1. Unit 7 Our Solar System Planets *Inner Planets vs. Outer Planets
Dwarf Planets
Smaller Solar System Bodies

2. Planets
Vocab Words for “Planets”…
Planet
Terrestrial Planet
Gas Giant

3. Planets A planet is an object that…. Orbits the sun
Has sufficient mass for its gravity to overcome rigid body forces to maintain equilibrium (or a nearly round shape)
Clears out the neighborhood of its orbit

4. Planets The 8 Planets in our Solar System are: Mercury Venus Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune

5. Planets

6. Planets

7. Planets Mercury Closest planet to the sun! Full of craters
Smallest Planet

8. Planets Venus 2nd Planet from the sun! Earth’s twin
Similar surface features, but too hot for water
Very large atmosphere and Greenhouse effect
Very, Very Hot

9. Planets Earth 3rd Planet from the Sun!
Only planet with liquid water, so only planet with known life.

10. Planets Mars 4th Planet from the Sun! Ice covered North pole
This is where they search for life!
Surface similar to Earth, but has a thin atmosphere
This is why we haven’t found life there!
The Red Planet
2 Moons
Phobos & Deimos

11. Planets Jupiter 5th Planet from the Sun!
Most moons in the Solar System
Largest Planet!
Has the Great Red Spot
A large atmospheric storm

12. Planets Saturn 6th Planet from the Sun!
Has 2nd largest moon in the Solar System
Titan
Most rings
In between ring sets is the Cassini Division

13. Planets Uranus 7th Planet from the Sun! Blue-Green Planet
Methane consistency
Rotates almost on its side!

14. Planets Neptune 8th Planet from the Sun!
Also orbits on it side, but not as extreme as Uranus
Has the Great Dark Spot
Similar to Great Red Spot on Jupiter
Blue Planet
Again, there is a methane in its atmosphere

15. Planets Inner Planets are called Terrestrial Planets
Terrestrial Planets are the smaller, solid, inner planets in our Solar System
They are Mercury, Venus, Earth & Mars
Outer Planets are called Gas Giants
Gas Giants are the larger, gaseous, outer planets in our Solar System
They are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus & Neptune
The Asteroid Belt separates them!

16. Characteristics of Terrestrial Planets vs. Gas Giants
*Inner Planets
Gas Giants
*Outer Planets
Smaller in Size
Larger in Size
Closer together
Spread apart
Less moons
More moons
No rings
Rings around all planets
Solid
Gas

17. Planets Moons of the Solar System
There are 163 total known moons that orbit planets in our Solar System
Mercury & Venus have no moons orbiting them
1 orbits Earth
2 orbit Mars
63 orbit Jupiter
57 orbit Saturn
27 orbit Uranus
13 orbit Neptune

18. Planets
Some of the Solar System Moons relative to Earth

19. Largest Moons of the Solar System and Pluto
Planets
Largest Moons of the Solar System and Pluto

20. Planets
Largest Moons of Jupiter

21. Planets
Saturn’s Moons

22. Planets Uranus’s Moons
You can see how Uranus is tilted almost on its side in this picture

23. Planets
Neptune’s Moon Triton compared to Earth’s Moon and Saturn’s Moon, Titan

24. Dwarf Planets
Vocab Word for “Dwarf Planets”
Dwarf Planet

25. Dwarf Planets A dwarf planet is an object that… Orbits the sun
Has sufficient mass for its gravity to overcome rigid body forces to maintain equilibrium (or a nearly round shape)
Does not clear out the neighborhood of its orbit

26. Dwarf Planets
Pluto
In 2006 astronomer’s discovered the Dwarf Planet, Ceres, was larger than the Planet Pluto.
This forced them to call a meeting and re-evaluate planets and dwarf planets.
They came up with the new definition, and since Pluto is in the middle of the Kuiper Belt and does not clear out its neighborhood, it is no longer a planet.

27. Pluto relative to the Earth
Dwarf Planets
Pluto relative to the Earth

28. Dwarf Planets Pluto and its moon, Charon
They behave as almost a double planet system!

29. Dwarf Planets
Other Dwarf Planets may include Ceres & UB 313

30. Dwarf Planets
Other objects in the Kuiper Belt with Pluto

31. Smaller Solar System Bodies
Vocab Words for “Smaller Solar System Bodes”
Comets
Ion Tail
Dust Tail
Coma
Kuiper Belt
Oort Cloud
Asteroids
Asteroid Belt
Meteoroids
Meteor
Meteortie

32. Smaller Solar System Bodies
Asteroids
Asteroids are smaller, planet-like rocks in orbit around the sun.
Most lie in the belt between Mars & Jupiter

33. Smaller Solar System Bodies
Asteroid Belt

34. Smaller Solar System Bodies
Meteoroids are small, planet-like rocks, that were in orbit around the sun and have gotten pulled into a planet or satellite's orbit.
As a meteoroid travels through the atmosphere of a planet or satellite, it begins to burn up.
The Meteor is light displayed from a meteoroid burning in the atmosphere.
The Meteorite is the rock left over after a meteoroid strikes the surface of a planet or satellite.

35. Smaller Solar System Bodies

36. Smaller Solar System Bodies
A Meteor and a Meteor Shower

37. Smaller Solar System Bodies
Example of a Meteorite

38. Smaller Solar System Bodies
A comet is a large, icy body in orbit around the sun.
Eventually comets get pulled closer to the sun
As they travel closer to the sun, they display a coma and tail
The coma is the gaseous atmosphere surrounding the head or nucleus of a comet.
The Ion Tail is the part of the comet’s tail that is lit up because it contains electrically charged particles
The Dust Tail is the part of the comet’s tail that is lit up because it contains particles that reflect the sun’s light
Haley’s Comet is most famous
Last seen in 1985/1986, so it will return around 2061

39. Smaller Solar System Bodies
There is a belt of comets called the Kuiper Belt.
The Kuiper Belt is the region beyond Neptune that contains hundreds of thousands of comets that will eventually get pulled toward the sun

40. Smaller Solar System Bodies
Beyond the Kuiper Belt is the Oort Cloud
The Oort Cloud is the spherical region surrounding the entire solar system that contains millions of comets that will eventually get pulled into the Kuiper Belt.