1. 4/30 & 5/1 - 8th Grade Agenda
Learning Objective: Learn about the inner planets
Collect HW: Reading & Notetaking p.241 – 243
Video: When we left Earth
Textbook Reading: p
HW: Reading & Notetaking p.244– 245

2. Daily Reflection
Prompt: Write 3 questions about the Mercury, Venus and Mars.

3. In what units do we measure distances around our solar system ?
AU (Astronomical Unit)
1 AU = Distance between the sun and the Earth
1 AU = 93 Million Miles

4. In what units do we measure distances between the stars ?
Light Year
Light travels about 186,000 miles per second
1 Light Year = 65,000 AU
1 Light Year = 6 Trillion Miles
Closest Star (Alpha Centari) is about 4.3 Light Years away

5. How much of the solar system’s mass is in the sun?
About 99.8%
Most of the mass of the solar system is in the sun

6. How does the sun generate it’s energy?
Nuclear Fusion
Hydrogen Atoms join together to from Helium
Some of the matter is converted into energy
The Sun’s core reaches about 15 million degrees Celsius

7. The sun’s atmosphere has three layers Ph___sphere, the Ch____sphere and the C_____
oto
romo
orona
Photosphere: Inner Layer (Generate most of the light)
Chromosphere: Middle layer (reddish)
Corona: Outer layer (Looks are a crown)

8. Layers of the Sun

9. Sun S____ pots Sunspots look small. But they are larger than Earth.
Sunspots are areas of gas on the sun’s surface that are cooler than the gases around them.
This is why sunspots look darker than the rest of the photosphere.
Sunspots intensifies every 11 years

10. Solar Fl____ ares Solar Flares are eruptions on the sun
Releases large amounts of magnetic energy.
Can cause electrical problems here on Earth

11. Features of the sun Nuclear Fusion
Hydrogen Atoms join together to from Helium
Some of the matter is converted into energy
The Sun’s core reaches about 15 million degrees Celsius

12. Mercury Smallest Planet Closest to the Sun
It has almost no atmospheres
Surface temperature is 430C to -170C

13. Mercury

14. Venus Atmospheric Pressure is 90 X greater than Earth
Clouds are made of sulfuric acid
Atmosphere is carbon dioxide
Surface temperature is 460C

15. Venus
Surface of Venus. Pictures taken by the Russian Venera-13 probe in It lasted only a couple of hours on the Venusian surface

17. Mars Atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide
Large amount of liquid water flowed on the Mar’s surface in the distant past.
There are giant volcanoes
Surface temperature is -140C to 20C

19. Mars Phoenix Lander Landed on May 25th 2008

20. Possible Ice on Mars

21. Photos of Mars from Curiosity Rover (Landed in 2012)