Solar System Review 1 Is this an accurate representation of the scale of the solar system? Explain. If the sun was the size of a basket ball, how would you describe the scale of the Solar System The solar system is huge. If the Sun was the size of a basketball, then the terrestrial planets would fit in the PLMS hallway, but Neptune would be nearly ½ mile a way. The edge of the solar system (the Oort cloud) would be all the way to Minnesota.

Solar System Review 2 Describe the characteristics common to the at least 3 out of four terrestrial planets. Volcanoes Varied landscapes Tectonics Erosion Made of mostly rock Weather

Solar System Review 3 Describe the characteristics common to the outer planets. Made out of gas or gas and ice Mostly made of Hydrogen and Helium Lots of moons Rings Most have huge storms and strong winds

Solar System Review 4 If scientists found an object rounded by gravity in the asteroid belt, how would you classify it and why? Planet – Orbits a star Rounded by its own gravity Has a clear orbital path Dwarf Planet – Orbits a star Plutoid – A dwarf Planet outside the orbit of Neptune Moon – An object that orbits a planet

Solar System Review 5 What is gravity and what influences its strength? Gravity is the force of attraction between two objects that have mass. The strength of gravity is influenced by the mass of the objects and the distance between them.

Solar System Review 6 Why does gravity vary from planet to planet? Planets have different amount of mass and the radius increases the distance from the center of gravity. The larger the radius the less gravity on the surface.

Solar System Review 7 How does gravity influence the orbit of objects in the solar system? There is a compromise between inertia (which makes it want to travel straight) and gravity (with pulls it toward the larger mass) which results in a curve. The closer an object is to the object it is orbiting, the faster it goes. The more mass an object has, the faster objects will orbit it.

Solar System Review 8 How would a change in gravity effect an object’s… Orbit? More gravity – the object would be pulled in Less gravity – the object would fly away Weight? More gravity the object would weigh more Less gravity the object would weigh less

There are two high tides and two low tides each day Solar System Review 9 What are the causes tides? How many tides are there each day? Why? Tides are the result of the gravitational influence of the Sun and the Moon on the water of the Earth. There are two high tides and two low tides each day The Earth rotates through the bulges in the oceans caused by the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Moon

Solar System Review 10 Explain the types and the causes of different tides including the moon phase it occurs in. Tides are the result of the gravitational influence of the sun and the moon on the water of the Earth. Spring tide: The difference between high and low tide is the greatest during new and full moon Neap tide: The difference between high and low tide is the least during first and third quarter moon

Solar System Review 11 Differentiate between comets, asteroids and meteor showers. Comets Orbit a star Made of ice, dust and rock Have a tail when close to the sun Originate in the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud Asteroids Made of rock and metal Originate in the asteroid belt Meteor showers When the Earth passes through the debris from a comets trail and the debris burns up in the atmosphere