7.9.A: physical properties, locations, and movements

Describe

THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES, LOCATIONS, AND MOVEMENTS OF THE SUN, PLANETS, MOONS, METEORS, ASTEROIDS, COMETS, KUIPER BELT, AND OORT CLOUD

Including, but not limited to:

Sun
- Physical properties
  - Composed of hydrogen and helium gas
  - Hottest object in our solar system
  - Produces light
  - Largest and most massive object in our solar system
- Location
  - In the center of the solar system
- Movement
  - Rotates on its axes
Planets
- Terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars)
  - Physical properties
    - Composed of rock
    - Thin atmospheres of gas
    - Smaller, less massive planets
  - Location
    - Closest planets to the Sun
  - Movement
    - Orbit the Sun
    - Rotate on their axes
- Jovian planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune)
  - Physical Properties
    - Composed of rock and ice
    - Thick atmospheres of gas
    - Larger, more massive planets
  - Location
    - Farthest planets from the Sun
  - Movement
    - Orbit the Sun
    - Rotate on their axes
Moons
- Physical properties
  - Smaller than the planets they orbit
  - Composed of rock
  - Very thin or no atmosphere
- Location
  - Orbiting most planets
  - More moons orbit Jovian planets
- Movement
  - Orbit a planet
  - Rotate on an axis
Meteors
- Physical properties
  - Small dust particles / debris from comets
  - Burn when entering Earth’s atmosphere causing light
- Location
  - Left in the path of comets that passed through the area before
- Movement
  - Orbit the Sun
  - Fall towards Earth when entering the atmosphere
Asteroids
- Physical properties
  - Composed of rock
  - Smaller than terrestrial planets
- Location
  - Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
- Movement
  - Orbit the Sun
Comets
- Physical properties
  - Composed of rock and ice
  - Form large tails of gas and dust as they melt when they are near the Sun
- Location
  - Originate from the Kuiper belt or Oort cloud
- Movement
  - Large, elliptical orbits around the Sun
Kuiper belt
- Physical properties
  - Composed of small rock and ice objects that could become short period comets
  - Thin, disk-shaped group of objects
- Location
  - Beyond the orbit of Neptune, between 35-50 times further from the Sun than Earth
- Movement
  - Orbit the Sun
Oort cloud
- Physical properties
  - Composed of small rock and ice objects that could become long period comets
  - Sphere shaped group of objects
- Location
  - Furthest objects from the Sun still considered to be in the solar system
  - Between 2,000 and 100,000 times further from the Sun than Earth
- Movement
  - Orbit the Sun

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