1. Tour the Solar System

2. We will set up our brochures and pictures at locations spread around the room. Look for the yellow fact sheet that belongs to your object and place your picture and brochure there. We will then rotate in groups of one to two through the different stations. As we go, we will fill out notes on the different objects. When we are done, we will complete a characteristics chart as a class and then answer some questions.

3. Anything interesting you can share with the class? Remember, Solar System objects have a wide variety of characteristics. We did this activity to compare different objects in the Solar System just like scientists do. We are going to take the information you have and arrange it on a data table to get a good visual comparison.

4. In general, the further away a planet is from the Sun, the colder it gets. Mercury is the exception. The side facing the Sun is extremely hot and the side facing away is extremely cold. As cold as the maximum temperature on Pluto. Venus is slightly unusual too. It’s thick atmosphere acts like a greenhouse trapping heat making it hotter than Mercury’s hot side. The inner planets are all smaller in size than the outer planets. The composition of the inner planets is mostly rocky while the outer planets are mostly gas. With the exception of Mercury, all the planets have an atmosphere.