Tour of the

Solar System

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Tour of the

Solar System • A system of diverse planets rotating around a single

star seems to be a common occurrence in our Milky Way Galaxy of around 200 billion stars.

• Only in the last 20 years or so have we been sure of this and have been able to spot other planets that rotate around stars.

• We have discovered thousands of planets in other solar systems and more are being found every day. The galaxy is clearly teeming with planets.

• We still have many unanswered questions. How many of these planets are like Earth? Can life exist on planets that are very different from Earth?

• Take this trip through the solar system that we know best - ours. Perhaps answering questions about our own planets will help us answer questions about the others that are out there.

• The human race has done a lot in space

since the first satellite, named Sputnik, orbited the Earth in October of 1957.

• Before this Russian-made satellite

launched, mankind could only dream of going into space… and dream we did.

• Soon after, in April of 1961, the first man

went into space. He was a Russian

named Yuri Gargarin, and he was not only the first human in space, but also

the first to orbit the Earth.

NASA , ESA

• For the first 30 years of space

travel, the United States and

Russia were in a tense competition called “The Space Race” to see who would dominate space militarily and

scientifically.

• However, since the fall of the old

Soviet Union, Russia and the

United States have worked

together in space and have cooperated mightily in the

building of the International

Space Station.

• Now that the space shuttle missions are over, we are totally

dependent on the Russians for

human transport to the space

station.

• We have spacecrafts like the Voyager ships that went to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune that are capable of visiting several planets in our solar system, but can’t carry people on them.

NASA - ESA

• Another complication when

using the space shuttle is that it

is unable to leave Earth’s orbit.

• So right now no human can actually tour the entire solar

system as we will do right now.

• We don’t have the technology to build a ship capable of

sustaining life for that long.

• But like most things, if we put

our minds to it we could accomplish it.

• We have spacecrafts like the

space shuttle, capable of

supporting human life in space

for several weeks, but this is not

enough time to travel to any

other planets.

• Our solar system

consists of the Sun,

8 planets,

asteroids, mini-

planets and almost a trillion comets, all

held together by

the Sun’s gravity.

• “Sol” in the word solar system

means “Sun.”

NASA , ESA

• To even get to the part of the solar system that has planets, we must travel half its length inward towards the Sun.

• The first planet we encounter looks something like Earth at a glance.

• Neptune is 17 times more massive than the Earth. Its atmosphere gives it a pleasing blue appearance and its Earth-like clouds are easily visible.

• At the furthest reaches of the planetary system, it is one of the most geologically active bodies in the solar system.

NASA , ESA

• This huge blue marble holds a lot of

records in the solar system.

• Neptune boasts the fastest recorded

winds in the solar system, clocking

speeds of over 1,000 miles per hour. This

is because Neptune doesn’t generate much energy from its center or core, so

when the winds start blowing there is no

force to disrupt them.

• The strongest hurricanes on Earth blow

at 155 miles per hour and only last a few

weeks.

• Its largest moon, Triton, is the coldest

surface in the solar system at just 40

degrees above absolute zero.

• Absolute zero is the coldest anything can

get. It is -460 °F, a temperature at which

molecules do not vibrate.

NASA and ESA

• If the planets lined up neatly for us we

would then approach Uranus, a twin ice giant to Neptune.

• With the discovery of Uranus in 1781, the

size of the solar system was effectively

doubled.

• Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn

have all been known since antiquity, so

Uranus was the first planet that we have

any record of discovering.

• Uranus spends 20 years

with its south pole facing

the Sun and 20 years with its north pole facing the

Sun. Uranus basically lies

on its side. (click mouse)

• Because of its sideways position, there are no real

day and night cycles. One

day lasts for 20 years and

one night lasts for the

same amount of time. Talk

about a long day.

• Uranus lays on its side, but not from

slumber. It is most likely the result of a cosmic collision on a grand scale.

• The outer solar system was a dangerous

place some time ago with lots of huge rocks zipping around among the planets,

pulled by the Sun’s gravity and the gravity of the planets.

