The Solar System

Solar System A group of objects in space that move around a central star

The Sun The star at the center of our solar system

Planets in Order Just Served Us Nine………..” “My Very Educated Mother e

The Inner Planets The four closest planets to the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars Between the Sun and the asteroid belt

Mercury Closest planet to the Sun Surface is covered with craters

Venus 2nd planet from the Sun Earth’s “twin” Covered in yellowish-white clouds

Earth 3rd planet from the Sun Where we live The “Blue Planet”

Mars 4th planet from the Sun Appears to have dried up river beds The “Red Planet” Has dry ice at the poles

Asteroid Belt An area between the inner and outer planets filled with thousands and thousands of asteroids An asteroid is a chunk of rock and metal that orbits the sun

The Outer Planets The last five planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. The planets after the asteroid belt

Jupiter 5th planet from the Sun Largest planet Made of gas; has several small moons Has a giant red spot

Saturn 6th planet from the Sun Has an extensive ring system Made of gas; has several moons

Uranus 7th planet from the Sun Rotates on its side Its rings circle its equator Made of gas

Neptune 8th planet from the Sun Blue sphere Made of gas Similar in size to Uranus

Pluto Dwarf planet in our solar system Resembles a star in space Solid surface, very cold Moon is half its size

Comets An object that is made up of ice and dust particles Orbits the Sun Has a tail Comet means “hairy star”

Sources Pictures are from: Welcome to the Planets: http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/welcome.htm Views of the Solar System: http://www.solarviews.com/eng/homepage.htm The Nine Planets: http://www.seds.org/billa/tnp/