I understand the relative size and relationship between the solar system, galaxy, and universe.

Objects in the Universe ordered from largest to smallest LARGEST Universe Galaxy Solar System Smallest

The Universe is…. everything that exists

Galaxies Galaxies are giant structures made of BILLIONS of stars There are hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe.

Our solar system located in a galaxy called the Milky Way.

Solar systems are located around individual stars in a galaxy. Our solar system is located on the outer edge of a spiral galaxy called the Milky Way.

Which is smaller? Galaxy or stars Stars or Solar Systems Solar Systems or Galaxies UNIVERSE or Galaxies

What is a solar system? A region of space where the gravitational force of a star influences all other objects. In our solar system, the gravitational pull of the sun keeps the planets in orbit

Our solar system Our solar system is made up of one star and 8 planets, dwarf planets, comets, asteroids, and moons. Our star, the sun, is the largest object in the solar system. Our solar system started about 5billion years ago. We live on Earth. The third planet from the sun. Our solar system is in the Milkyway galaxy.

The Sun 93,000,000 miles away from Earth Rotates Has dark spots that are cooler areas called Sunspots Has solar Flares-Large amount of energy leaves the sun. has layers Different layers act different Sun is made of gas

A planet is…. an object that is a sphere Revolve around a star Large enough to have enough gravity to clear all objects out of it’s orbit Orbit is on the same plane as other planets in the solar system

The planets in our solar system

I can contrast inner and outer planets with respect to size, composition and distances between orbits.

INNER PLANETOUTER PLANETS Closer to the sunFarther from the sun SmallLarge RockyGas Less massMore mass More Dense (More mass within a given space) Less Dense (Less mass within a given space) Close to each otherFar from each other Hotter temperaturesColder temperature Shorter YearLonger Year Shorter revolutionLonger revolution Inner Planets vs. Outer Planets

On a piece of paper, sort the following characteristics into 2 groups. 1: inner planets 2: Outer planets SmallCloser to the sun Longer yearHotter temperatures largeFarther from the sun Shorter yearCooler temperatures Made of gasMore gravitational pull Longer revolution More dense Made of rockLess gravitational pull Shorter revolution Less dense

Day, Month, Year DayThe time it takes for a planet to rotate (spin) once on it’s axis. Ex. Earth takes about 24hours to rotate one time on it’s axis MonthThe time it takes for a moon to revolve one time around a planet. Ex. The moon revolves around the Earth once every 28 days. YearThe time it takes for a planet to revolve once around the sun. Ex. The Earth revolves around the sun once every year. An earth year is days. Days, months and years are different for each planet in the solar system.

Key Vocabulary orbit, revolution and rotation Revolution (Revolve) When one object goes around another object. Ex. Planets revolves around the sun Ex. The moon revolves around the earth Rotation (Rotate) Spinning on an axis Ex. The Earth spins on it’s axis Ex. The moon spins on it’s axis once every 28 days. OrbitThe path an object takes as it revolves around another object Ex. Planets orbit the sun in an elliptical path.

I can describe how the force of gravity maintains orbits within a solar system.

What keeps the planets in orbit around the sun? Gravity is the attractive force between 2 objects. The force of gravity is dependent on the size of the objects & the distance between the 2 objects. Size: Larger objects with more mass have more gravitational pull Ex. Since the sun is the largest object in the solar system, it and has the most gravity of any object in the solar system. All objects in the solar system are trapped in the suns gravitational pull. Distance: Objects farther away from each other have less gravitational pull. Ex. The moon and the Earth are pulling on each other. However, the Earth is larger and has a greater gravitational pull, so the moon is trapped in Earth’s gravitational pull. However, the moon doesn’t crash into Earth, because it’s pulling on the Earth in the opposite direction. We see evidence of this as tides.

Gravity in action: Ex. The moon and the Earth are pulling on each other. However, the Earth is larger and has a greater gravitational pull, so the moon is trapped in Earth’s gravitational pull. However, the moon doesn’t crash into Earth, because it’s pulling on the Earth in the opposite direction creating a balance of gravitational force. We see evidence of this as tides.

Effects of GRAVITY is observed throughout the universe!!!! Formation of all objects in space-planets, moons, stars, galaxies Keeps the planets in orbit around the sun Keeps the moons in orbit around the planets Causes the tides on Earth Causes the same mass to have different weights on different planets.