Unit 2THE PLANETSBY MRS. D FOR ELL STUDENTS

What is the Milky Way? The Milky Way is

galaxy that contains our solar system.

So what is in the Solar System? Our Solar Systems is made up of- The Sun- 8 Planets- Dwarf Planets (Pluto is an example)- Moons- Comets- Asteroids- Dust- Gas

The Sun: Center of the Solar System The sun is a star and

is much larger than any solar system planet.

The sun produces large amounts of heat and light.

The sun is the largest object that can be seen

DANGER!!! The sun is so

bright that if you look directly at it, it can hurt your eyes and your vision!

You should never look at the sun through a telescope, binoculars or just your eyes!

Planets There are 8 planets. They are large, round bodies made up of

either rock OR gases. They ALL revolve around the sun. They ALL ROTATE (spin) about an axis. In order from the sun- Mercury, Venus,

Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

The Inner Planets- Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.

Inner planets are 1. Made of rock and dense2. Thin atmospheres3. Small diameters4. Few moons

5. Revolution times are short.

MercurySmallest PlanetClosest to the Sun½ the size of the Earth.

Venus HOT!!!!Full of Volcanoes! Lava is

flowing! Atmosphere is carbon dioxide. Has THICK CLOUDS that surround it so it

is hard to see from a telescope!!!!!!

Earth

Third planet from the sun. Atmosphere of Nitrogen, Oxygen and

Carbon Dioxide. Abundant water – 70% is covered with

water. The water keeps the Earth at a

temperature that allows life.

Mars Red Planet – because of its red, rocky

surface. Giant DUST STORMS!!!!! And has sand

dunes! Has many Volcanoes. (Like other inner

planets).

Outer Planets- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune- They are farther from the sun Made of gas Are huge- large diameter! Don’t have a solid surface Cores are very small Many moons and rings COLD!!!!!

Jupiter Largest planet in our solar system. Big Red spot on it. Very faint (hard to see) ring.

Saturn Second largest planet It’s ring is made up of ice and rock. Has large storms! (like Jupiter)

Uranus Huge tilt! It rotates on its side! Seasons last for 20 years! Deep inside, it has heated gases that

burst to the surface! Has 13 faint rings.

Neptune

Windiest planet The winds blow a great dark spot

around the planet. This great spot (the size of the Earth) is a huge storm!

9 rings

Besides Planets, there are many other bodies that orbit the sun. Dwarf Planets Moons Asteroids Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites Comets

Dwarf Planets Are nearly round bodies whose orbits

cross the orbits of other bodies. Pluto is a dwarf planet.

Moons A celestial body that makes an orbit

around a planet. Earth -1 Mars- 2 Jupiter 63 Saturn- 61 Uranus -27 Neptune- 13

Asteroids Made of rock and iron and objects that

orbit the sun. Millions of them are found in the wide

region between Mars and Jupiter. This is known as the asteroid belt.

Formative Assessment 1. Which planets have a small diameter?

Which planets have a large diameter? 2. Why is it difficult to see Venus using a

telescope? 3.Why is the sun considered to be the

center of the solar system? 4. What are the order of the planets? 5. Why is a moon NOT a planet?

–FCAT Practice Which characteristics distinguish outer

planets from inner ones? A. The outer planets have many moons B. The outer planets orbit in a different

direction C. The outer planets have higher

densities. D. The outer planets have smaller

diameters.

Exit Ticket Tell me three things you learned today.

Tell me one thing that you don’t understand OR want to learn more about.