The Solar System By: Seemani Dash

What is the Solar System? Our focus question: What is the Solar System?

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 Dark spots on the Sun that occur since they are not so hot like the rest of the Sun Prominence A eruption that looks like a ribbon of glowing gases When it starts, it goes away after a few days or months Solar Flare a bright spot on the Sun similar to volcanoes on Earth usually last for only minutes or sometimes hours 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 Planets Mercury 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 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 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)

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 Average distance from Sun 141,600,000 miles Diameter 4,222 miles 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 miles Diameter 4,222 miles Length 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 rings Name of the Planets Jupiter 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 miles Diameter 88,846 miles Length 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 miles Diameter 74,897 miles Length 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 miles Length 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 moons Average distance from Sun 2,795,000,000 miles Diameter 30,775 miles Length 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 Examples 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 Pluto Eris Ceres

References 5th grade science book

I hope this helped you!