what's that bright thing?
This star is so massive that it holds more than 99% of all the mass in the solar system.
The Sun
Which planet is called the “Blue Planet” and has an average temperature of 59°F (15°C)?
Earth
This is the term for the spinning of a planet on its axis.
ROTATION
This planet is known as the “Red Planet” and is made mostly of rock, iron, and dust.
Mars
This is the planet closest to the Sun
Mercury
The Sun’s surface temperature is about this number in degrees Celsius, hot enough to melt anything on Earth.
5,500°C
Which planet is the hottest?
Venus
This is the shape of the path most planets take around the Sun.
ELLIPSE
Unlike gas giants, this planet’s surface is solid and supports life because of its rocky composition and protective atmosphere.
Earth
This planet is about 150 million kilometers away from the Sun
Earth
This force from the Sun is strong enough to control the motion of all planets in the solar system.
Gravity
Which planet is colder: Mars or Jupiter?
Jupiter
This is the path a planet takes as it travels around the Sun.
ORBIT
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are made mostly of hydrogen, helium, and gas. What are these types of planets called?
Gas giants (or Jovian planets)
These two planets are known as “gas giants” and are much farther from the Sun than the inner rocky planets
Jupiter and Saturn
This pattern explains why planets that are closer to the Sun are hotter and those farther away are colder.
Distance from the Sun affects temperature
Why is Venus the hottest planet even though it is not the closest to the Sun?
Venus has a thick atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxide, which traps heat through the greenhouse effect.
This is the term for the point in a planet's orbit closest to the Sun.
PERIHELION
Differentiate the composition of terrestrial and gas giant planets in one sentence.
Terrestrial planets are made of rock and metal with solid surfaces, while gas giants are mostly composed of gases and have no solid ground.
In our Solar System, the four inner planets are grouped together because they are small, rocky, and much closer to the Sun. Identify what do we call this group of planets and enumerate them.
The terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars)
This consequence would happen to Earth’s orbit and climate if the Sun suddenly stopped providing gravity and heat.
Sun is essential for planetary orbits and life
What is the general trend in planet temperatures as the distance from the Sun increases? And why are the temperatures of gas giants and ice giants (like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) measured at certain pressure levels in their atmospheres?
Temperatures generally decrease the farther a planet is from the Sun. Since gas and ice giants do not have solid surfaces, scientists measure their temperatures at specific layers of the atmosphere where the pressure is stable and consistent.
The term for a planet that spins in a clockwise direction, opposite to the direction of most other planets.
RETROGRADE ROTATION
Why do gas giants have thick atmospheres and low densities compared to rocky planets?
Because they formed farther from the Sun, where it was cold enough for light gases like hydrogen and helium to accumulate, creating large planets with dense atmospheres and less solid material.
Compared to the vast distances between planets, the distance between stars is far greater. What does this tell us about the scale of the universe?
That the Solar System is only a tiny part of the galaxy, and space between stars is unimaginably vast.