Solar System Basics
What sits at the center of our solar system?
The sun!
This planet is the biggest and oldest planet in our solar system.
Jupiter
This planet is the smallest within the solar system, sits the closest to the sun, and is gray in color. It is a solid planet.
Mercury
Why are stars not included as a part of our solar system?
Because they do not orbit the sun.
True or False -- The sun is the smallest object within our solar system.
FALSE
Every object within our solar system _________ the sun and is held in place by ______________.
Orbits
Gravity (gravitational pole)
This planet is the hottest and brightest planet within our solar system.
Venus
This planet is most similar to Earth in regards to it's surface. It is thought to have sustained life in the past and is known as the Red Planet.
Mars
______________ is made up of dust and rock particles. It is known for having a bright head followed by a gas tail.
Comet
Which planet has the most moons?
Jupiter
The sun is a giant ball of gas that is made up of two main elements. What are these elements?
Helium & Hydrogen
What is the order of all of the planets?
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
This planet is an ice giant that is teal / blue in color, rotates on it's side, and has whispy rings.
Uranus
True or False -- Meteors are also known as shooting stars.
True!
What is the name of the second largest moon that belongs to Saturn?
Titan
The sun provides the planet Earth with three main things. What are these and please list a specific reason for how we use each of the three things.
1. Heat -- Keep the Earth warm and water in liquid form.
2. Light -- Helps plants photosynthesis to survive. Plants are the basis of our food chain.
3. Energy -- Provides us with energy in the form of Vitamin D. This helps boost our immune system, bones, Etc.
This is the only planet that cannot be seen with the naked eye at night due to it being a darker color.
Neptune
What are the four planets that make up the terrestrial chunk of our solar system? What do all of these planets have in common (list four things).
1. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
2. They're closer to the sun, warmer in temperature, are solid, have no rings, little to no moons, and are smaller in mass.
An _____________ is a rocky particle that is smaller than a planet and too abundant to be considered a planet. These can be found between Mars and Jupiter in the belt that they form.
What is the name of the largest moon that belongs to Jupiter?
Galymede
The sun has a mass that consumes what percent of our entire solar system?
99%
What are the two groups that Jovian planets break into?
List the planets that go into each of the groups.
Gas Giants and Ice Giants
Gas Giants -- Jupiter & Saturn
Ice Giants -- Uranus & Neptune
What are the four planets within the Jovian chunk of our solar system?
What are four things that all of the Jovian planets have in common?
1. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
2. They're further from the sun, colder in temperature, gas planets, larger in size, have rings, and have many moons.
____________ come from broken down comets or Asteroids. They can be seen from earth in the form of shooting stars!
Meteoroids / Meteors
The ___________________ is located among the Jovian planets and is the birth site of comets!
The __________________ is at the very edge of the solar system.
Icy Kuiper Belt
Oort Cloud