HOW DO WE OBSERVE OBJECTS IN SPACE? OBSERVATIONS OF OBJECTS IN SPACE

HOW DO WE OBSERVE OBJECTS IN SPACE? Until January 7, 1610, people observed the night sky using only their eyes. Galileo Galilei looked at the sky using a telescope. A telescope is an instrument that makes distant objects seem larger and nearer.

WHAT ARE PLANETS? A solar system is a star and the objects that orbit around it. In our solar system, there are eight planets orbiting the Sun. A planet is a large object that orbits the Sun. The inner planets are closer to the Sun than the asteroid belt and have surfaces made of rock (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars). The outer planets are beyond the asteroid belt and have surfaces made of gases (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune)

PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS WITH YOUR GROUP How do the surface materials of the inner and outer planets differ? What other objects are in a solar system? Based on the given information where can you infer the asteroid belt is?

LET’S COMPARE PLANETS… Jupiter- __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Saturn- __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Venus- __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Mars- __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS WITH YOUR GROUP What could the fact that there are volcanoes on Venus mean about the interior of the planet? How do winds form on Jupiter?

HOW DO THE MOONS COMPARE? A moon is a natural object that orbits a planet. Different planets have different numbers and sizes of moons. Moons are also called satellites. A satellite is an object that circles around another object. Moons are natural satellites, people also put objects into space that orbit Earth or other planets. These are called artificial satellites.

WHAT ARE ASTEROIDS, COMETS, AND METEORS? A comet is a mixture of frozen gases, dust, ice, and rock that moves in an elliptical orbit around the Sun. Comets have three parts: coma, nucleus and gaseous tail(s). An asteroid is a rock that revolves around the Sun. If an object crosses paths with Earth and enters Earth’s atmosphere, it is called a meteor. When a meteor lands on the ground, it is called a meteorite.

PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION WITH YOUR GROUP Draw the location of the tail and head of a comet as it moves around the Sun. ILLUSTRATION: