Mercury Closest to the sun Covered in craters No atmosphere No moons Smallest planet Rocky planet
VENUS Same size as Earth Has thick clouds Hot temperatures due to Greenhouse Effect. Lots of Acid Rain Nicknames: earths twin, Goddess of Love, Witch Star, Evening and morning star. No moons Rocky planet
Earth Has liquid water Contains life Rotation on its axis is 24 hours. Revolution around the sun is 365.25 days
EARTH The earth is 243,000 miles from the moon. The earth is 93 million miles from the sun. Has 1 moon Rocky Planet
Moon A natural satellite orbits a planet. Opaque: does NOT produce light but reflects light. Takes about a month to orbit earth. Has 8 phases
Mars Known as the Red Planet Largest volcano in solar system (called: Mount Olympus Mons) Has LOTS of volcanoes (Has two moons: Phobos, Deimos) Rocky planet
Jupiter Largest planet Huge storms GREAT RED SPOT is a 300 year old storm 63 moons Gas planet
Saturn Ringed planet-rings made of rock and ice Has 52 moons Lightest planet Gas planet
Uranus Rotates on its side Has rings 27 moons Green ball Gas planet
Neptune Blue color High winds, storms 13 moons Has rings The GREAT DARK SPOT- giant storm Gas planet
PLUTO Was a planet Considered a rocky Dwarf Planet Changes revolution places with Neptune. Has 3 moons
Terms
planets, moons, and other objects that orbit a star. Planetary system is: planets, moons, and other objects that orbit a star.
Planet A rocky or gaseous object that orbits a star.
INNER PLANETS Also called TERRESTRIAL PLANETS Mostly solid rocky bodies (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars)
ASTEROID BELT LOCATED between Inner and Outer Planets (between Mars and Jupiter) Made of rocks smaller than planets
OUTER PLANETS LOCATED OUTSIDE THE ASTEROID BELT CALLED GAS GIANTS (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)
Our Sun, the Star A medium size…gaseous body made up of hydrogen & helium emits energy Luminous: produces it’s own light.
Meteoroid: Rocks orbiting in space Meteor: a rock that enters the earth’s atmosphere Meteorite: when a rock strikes the earths surface.
ASTEROIDS: A small rocky object, orbits a planet usually found in the Asteroid Belt. COMETS: made up of ice and dust particles, has a tail, and circles a star in an elliptical orbit.
SCIENTISTS GALILEO: Created the Telescope Saw the moons of Venus Saw Sunspots Father of Astronomy
SCIENTISTS COPERNICUS: Discovered the earth revolved around the sun calling it heliocentric.