THE SOLAR SYSTEMBy: Seemani Dash

What is the Solar System?

Our focus question:

Vocabulary for this Chapter

star: a huge ball of very hot, burning gas that gives off energy

ellipse: a shape like an oval satellite: an object that orbits another

object in space

What is our Solar System Made of?

The Sun Eight planets Dwarf planets Moons Asteroids Comets

What is the Sun? An average sized star made mostly of hydrogen and

helium The central and largest body in our solar system Takes up almost 99% of the mass in our solar system Very hot with no solid surfaces Has three layers: the photosphere, the chromosphere,

and the corona Has three special things: sunspots, prominences, and

solar flares

Sunspots, Prominences, and Solar Flares

Special Description

Sunspot o Dark spots on the Sun that occur since they are not so hot like the rest of the Sun

Prominence o A eruption that looks like a ribbon of glowing gaseso When it starts, it goes away after a few days or months

Solar Flare o a bright spot on the Suno similar to volcanoes on Eartho usually last for only minutes or sometimes hourso gives off a lot of energy

Planets a large, round object that revolves around a

star cooler and smaller than stars shine because the light of the star reflects off

the planet’s surface stay in their elliptical orbit around the star

because of gravity eight known planets in solar system

What are the Inner Planets? the four planets closest to the Sun the four smallest planets

The Names of the Inner PlanetsMercury

Venus

Earth

Mars

Mercury 1st planet from the Sun has no moons has thousands of craters almost no atmosphere very hot at day freezing cold at night

Average distance from Sun 35,983,000 miles

Diameter 3,032 miles

Length of one day in Earth time

59 days

Length of one year in Earth time

88 days

Average surface temperature

243 degrees (F)

Venus

Average distance from Sun 67,200,000 miles

Diameter 7,521 miles

Length of one day in Earth time

243 days

Length of one year in Earth time

225 days

Average surface temperature 867 degrees (F)

• 2nd planet from the Sun• about the same size as Earth• rotates in the opposite direction than the other planets• has an atmosphere of thick, poisonous, and swirling clouds• Sun reflects off clouds, so the planet is one of the brightest objects in the sky

Earth 3rd planet from the Sun only planet with liquid water atmosphere supports life largest rocky planet in the solar

system one moon that has many craters

Average distance from Sun 93,000,000 miles

Diameter 7,926 miles

Length of one day in Earth time

24 hours

Length of one year in Earth time

365 days

Average surface temperature

59 degrees (F)

Mars 4th planet from the Sun has two deeply cratered moons sometimes called the “Red Planet” because of soil that contains iron

oxide dust storms occur has polar ice caps many volcanoes many probes landed on this planet

Average distance from Sun 141,600,000 milesDiameter 4,222 milesLength of one day in Earth time

25 hours

Length of one year in Earth time

686 days

Average surface temperature

-85 degrees (F)

What are the Outer Planets?

the four planets farthest from the Sun the four largest planets The “Gas Giants”, and the planets with

ringsName of the PlanetsJupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Jupiter 5th planet from the Sun largest planet in the solar system atmosphere made mostly of hydrogen and

helium at least 63 moons has a large storm called the great red spot

Average distance from Sun 484,000,000 milesDiameter 88,846 milesLength of one day in Earth’s time

10 hours

Length of one year in Earth’s time

12 years

Average surface temperature - 234 degrees (F)

Saturn 6th planet from the Sun has a low mass has visible rings made of ice, dust,

and rock at least 47 moons

Average distance from Sun 885,900,000 milesDiameter 74,897 milesLength of one day in Earth’s time

11 hours

Length of one year in Earth’s time

29.4 years

Average surface temperature - 288 degrees (F)

Uranus 7th planet from the Sun atmosphere consists of hydrogen, helium, and methane methane can become a liquid and makes a cloud that gives

the planet a bluish color at least 27 moons rotates on its side

Average distance from the Sun

1,784,000,000 miles

Diameter 31,763 milesLength of one day in Earth’s time

17 hours

Length of one year in Earth’s time

84 years

Average surface temperature - 357 degrees (F)

Neptune 8th planet in the solar system smallest of the gas giants has one huge storm called the “Great Dark

Spot” at least 13 moonsAverage distance from Sun 2,795,000,000 milesDiameter 30,775 milesLength of one day in Earth’s time

16 hours

Length of one year in Earth’s time

165 years

Average surface temperature - 353 degrees (F)

Asteroids rocky object up to hundreds of kilometers long sometimes called minor planets most are found in between Mars and Jupiter, in the

asteroid belt some asteroids have smaller asteroids orbiting the bigger

ones

This is Eros. This is Ida

Examples

Comets frozen mass of different kinds of ice and dust much smaller than planets have two tails, outward moving particles from

the Sun always push tails in a direction away from the Sun

This is a close look at a comet.

Dwarf Planets

it is a small, ball shaped or round object that revolves around the Sun

Pluto, Eris, and Ceres are all dwarf planets Pluto orbits the Sun in a tilted ellipse

PlutoEris

Ceres

References

5th grade science book

I hope this helped you!