The Solar System

How the Universe Formed? Our solar system is part of a bigger system called a galaxy Our galaxy is part of a bigger system called the universe

How the Universe Formed? Theory on how the universe formed called the Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory – the universe formed from a massive expansion approximately bya

How our Solar System Formed The Nebular Theory – explains that solar system was formed from a rotating disk of dust and gas Formed ~4.6 bya

What makes up our Solar System? The center of our solar system is our sun and the following planets elliptically revolve around it (in order from closest to farthest) – Mercury – Venus – Earth – Mars – Jupiter – Saturn – Uranus – Neptune

Other Members of our Solar System Asteroids – small, rocky bodies; most are between Mars and Jupiter

Other Members of our Solar System Comets – pieces of rocky and metallic materials held together by frozen gases; they orbit the sun – Most famous comet is Halley’s comet which orbits by Earth every 76 years (next visit 2062) – Kuiper belt – comets on far side of Neptune

Other Members of our Solar System Meteoroids – “shooting stars”; little chunky of rock and debris in space – Meteors – don’t enter Earth’s atmosphere – Meteorites –reach Earth’s surface