Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
Published byPauline Casey Modified over 9 years ago
1
Our Solar System Notes 3-26-12
2
Astronomical Unit (AU) The average distance between the Earth and the sun 149,600,000 km
3
Light travels 300,000 km per second Light takes 8.3 minutes to reach Earth from the Sun.
4
Rotation The spin of an object in space. Earth rotates every 24 hours.
5
Orbit The path an object takes around the Sun.
6
Revolution The motion of traveling around another object in space. Earth revolves around the Sun once a year (365 days)
7
Who am I?
8
Has inspired mythological stories in cultures around the world, including those of the ancient Egyptians, the Aztecs of Mexico, Native American tribes of North America and Canada, the Chinese, and many others.
9
SUN Closest star to Earth A hot ball of burning gas Without the Sun’s intense heat and energy there would be no life on Earth.
10
Has multiple layers The part of the Sun that we can see is 11,000 degrees F (6,100 degrees C). It gets hotter as you go deeper.
11
So what exactly is a planet? A "planet" is a body that A. is in orbit around the Sun B. has mass; nearly round shape C. has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit
12
The Inner Planets
13
Who am I? Hint: Not the moon
14
MERCURY Planet closest to Sun No moons Mercury completes a trip around the Sun every 88 days
15
Because it is so close to the Sun, temperatures on its surface can reach a scorching 467 degrees Celsius because the planet has hardly any atmosphere to keep it warm, nighttime temperatures can drop to a frigid -170 degrees Celsius
16
Who am I?
17
VENUS 2 nd closest to the Sun Covered by thick, quickly spinning clouds that trap surface heat. HOTTEST PLANET! No Moons Revolves around the Sun every 224 days Unknow n
18
Who am I?
19
EARTH Only planet known to support life 1 moon- Luna Air, water, land, and life - including humans
20
Who am I?
21
MARS The RED planet small, rocky body once thought to be very Earth-like
22
It has polar ice caps that grow and shrink with the change of seasons 2 Moons- Phobos & Deimos Revolves around the Sun every 689 days
23
Earth has plates that move and slide past each other Martian tectonics seem to be vertical, with hot lava pushing upwards through the crust to the surface. Periodically, great dust storms engulf the entire planet
24
The Outer Planets
25
Who am I?
26
JUPITER Most massive planet in our solar system Made of mostly ammonia, hydrogen, helium Takes 11 Earth years for Jupiter to complete 1 revolution
27
The Great Red Spot, a giant spinning storm, has been observed for more than 300 years.
28
4 major moons- Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto HOW MANY MOONS TOTAL? 62 Moons total!!!
29
Who am I?
30
SATURN Made mostly of hydrogen and helium and still getting larger Saturn’s rings extend thousands of kilometers from the planet
31
Saturn's rings are made mostly of ice and rock
32
52 Moons Largest moon is Titan
33
Who am I?
34
URANUS Uranus was discovered in 1781 84 Earth years to complete one orbit Made mostly of hydrogen and helium
35
Gets blue-green color from methane gas Tipped on its side and has seasons that last over 20 years
36
27 Moons Most moons named after Greek mythology, but these moons named after William Shakespeare characters
37
Who am I?
38
NEPTUNE Neptune orbits the Sun once every 165 years (2 BILLION MILES AWAY) It is invisible to the naked eye because of its extreme distance from Earth
39
Has a storm called the “Great Dark Spot”, but the storm is smaller than the one on Jupiter.
40
Blue color is the result of methane in the atmosphere 13 known moons
41
Pluto Downgraded to a dwarf planet in 2006 3 moons – Hydra, Nix, Charon No spacecraft have visited Pluto
42
Who am I?
43
Romeo and Juliet O, Swear not by the moon, The inconstant moon, That monthly changes in her circled orb, Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.
44
Satellite Natural or artificial bodies that revolve around more massive bodies such as planets. Mercury and Venus have no natural satellites called moons.
45
What am I?
46
Comet Small body of ice, rock, and cosmic dust loosely packed together
47
Formed in outer solar system When passing close to the sun the ice gets heated and forms a long tail.
48
What am I?
49
Asteroid Small, rocky bodies that revolve around the Sun. Range in size from a few meters to more than 900 km in diameter
50
They revolve in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter
51
What am I?
52
Meteor Much smaller than asteroids Smaller, rocky bodies that revolve around the sun
53
Probably pieces of asteroids It is called a meteorite when it hits Earth
Similar presentations
© 2025 SlidePlayer.com. Inc.
All rights reserved.