The Solar System

1. The Solar System An Interactive Learning Station

2. The Planets • Currently, there are nine planets which have been discovered. They include: Mercury Neptune Venus Saturn Earth Uranus Mars Pluto Jupiter

3. Mercury • Closest to the sun. • Only visited by one spacecraft: Mariner 10. • Orbits the sun every 88 days. • Temperatures can reach 467 degrees Celsius. • Second smallest planet to Pluto. • Surface resembles the moon because meteorites can not burn up – there is practically no atmosphere.

4. Venus • Similar to Earth in size, mass and composition • Covered with clouds that trap in heat, creating a greenhouse effect. • Rotates once every 243 Earth days and orbits the Sun every 225 days – this makes its day is longer than its year!

5. Earth • Only planet known to have life. • Earth has seasons because its axis is tilted 23 degrees. • Oceans cover 70% of Earth’s surface. • Has one satellite: the moon.

6. Mars • Small, red, rocky planet. • Has two small moons. • Experiences large dust storms. • Water ice was discovered in 2002 – this discovery will aid scientists in answering the question, “Is there, was there, or will there be life on Mars?” • Has the largest volcano in space.

7. Jupiter • Largest planet. • Has three rings. • Surface is probably gases and liquids. • Our VIP – Galileo – discovered 4 of Jupiter’s moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. • Jupiter officially has 52 moons - the most in the solar system.

8. Saturn • In 1610, Galileo became the first astronomer to see Saturn through a telescope. • Made mostly of hydrogen and helium. • The rings of Saturn are made of mostly water ice. • Saturn has at least 30 moons. The largest is Titan and is a bit bigger than Mercury.

9. Uranus • The blue-green color comes from methane gas. • It takes 84 years for Uranus to complete one revolution around the sun. • Seasons in Uranus last about 20 years due to it’s unique horizontal tilt. • Uranus has 11 rings and at least 20 moons.

10. Neptune • Neptune was the first planet to be discovered by using mathematics rather than observations of the sky. • Neptune was discovered in 1846. Its orbit is 165 years, therefore it has yet made a full circle around the Sun since it was discovered. • Neptune's largest moon, Triton, gets colder than Pluto.

11. Pluto • Pluto is so far away that is it difficult for scientists to learn about it. The outer fringes of our solar system await close-up observations by a robotic space flight mission. • Pluto is different from the rest of the planets. It may be the largest of a group of icy objects just beyond Neptune called the Kuiper Belt.

12. Self Check Question One • Which planet has frequent dust storms? Earth Pluto Uranus Mars

13. Correct! Next Question

14. Self Check Question Two • Which planet has seasons that last 20 years? Mercury Jupiter Uranus Mars

15. Correct! Next Question

16. Self Check Question Three • Which planet has the most moons? Jupiter Earth Venus Pluto

17. Correct! Next Question

18. Self Check Question Four • Which planet was discovered using mathematics rather than observation? Saturn Neptune Venus Pluto

19. Correct! Next Question

20. Self Check Question Five • Which Planet’s surface resembles the moon’s? Jupiter Mercury Neptune Saturn

21. Congratulations! You have completed the interactive learning station!

22. References • NASA Kids • Goodman, Polly. Space & Art Activities.New York: Crabtree Pub, 2002. • Simon, Seymour. Planets Around the Sun. New York: Seastar Books, 2002. • Nine Planets Exit Learning Station