• The outer solar system was a dangerous

place some time ago. Huge rocks, pulled

by the Sun’s gravity and the gravity of the planets, zipped around among the

planets.

NASA

• As we travel towards the Sun we are

astounded by the beauty of the approaching planet, Saturn. As far as we

know, humans have always known of this

planet’s existence, though our ancestors did not know about its rings until the last

400 years or so.

• Saturn has the lowest density of any of

the planets in the solar system.

• “Density” describes how tightly mass is packed together.

• It’s less dense than water, which means it would float if you could find an ocean big

enough to drop it into.

• It’s about as dense or thick as a milkshake. I wonder what Saturn

would taste like? Be ready to call

poison control after taking a sip

though as it’s made of hydrogen and helium gases.

NASA , ESA

• The next planet is a

familiar one to us… Earth.

• The Earth is

particularly suited

to sustaining us.

• There is not

another place in

the solar system where we could live

for even 5 minutes

without a space

suit, and very few

places where even a spacesuit would

help.

• Few places in the solar system have enough air pressure to keep our insides inside our skin.

• Those planets that do have enough pressure to hold us together have too much and would squash us under a mountain of atmosphere.

• No place has anything we could eat or drink – not a morsel, not a sip – nothing.

• Earth’s atmosphere lets in what we need, sunlight and heat, and keeps out what would kill us, harmful radiation.

• Space is beautiful, but in the way that Mt. Everest or the vast Pacific Ocean is beautiful – beautiful but not hospitable.

• We can’t live below the ground because there is no air, not to

mention any room to move around.

• We can’t live in the water, which occupies most of the planet’s surface, and we can’t live near the north or south poles as it is too cold

and there is no food.

• There is only a very small pocket of

land on the Earth that we can

survive in.

• The vast majority of Earth is toxic to human life.

• The Earth is a womb of safety, but even on

the Earth we can only inhabit a very small sliver of the planet.

• Think about it. We can’t live very high off the surface or there is not enough air to breathe

(not to mention anything to stand on).

• The part of the Earth that we do

live in is perfect for us, just the right

distance from the Sun – not too hot

and not too cold.

• It has just the right tilt, just the right

atmosphere and just the right kind

of protection from the deadly radiation of the Sun and space.

• It is positioned just right in the solar

system, and the solar system is

positioned just right in the galaxy – not

near the dense radiation of the galactic center.

• The galaxy is positioned just right in the

universe – not in a tight, violent,

radiation-filled cluster of other galaxies.

SOHO/NASA/ESA

• All the nuclear bombs in the

world could blow up on the

surface of the Sun and we

wouldn’t even notice.

• Its energy output in one second is more than the

human race has generated in

all its history.

• Only a tiny fraction of the

Sun’s energy reaches the Earth, yet it is the power

behind all life on this planet.

SOHO/NASA/ESA NASA

• There are many interesting

occurrences on the surface of

the Sun.

• Solar tornadoes spin jets of fire

and gas near the poles of the

Sun and are as wide as North

America.

• They are thousands of miles

high and spin thousands of

times the speed of tornadoes

here on Earth.

• The Sun’s rotation twists magnetic fields and the

cyclones pop up like uncoiling

springs from the surface.

• A storm cellar will not help you

here.

1. Do you think that because the United States and the Soviet Union (Russia) were in a “Space Race” the exploration of space was accelerated or slowed down? Why?

2. What combination of features would a ship need to allow a human to tour the solar system?

3. We try to understand other planets in the galaxy by better understanding the planets in our solar system. Is it

reasonable to suppose that planets that are far are similar to planets that are close?

4. In what way is Neptune like the Earth? In what way is it different than the Earth?

5. Why does Uranus lay on its side? What other object in the solar system has been knocked over similarly?

6. Why do you think Jupiter and Saturn have so many moons? Why do you think Jupiter protects the Earth from

getting hit by many comets and asteroids? Hint: The answer to each of these questions is the same.

