solar system understanding on how the Solar system was formed.was formed.

They will know how big the solar system They will know how big the solar system is.is.

They will discover how the solar system They will discover how the solar system is arranged.is arranged.

What is the Solar System?What is the Solar System?

The solar system The solar system consists of:consists of:

One central star, One central star, the Sunthe Sun

Nine Planets: Nine Planets: Mercury, Venus, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and PlutoNeptune, and Pluto

How is our solar system How is our solar system set up?set up?

It is set up into two parts:It is set up into two parts: The inner system, those The inner system, those

closest to the sun; closest to the sun; contain Mercury, Venus, contain Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.Earth, and Mars.

The outer system The outer system contains Jupiter, Saturn, contains Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.Pluto.

The inner planets are The inner planets are separated from the outer separated from the outer planets by the Asteroid planets by the Asteroid beltbelt

How did the solar How did the solar system form?system form?

The planets, asteroids The planets, asteroids and comets in the solar and comets in the solar system are loose system are loose particles left over from particles left over from the formation of the sun.the formation of the sun.

Gas and dust in the disc Gas and dust in the disc spiraled gradually in to spiraled gradually in to the center, where it the center, where it accumulated to form the accumulated to form the Sun.Sun.

These dust particles These dust particles stuck together to make stuck together to make clumps, then clumps clumps, then clumps stuck together to make stuck together to make rocks, then rocks rocks, then rocks collided to make collided to make planets.planets.

The sun is the collapsed The sun is the collapsed core of an interstellar gas core of an interstellar gas cloud, and the planets, cloud, and the planets, asteroids and comets are asteroids and comets are small lumps of dust which small lumps of dust which stayed in orbit instead of stayed in orbit instead of spiraling into the Sun.spiraling into the Sun.

The inner planets formed The inner planets formed first and were dragged by first and were dragged by the spiraling gas, which the spiraling gas, which is why they are closest to is why they are closest to the sun.the sun.

The outer planets have The outer planets have rocky cores, but their rocky cores, but their outer layers are made up outer layers are made up hydrogen and other hydrogen and other gases.gases.

What is the asteroid What is the asteroid belt?belt? The asteroid belt is a The asteroid belt is a

zone between the zone between the orbits of Mars and orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Jupiter.

It is believed that the It is believed that the asteroids in the asteroids in the asteroid belt never asteroid belt never formed a planet formed a planet because of the gravity because of the gravity of nearby Jupiter kept of nearby Jupiter kept pulling them apart.pulling them apart.

Today, millions of Today, millions of asteroids probably asteroids probably inhabit the asteroid inhabit the asteroid belt, with many more belt, with many more scattered throughout scattered throughout the solar system.the solar system.

Where do comets Where do comets come from?come from?

Comets are solar system Comets are solar system leftovers: they are often leftovers: they are often described as “dirty snowballs,” described as “dirty snowballs,” lumps of frozen gas and dust.lumps of frozen gas and dust.

Comets are almost invisible, Comets are almost invisible, except when they are near the except when they are near the sun’s heat.sun’s heat.

Comets become visible when Comets become visible when ice changed into gas by the ice changed into gas by the sun’s heat.sun’s heat.

The gas carries dust, and this The gas carries dust, and this dust forms the comet’s head dust forms the comet’s head and tail.and tail.

Meteor showers sometimes Meteor showers sometimes occur when the Earth passes occur when the Earth passes through a comet’s orbit.through a comet’s orbit.

How big is the solar How big is the solar system?system?

There are no physical There are no physical boundaries in space.boundaries in space.

The solar system from The solar system from the Sun out to Pluto the Sun out to Pluto which is the farthest which is the farthest planet orbiting it, is planet orbiting it, is measured in measured in astronomical units of astronomical units of length.length.

One astronomical unit One astronomical unit equals the distance from equals the distance from Earth to the Sun: 93 Earth to the Sun: 93 million miles.million miles.

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Can you see any planets Can you see any planets with the “naked eye”?with the “naked eye”?

The ancient The ancient civilizations were civilizations were able to discover able to discover Mercury, Venus, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn by unaided Saturn by unaided eye.eye.

Uranus, Neptune, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were all and Pluto were all discovered using a discovered using a telescope.telescope.

Can the Hubble Space Telescope Can the Hubble Space Telescope take pictures of all the planets in our take pictures of all the planets in our solar system?solar system?

Mercury and Earth are Mercury and Earth are the only two planets the only two planets that the Hubble Space that the Hubble Space Telescope has not Telescope has not observed for observed for astronomical astronomical purposes.purposes.

Mercury is too close Mercury is too close to the Sun, which is to the Sun, which is too bright for the too bright for the Hubble to look at.Hubble to look at.

Can you view the solar Can you view the solar system?system?

You don’t need your own You don’t need your own Voyager to see the solar Voyager to see the solar system.system.

You can see much of it from You can see much of it from your own back yard.your own back yard.

You can look at the stars, You can look at the stars, planets, and more out planets, and more out there by eye, binoculars, or there by eye, binoculars, or telescope, inexpensivelytelescope, inexpensively

Refer to Sky & Telescope or Refer to Sky & Telescope or another magazine for date another magazine for date positions or check several positions or check several Web sites that show Web sites that show planetary positions, and planetary positions, and the sky is the limit to your the sky is the limit to your watching.watching.

Activity: Size and Activity: Size and Distances of PlanetsDistances of Planets

Have the student work in pairs; talk about the planet Have the student work in pairs; talk about the planet distances and sizes compared to a scale model.distances and sizes compared to a scale model.

The distances to the planets and the sizes of the The distances to the planets and the sizes of the planets are shown on the same scale, which is 1 inch planets are shown on the same scale, which is 1 inch = 12,000 miles. At this scale, Jupiter is 1,111 yards = 12,000 miles. At this scale, Jupiter is 1,111 yards from the Sun and is represented by a soccer ball of from the Sun and is represented by a soccer ball of diameter about 7.33 inches. Pluto is 4.73 miles away, diameter about 7.33 inches. Pluto is 4.73 miles away, and thus cannot be shown in a typical school yard, but and thus cannot be shown in a typical school yard, but its size can be represented by a small BB. At this its size can be represented by a small BB. At this scale, the Sun is represented as a 6-ft diameter scale, the Sun is represented as a 6-ft diameter medicine ball, and the star Betelgeuse (in medicine ball, and the star Betelgeuse (in constellation Orion) would be a ball about 1 mile in constellation Orion) would be a ball about 1 mile in diameter.diameter.

Saturn is 1.2 miles away, Uranus is 1.7 miles away, Saturn is 1.2 miles away, Uranus is 1.7 miles away, Neptune is 4.73 miles. Bonus question-how far is Neptune is 4.73 miles. Bonus question-how far is Betelgeuse? Betelgeuse?

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