1. Lesson 2: What makes up the Solar System?
Unit 5: The solar system

2. Vocabulary #1 Solar System:
A star and all the planets and other objects that revolve around it.

3. Vocabulary #2
Planet:
A body that revolves around a star.

4. Vocabulary #3
Satellite
A body in space that orbits a larger body.

5. Vocabulary #4
Asteroid:
A piece of rock and metal that orbits the sun.

6. Vocabulary #5
Comet:
A ball of ice, rock, and frozen gases that orbits the sun.

7. The Inner Planets A planet is a body that revolves around a star.
Gravity holds that planet in place.
Most planets have moons, or satellites.
A satellite is a body that revolves around a planet.
All inner planets are rocky and dense

8. MERCURY Closest to the sun About the size of our moon
Temperature about 810° on side facing sun
-290°on side not facing sun
3,000 miles in diameter
36,000,000 miles from sun
Length of year: 88 Earth days

9. VENUS Brightest object in night sky Same size as Earth
860° (hotter than Mercury because of thick atmosphere)
Diameter: 7,520 miles
67,000,000 miles from sun
Length of year: 225 Earth days

10. EARTH!!! The only planet that can support life
Only atmosphere that keeps temperatures at right level for life
Diameter: 7,900 mi.
93,000,000 miles from sun
Year: 365 ¼ days

11. MARS called the Red planet Atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide
Must have once had water because it has river valleys
Has the largest volcano in solar system
Has dust storms that last for months
Diameter: 4,200 miles
142,000,000 miles from sun
Year: 687 Earth days

12. OUTER PLANETS
The four outer planets are called gas giants because they are all very large and made up mostly of the gases hydrogen and helium.

13. JUPITER Largest planet Has a ring and dozens of moons
Has a storm that has lasted 400 years
Diameter: 89,000 miles
483,000,000 miles from sun
Year: 11.9 Earth years

14. SATURN Rings made of ice, dust, boulders, and frozen gases
Dozens of moons
Can be seen without a telescope
Diameter: 75,000 miles
887,000,000 miles from sun
Year: 29.5 Earth years!

15. URANUS Many moons and rings Axis is tilted more than any other planet
Diameter: 32,000 miles
887,000,000 miles from sun
Year: 84 Earth years!

16. NEPTUNE Several rings and moons
Strongest winds can reach 1200 miles per hour
Diameter: 30,000 miles
2,799,000 miles from sun
Year: 165 Earth years!

17. ASTEROIDS & COMETS Between Mars & Jupiter is an asteroid belt.
It contains thousands of small rocky bodies called asteroids.
Asteroids are chunks of rock too small to be called planets.

18. METEORS
Pieces of rock traveling through space. They usually burn up when they hit Earth’s atmosphere. This results in a shooting star.
When a meteor reaches Earth’s surface, it is called a meteorite.

19. COMETS A ball of ice, rock and frozen gases that orbits the sun.
When near the sun, the center begins to melt.
This forms a cloud of gas that is pushed into a long tail by energy from the sun.

20. Online Resources
Bill Nye shows distances between planets (4:17)
Magic School Bus in the Solar System (25:11)