1. The Solar System

2. Quick FAQs: Our solar system
About 4.5 billion years old
1 star (our sun), 8 planets (formerly 9)
Part of the Milky Way galaxy
We can see the edge of our Milky Way galaxy from Earth (on a clear dark night)

3. We are here

4. Formation of the Solar System
Nebular theory: the sun and planets formed from a rotating cloud of dust and gases within the Milky Way galaxy
a nebula is a cloud of gas and/or dust in space

5. The planets of our solar system
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, (Pluto)
My Very Excellent Mother Just Swam Under Nine Piers
Other mnemonics?
Planets divided into 2 categories:
Terrestrial
Jovian

6. Orbits of the planets (not to scale!!!)
Makes no sense without caption in book

7. The Terrestrial planets
The 4 planets closest to the Sun
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
Small and rocky
Thin layer of atmosphere
High density

8. The Jovian planets 4 planets beyond the asteroid belt
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Huge “gas giants” (not solid)
Very thick atmospheres
Low density

9. Scale of the sun and planets
Makes no sense without caption in book
Planet Mass
Comparison

10. Minor members of the solar system
Asteroid – a small rocky body in space (smaller than a planet); found between orbits of Mars and Jupiter
Comet – a small body of rocky/metallic pieces held together by frozen gases; mostly revolves around the sun; found in the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud (shell of comets outside our solar system)
Halley’s Comet visible every 76 years (next time will be 2061)

11. Comet’s tail points away from the sun
Makes no sense without caption in book

12. Orbits of the planets (not to scale!!!)
Makes no sense without caption in book

13. Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud
Makes no sense without caption in book

14. Minor Members of the Solar System
Meteoroid – a small solid body that travels through space (smaller than asteroid)
Meteor – what a meteoroid is called when it enters Earth’s atmosphere and burns up (a “shooting star”)
Meteorite – what a meteoroid is called when it hits Earth
Origins: (1) leftover debris from the formation of the solar system; (2) material from the asteroid or Kuiper belt

15. Summary Box
Write your summary! take a few minutes to talk with the person at your table about the main points of these notes, and write them down.