7. The Asteroid Belt marks the border between what two parts of the solar system?

8. What misunderstanding led to the belief that Martians were building canals on Mars?

9. Why did we initially think that our sister planet Venus might support life like ours? Name at least two reasons

that preclude that possibility now that we know more about Venus.

10. Why is Mercury so cold on one side even though it is so close to the Sun?

11. Why do you think the solar system is named after the Sun?

12. If you would like to make a real tour of the solar system possible, what fields of study might you pursue?

Discussion Questions: (Assessment)

1. Do you think that because the United States and the Soviet Union (Russia) were in a “Space Race” the exploration of space was accelerated or slowed down? Why? The exploration of space was accelerated

because of the “Space Race” because the two countries were in competition and worked harder and spent more money than they would have otherwise

2. What combination of features would a ship need to allow a human to tour the solar system? The ship would

need to be very fast so it would finish the tour in less than a human lifetime, able to store and grow food, store

and recycle water, maybe generate artificial gravity so as not to negatively effect human muscle, bone and

cardiovascular function

3. We try to understand other planets in the galaxy by better understanding the planets in our solar system. Is it

reasonable to suppose that planets that are far are similar to planets that are close? Yes, since the laws of

physics, biology and chemistry are thought to be constant throughout the galaxy.

4. In what way is Neptune like the Earth? In what way is it different than the Earth? Neptune is similar to Earth in

that it has recognizable weather patterns and features. Neptune is dissimilar to Earth in practically every other

way. For example it is made of gas and ice.

5. Why does Uranus lay on its side? What other object in the solar system has been knocked over similarly? Most

objects in the solar system that are on their sides are thought to have been struck by a large object sometime

in the past. For example, Pluto has been knocked on its side as well.

Discussion Questions: Answer Key

Discussion Questions: (Answer Key)

6. Why do you think Jupiter and Saturn have so many moons? Since larger planets have very strong gravitational

pulls they capture more objects than smaller planets. Why do you think Jupiter protects the Earth from getting

hit by many comets and asteroids? Hint: The answer to each of these questions is the same.

7. The Asteroid Belt marks the border between what two parts of the solar system? The inner and the outer solar

system. It also marks the boundary between terrestrial (solid) planets and gas planets.

8. What misunderstanding led to the belief that Martians were building canals on Mars? The mistranslation of the

word “canal” from Italian to English.

9. Why did we initially think that our sister planet Venus might support life like ours? Name at least two reasons

that preclude that possibility now that we know more about Venus. We initially thought Venus could support life

because it was in the habitable zone in regard to its distance from the Sun and it was about the size of Earth.

However, because Venus’ average temperature hovers around 900 °F, is pitch black because of the clouds and

has acid rain we can’t live there.

10. Why is Mercury so cold on one side even though it is so close to the Sun? It has no atmosphere to hold the

heat in when part of the surface turns away from the Sun. The planet also has a lot of time to cool down

because it rotates so slowly.

11. Why do you think the solar system is named after the Sun? Because the Sun is the most important part of the

solar system and holds it together with its gravity.

12. If you would like to make a real tour of the solar system possible, what fields of study might you pursue?

Physics, Rocket Science, Astronomy, Medicine

Discussion Questions: Answer Key

Discussion Questions Continued: (Answer Key)

Cross Curricular and Extension Activities:

English/ Creative Writing: Select a planet and, based on its living conditions, write a descriptive essay explaining what

types of imaginary creatures could live there. These creatures do not have to be anything like

the ones that exist on Earth or could be a combination of some preexisting creatures.

Describe what these creatures would eat, their behaviors, and what they would look like.

Explain why we would or wouldn’t want these creatures here on Earth.

History/ Mythology: Select a planet and research the mythological Roman/Greek god that it was named after. In

an explanatory essay express why its name is appropriate based on what you learned about

the planet’s features and conditions. Suggest several other appropriate names for the planet and explain why these names would be good choices for the planet as well.

Art Draw, paint, or sculpt an exaggerated depiction of one of the planets with emphasis on its

most prominent features and living conditions.

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