Mercury Closest to the sun Small – about the size of Earth’s moon Covered with craters (meteorite crashes) Almost no atmosphere Scorching hot in the day – freezing at night I day = 59 days 1 year = 88 days No moons Morning or Evening Star.
Venus 2nd planet from the sun About the same size as Earth Rotates in the opposite direction Hot and dry Atmosphere of thick, poisonous, swirling clouds Day = 243 days Year = 225 days No moons Our “evil” twin
Earth Third planet from the sun Largest rocky/inner planet Only planet with liquid water on its surface Atmosphere filters out some of the sun’s rays Only planet in the solar system known to support life Has one moon with almost no atmosphere and many craters 1 day = _______ hours 1 year = ________ days
Mars Fourth planet from the sun The “Red Planet” due to iron oxide soil Dust storms and strong winds Polar ice caps Volcanoes and large canyon (10 times bigger than Grand Canyon) Has two moons Day = 25 hours Year = 686 days
Asteroids Asteroids are rocky objects up to several hundred kilometers that orbit the sun. Some asteroids are as small as pebbles and others are so big they are called minor planets or dwarf planets. Asteroids have uneven shapes and sometimes have smaller asteroids which orbit them. Sometimes Asteroids get bounced towards Earth. Most asteroids are between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt.
Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites Meteoroid- A space rock that’s bigger tan a dust grain but smaller than and asteroid. If it strikes the Earth it is then a meteorite. Meteor- The streak of light seen when a space rock enters the atmosphere and starts burning up. A.K.A “falling Star.” Meteorite- If a meteor doesn’t entirely burn up, a piece of space rock that lands on Earth is called a meteorite.
Comets A comet is a frozen chunk of ice and dust that orbits the sun. Comets are small compared to planets. Comets have three parts (a coma and a tail only when near the sun) Nucleus (dirty snowball) Coma (giant cloud of dust and gases) Two Tails (goes away from the sun)