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    Solar System

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    Jevin Gonzales
    The Solar System consists of the Sun and everything that orbits it, including 8 planets. The inner planets are rocky and include Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. The outer planets are gas giants and include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The planets vary in size, composition, temperature, and number of moons. They all orbit the Sun, which is the center of our Solar System and produces heat and light through nuclear fusion.

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    Solar System

    Uploaded by

    Jevin Gonzales
    29 views18 pages
    The Solar System consists of the Sun and everything that orbits it, including 8 planets. The inner planets are rocky and include Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. The outer planets are gas giants and include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The planets vary in size, composition, temperature, and number of moons. They all orbit the Sun, which is the center of our Solar System and produces heat and light through nuclear fusion.

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    The Solar System consists of the Sun and everything that orbits it, including 8 planets. The inner planets are rocky and include Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. The outer planets are gas giants and include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The planets vary in size, composition, temperature, and number of moons. They all orbit the Sun, which is the center of our Solar System and produces heat and light through nuclear fusion.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    29 views18 pages

    Solar System

    Uploaded by

    Jevin Gonzales
    The Solar System consists of the Sun and everything that orbits it, including 8 planets. The inner planets are rocky and include Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. The outer planets are gas giants and include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The planets vary in size, composition, temperature, and number of moons. They all orbit the Sun, which is the center of our Solar System and produces heat and light through nuclear fusion.

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    The Solar System

    What’s in Our Solar System?

    • Our Solar System consists of a central star


    (the Sun), the 8 planets orbiting the sun,
    moons, asteroids, comets, meteors,
    interplanetary gas, dust, and all the
    “space” in between them.

    • The 8 planets of the Solar System are


    named for Greek and Roman Gods and
    Goddesses.
    Inner and Outer Planets

    • Inner Planets: • Outer Planets


    – Mercury – Jupiter
    – Venus – Saturn
    – Earth – Uranus
    – Mars – Neptune
    The Relative Size of the Planets in
    the Solar System
    The Sun
    • The sun’s energy comes from
    nuclear fusion (where hydrogen is
    converted to helium) within its
    core. This energy is released
    from the sun in the form of heat
    and light.
    • Remember: Stars produce
    light. Planets reflect light.
    • A star’s temperature determines its
    “color.” The coldest stars are
    red. The hottest stars are blue.
    The 8 Planets of the Solar System

    • Planets are categorized according to


    composition and size. There are two
    main categories of planets:

    – small rocky planets (Mercury, Venus,


    Earth, Mars, and Pluto)
    – gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
    Neptune)
    Characteristics of Small Rocky
    or Dwarf Planets

    • They are made up mostly of rock and


    metal.
    • They are very heavy.
    • They move slowly in space.
    • They have no rings and few moons (if any).
    • They have a diameter of less than
    13,000 km.
    Mercury
    • Mercury has a revolution
    period of 88 days.
    Mercury has extreme
    temperature fluctuations,
    ranging from 800°F
    (daytime) to -270°F
    (nighttime).
    • Even though it is the
    closest planet to the sun,
    Scientists believe there is
    ICE on Mercury! The ice
    is
    Venus
    • Venus is the brightest object
    in the sky after the sun and
    moon because its atmosphere
    reflects sunlight so well.
    People often mistake it for a
    star.
    • Its maximum surface
    temperature may reach 900°F.
    • Venus has no moons and
    takes 225 days to complete an
    orbit.
    Earth
    • Earth is the only planet
    known to support
    living organisms.
    • Earth’s surface is composed
    of 71% water.
    – Water is necessary for life on
    Earth.
    – The oceans help maintain
    Earth’s stable temperatures.
    • Earth has one moon and
    an oxygen rich
    atmosphere.
    Earth’s Moon
    • It takes the moon approximately 29 days to
    complete one rotation. The same side of the
    moon always faces us.
    • The moon’s surface is covered in dust and
    rocky debris from meteor impacts. It has no
    water or atmosphere.
    • The moon reflects light from the sun onto the earth’s
    surface.
    Mars
    • Like Earth, Mars has ice
    caps at its poles.
    • Mars has the largest volcano
    in our solar system:
    Olympus Mons.
    Olympus Mons is
    approximately 15 miles high.
    • Mars appears red because of
    iron oxide, or rust, in its
    soil.
    • Mars has two moons
    and takes about two
    Characteristics of Gas Giants
    or Jovian Planets
    • They are made up mostly of
    gases (primarily hydrogen &
    helium).
    • They are very light for their size.
    • They move quickly in space.
    • They have rings and many
    moons.
    • They have a diameter of less than
    48,000 km
    Jupiter
    • Jupiter is the largest and
    most massive planet.
    • It’s diameter is 11 times
    bigger than that of the
    Earth’s.
    • It takes about 12 years
    for Jupiter to orbit the
    sun.
    • Jupiter has 16
    known moons.
    • Saturn is composed almost
    Saturn entirely of hydrogen and
    helium.
    • Saturn has many rings made
    of ice. Saturn’s rings are
    very wide. They extend
    outward to about 260,000
    miles from the surface but
    are less than 1 mile thick.
    • Saturn has 18 known moons,
    some of which orbit inside
    the rings!
    • It takes Saturn about 30
    years to orbit the sun.
    Uranus
    • Uranus is blue in
    color due to methane
    gas in its atmosphere.
    • Uranus has 11 dark
    rings surrounding
    it.
    • Uranus has 21 known
    moons and takes 84
    years to complete
    one orbit.
    Neptune
    • Neptune has the fastest
    winds in the solar
    system: up to 2,000
    km/hr.
    • Neptune is also blue in
    color due to methane gas
    in its atmosphere.
    • Neptune takes 165 years
    to orbit the sun and has 8
    moons.

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