Solar System Introduction
- 1. What is a Planet?A body that revolves (moves around) the SunComes from the Greek word for “wanderer”http://www.rain.org/campinternet/astronomy/img/solar_system.jpg
- 2. How many planets are there?There are eight planets that orbit the Sun.There are four dwarf planets.
- 3. Planets have special features:RingsCratersMoonsOrbitsSizeTemperature
- 4. Some planets have rings.Saturn has the biggest rings. They are made of ice.http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/upload/2009/10/saturn_when_one_ring_doesnt_ru/saturnPic1.jpg
- 5. Some planets have craters.Mercury is covered with craters.Craters are shallow holes made on planets by meteors that crash (rocks).
- 6. Some planets have moons.Moons are bodies that travel around a planet.Jupiter has 63 moons.
- 7. Earth has one moon.Planets are made of different materials.Some planets are made of rocks. These are the inner planets. They are closer to the Sun.Mercury Venus Earth Marshttp://theamateurastronomer.com/Inner-planets.jpg
- 8. Planets are made of different materials.Some planets are made of gases. These are the outer planets. They are farther from the Sun.http://motivate.maths.org/conferences/conf42/Talk_images/outer_planets_small_2.jpg
- 9. Planets are difference sizes.Jupiter is the largest planet.http://www.racetomars.ca/mars/images/solar01.jpg
- 10. Planets have different temperatures.Uranus -353˚FVenus 484˚F2nd Closest to the Sunhttp://www.solarspace.co.uk/Venus/venus.php2nd Farthest from the Sunhttp://astroyogisays.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/uranus.jpg
- 11. Planets can be different colors.The mineral iron found on Mars makesthe surfacelook red.http://www.nasa.govWater on Earth makesthe surfacelook blue.http://www.nasa.gov
- 12. Planets can move differently.An orbit is the path a planet takes around the Sun.The planet earth takes 365 days or one year to orbit the Sun.http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize/science/images/planets_orbits.jpg