1. Welcome BTEC Science groups!!

2. Your homework task: Make a Fact Card for the objects within our Solar System. You should include: The Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Asteroids and Comets For EACH object you need to include the following information: Its position in the Solar System; How long it takes to orbit the Sun (orbital period); Its size; Its surface temperature; What it is made of (composition); If it has any rings and if so how many; If it has any moons and if so how many; Whether we have sent any spacecraft to it and if so what they are called A picture of your planet (hand-drawn or printed off) PLUS Five interesting facts

3. Example: Jupiter Fact Card DATA FACTS: Mass: 1,898,130,000,000,000,000 billion kg (317.83 x Earth) Equatorial Diameter: 142,984 km Polar Diameter: 133,709 km Equatorial Circumference: 439,264 km Known Moons: 67 Notable Moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, & Callisto Known Rings: 4 Orbit Distance: 778,340,821 km (5.20 AU) Orbit Period: 4,332.82 Earth days (11.86 Earth years) Surface Temperature: -108°C First Record: 7th or 8th century BC Recorded By: Babylonian astronomers INTERESTING FACTS: 1. It takes Jupiter 11.8 Earth years to complete one orbit – that’s a very long time! 2. Jupiter has a Great Red Spot which is a massive wind storm. The wind is so fast it would strip paint off a car if it was there. Three and a half Earth’s could fit in the Great Red Spot! 3. You can see Jupiter in the night sky with the naked eye. 4. Jupiter’s day is less that 10 hours which is really quick – school would be a very short day! 5. Jupiter has a ring system which could have been from ancient smashed up moons. Jupiter’s gravitational pull keeps the rocks in orbit. 6. Many spacecraft have visited or flown past Jupiter. Voyager 1 and 2 are the most famous. They took lots of pictures that helped us understand the Jupiter’s weird cloud system. Websites used: http://space-facts.com/jupiter/ http://www.universetoday.com/15182/interesting-facts-about-jupiter/ http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/planets/jupiter.html This first website is really good!

4. Homework is due Friday 12-09-14 Any problems e-mail me at dean.warrington@aldworth.hants.sch.uk dean.warrington@aldworth.hants.sch.uk OR Come and see me in P2.2 Good luck!