John Burrillo EME rd Grade Science Activities SSS Questions

 Mercury is the first planet and closest to the sun. 35,980,000 miles away from the sun.  It is now the smallest planet in the solar system.  The orbit for Mercury is 88 days.  Its tilt is only 0.01 degrees.  Mercury’s surface is covered with craters.

 Mercury is the hottest planet in the solar system.  Mercury does not have an atmosphere. Because of this its temperature ranges from -183 to 427 degrees Celsius.  The sunlight is 6.5 times more intense then on Earth.  Mercury was named by the Romans after the messenger of the gods.

 Venus is second the second planet in the solar system and is 67,230,000 miles away from the sun.  Venus is the roughly the same size as Earth.  The length of orbit is 225 days.  In its orbit, Venus only comes within 26 million miles from earth.  Venus has a very thick atmosphere, thus the temperature can reach 900 degrees Fahrenheit.

 Venus does not rotate normally like the other planets. It rotates in a retrograde (backward) direction.  Volcanoes are reshaping the surface of Venus.  The volcano, Sapas Mons, is 2.5 miles tall and is surrounded by a moat of lava.  Water does not exist because of the intense heat it would have boiled away. Only traces are now left.

 Earth is the third planet from the sun and is the planet that we live on.  Earth is 1 AU (92,960,000 miles) away from the sun.  The length of orbit is 365 days.  Earth has one moon.  It is the only known planet able to sustain life at this point in time.

 Earth is the only planet that is not named after a mythical god.  Earth is only 29% land and 71% water.  Earth is the brightest planet because of the water reflecting the sunlight.  Earth is 4.6 billion years old.  It is the fifth largest planet in the solar system.

 Mars is the fourth planet in our solar system.  Mars is 141,700,000 miles away from the sun.  It takes mars 687 days to orbit around the sun to complete one year on it.  Mars is known as the “Red Planet”.  Mars has two known moons. These moons names are Phobos and Deimos. These are said to be two asteroids that were caught by mars.

 Mars has many volcanoes on its surface.  Olympus Mons is the most known volcano on Mars. It measures in at a towering 16 miles high.  There is water on mars, but there is not enough. The amount of water that is on Mars is to create an ocean inches deep.

 Jupiter is the fifth planet in our solar system.  It is 483,700,000 miles away from the sun.  The length of a year on Jupiter feels like forever because it takes years to orbit around the sun.  Jupiter has many moons and scientists are still looking for more to add to its enormous total of 63.

 Jupiter is the first planet that has a noticable ring system.  Its atmosphere contains numerous storm systems that top wind speeds to a whopping 250 miles per hour.  There is a spot called “The Great Red Spot”, which is a hurricane like structure that is 5 miles above the surface.

 Saturn is the sixth planet, and is the second largest planet in the solar system.  Saturn is 886,700,000 miles away from the sun.  One year on Saturn is equal to years on Earth.  Saturn has a numerous amount of moons just like Jupiter. It has a total of 20+ moons.  Saturn is named after the Roman god of farming.

 Saturn has the largest ring system in our solar system.  Saturn's atmosphere is similar to Jupiter's, but Saturn’s gives it a uniform beige color.  There is a storm that makes rare appearances, and it forms just like storms normally form on Earth.

 Uranus is the seventh planet in our solar system.  This planet was discovered by Sir William Herschel in  Uranus is billion miles away from the sun, and takes a crazy Earth years to orbit the sun.  This planet also has a ring system.

 There are 11 Uranian rings. The outermost ring is 60 miles from the center of the planet.  Uranus also has multiple moons. It does not have as many as Jupiter or Saturn, but does have 15 moons.  Uranus orbits the sun almost on its side (tilt of 98 degrees).  It gets its blue-green color from the methane gases in the atmosphere.

 Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun in our solar system.  Neptune is miles from the sun.  It is the last gas giant (Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus).  One year on Neptune is equal to 165 years on Earth.  There are eight moons that belong to Neptune.

 Neptune has a ring system that contains 3 rings.  There is a “Great Dark Spot”, related to Jupiter's red spot, that is surrounded by cirrus clouds of frozen methane.

 Pluto was the ninth planet from the sun in our solar system.  Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in  It is billion miles from the sun. one year on Pluto would take Earth Years.  Pluto has 3 moons.  Its orbit takes itself into Neptune’s orbit.

 Unfortunately Pluto is no longer considered a planet.  There are guidelines to be a planet and they are as follows: must orbit the sun, have gravity to form a spherical shape, and no other objects in its neighborhood. This is why it is no longer a planet.  There are three other dwarf planets in the area of Pluto. So now Pluto is identified as a dwarf planet.

 What planet has the “Great Dark Spot”?  What planet is named after the Roman messenger of the gods?  Which planet has the most moons?  Which planet is no longer a planet?

 1. Neptune  2. Mercury  3.Jupiter  4. Pluto

 for-kids_a.asp for-kids_a.asp   /astronomy/planets/

 Earth and Space Standard 1: The student understands the interaction and organization in the Solar System and the universe and how this affects life on Earth. (SC.E.1.2) 4. knows that the planets differ in size, characteristics, and composition and that they orbit the sun in our Solar System. 5. understands the arrangement of planets in our Solar System.