Exploring Our Solar System: Planets, Moons, Comets, and More

1. Falcon Focus • 1. Place the following in the correct order largest to smallest: stars, galaxies, universe, solar system, and planets • 2. Name the Planets in order. • Essential Questions: What are the differences between Inner and Outer Planets?

2. Our Solar System Standard 8.E.4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the universe and the predictable patterns caused by Earth’s movement in the solar system.

3. Performance Indicator • 8.E.4B.1 Obtain and communicate information to model and compare the characteristics and movements of objects in the solar system (including planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and meteors).

4. What does the Solar System include? • The Solar System is made up of all the planets that orbit our Sun. In addition to planets, the Solar System also consists of moons, comets, asteroids (asteroid belt), minor planets, and dust and gas.

5. What is a planet: a celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star

6. Planets • Planetsmay have a terrestrial (earthy) or rocky surface or a gaseous surface. • Jovian [Gaseous] planets are considerably larger than terrestrial planets. • Planets may have rings.

7. Planets • Movement of planets is based on revolution around the Sun and rotation on the planet’s axis.

8. Name the Planets in order starting from the sun. • The eight planets that orbit the sun are (in order from the sun): Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

9. What is the acronym for remembering the planets in order? • "My Very Excellent Mother Just Sent Us Nachos • My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nachos

10. Inner planets: • Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. • Closer to the Sun (Hotter) • Smaller • few or no moons. • Rocky planets/terrestrial planets • moves faster because the gravitational attraction is greater. • Has no rings

11. Outer planets: • Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune • Huge • Has Rings • many moons • Gaseous Planets • Farther away from the Sun/ colder planets. • Moves Slower

12. Each planet __revolve____ around the Sun and __rotate___ on it’s axis. Venus is the hottest planet even though Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. The reason that Venus is hotter than Mercury is because it has an atmosphere made up of carbon dioxide; it also has clouds of acid inside its atmosphere. This is called the greenhouse effect.

13. CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING • 1. What is a planet? • 2. Name the outer planets • 3. Which planet is the hottest? • 4. Which planet revolves around the Sun the quickest? Slowest? • 5. Although Venus is not the closest planet to the Sun, it has a higher temperature than Mercury. Why?

14. WHAT IS A MOON? • A rocky body covered with craters that • orbit around a PLANET.

15. MOONS • Moons are studied in relation to the planet they orbit. Not all planets have moons. •   Most are rocky bodies covered with craters, but some have unique characteristics. •   Movement of moons is based on revolution around their planets and rotation on their axis.

16. MOONS • Planet with the MOST moons: ___JUPITER______(63) • Planets with the LEAST moons: _MERCURY and VENUS. 0 moons

17. PHASES OF THE MOON • PHASES OF THE MOON IN ORDER: NEW MOON, WAXING CRESCENT, FIRST QUARTER, WAXING GIBBOUS, FULL MOON, WANING GIBBOUS, LAST (THIRD) QUARTER, WANING CRESCENT.

18. WHAT IS AN ASTEROID? • What is an asteroid? __ROCKY______ bodies that orbit in the ___SUN________.

19. Where is the Asteroid belt located? • Asteroids •   Most asteroids are rocky bodies that orbit in a region in the solar system known as the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. • 

20. SIZE & MOVEMENT • They vary in size and shape. • Movement is based on their revolution around the Sun.

21. Asteroids

22.   Some asteroids outside the asteroid belt have orbits that cross Earth’s orbit, which require scientists to monitor their positions.

23. COMETS • IS KNOWN AS THE DIRTY SNOWBALL

25. Comet Parts • Comets have a main body or head (ice, methane and ammonia and dust) and a tail that emerges as the comet gets closer to the Sun during its orbit.

26. The Tail happens when the comet gets closer to the sun during it’s orbit and the head begins to melt & stream behind it .

27. The effects of the solar winds result in the tail always points away from the Sun. •   Comets have long, narrow, elliptical orbits that cause them to cross paths with other objects in the solar system.

29. Location • Most come from regions far beyond Neptune in the • * Oort___ Cloud or Kuiper Belt

33. Meteoroids • Meteoroid: chunks of rock that move around within the solar system • Prior to entering the atmosphere the chunks of rock move about within the solar system and are known as meteoroids.

34. METEROIDS

35. Meteor vs. Meteorites METEOR METEORITE

36. METEOR • Meteors are chunks of rock that burnupon entering a planet’s atmosphere. • They are also called shooting stars.

37. METEOR

38. METEOR SHOWER a number of meteors that appear to radiate from one point in the sky at a particular date each year, due to the earth's regularly passing through a field of particles at that position in its orbit.

39. METEORITE

40. METEORITES • A meteorite is a piece of rock or iron from a meteoroid or asteroid which passes through the Earth’s atmosphere and survives the impact with the ground. • When the chunk of rock hits the surface of a planet or moon.

41. Check for Understanding • 1. Which planet has 1 moon? • 2. Which planet has the most moons? • 3. Which planets have no moons? • 4. How is a meteorite different from a meteor? • 5. Between which two planets can most asteroids be found orbiting? What is this area called?

42. 8-4.6 Explain how gravitational forces are influenced by mass and distance.