THE SOLAR SYSTEM

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MERCURY:

Mercury is named after the messenger of the Roman gods. It is visible to the bare eye (meaning we do not need other tools such as telescopes to see it). It has been known since Ancient times, but was first observed by Galileo Galilei with the help of a telescope. Mercury has no moons because of how close it is to the Sun, as the Sun’s gravity pulls smaller objects in. One day on Mercury (one rotation or spin) takes 59 days, but one year (rotation around the Sun) takes 88 days.

VENUS:

Although most people immediately think that Mercury is the hottest planet in the solar system because of how close it is to the Sun, it is actually Venus that is the hottest of all the planets. It is also the brightest natural object in Earth’s night sky, other than the Moon. It is one of the five planets that can be seen with the unaided eye. Ancient Egyptians as well as the Ancient Greeks thought that Venus was actually two separate objects: a morning star, and then a completely different evening star. The early mathematician Pythagoras was one of the first to recognize that the morning and evening stars were actually the same object: Venus. Venus became the first planet to be explored by a spacecraft after NASA’s Mariner 2 successfully flew by the planet at a range of 21,660 miles on Dec. 14, 1962.

EARTH:

The Earth is about 4.567 billion years old. The study of earth is called Earth Science and the study of Earth’s structure is called Geology. The Earth is the only known planet to actively host life, but there are other planets that are capable of hosting life. These planets are called Goldilock Planets.

MARS:

The reddish hue of Mars comes from the large amount of iron oxide, also called rust in it. Water existed on Mars, and still exists to this day. In November 2016, NASA reported finding a large amount of underground ice, the volume of water detected has been estimated to be equal to the volume of water in Lake Superior.

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JUPITER:

Jupiter and the other gas giants have rings. Jupiter’s rings are not as visible and famous as Saturn's, and are made of dust not ice. One day on Jupiter is 10 Earth hours long. Jupiter is sometimes called a failed star as it is made of the same elements as our Sun, but it is not big enough to have the internal pressure and temperature necessary to cause hydrogen to fuse to helium, the energy source that fuels the Sun.

SATURN:

Saturn's rings are thought to be pieces of comets, asteroids, or shattered moons that broke up before they reached the planet, torn apart by Saturn's powerful gravity. The ring particles mostly range from tiny, dust-sized icy grains to chunks as big as a house. A few particles are as large as mountains.

URANUS:

Uranus rotates on side at a near 90 degree angle. Uranus is one of two ice giants in the outer solar system. It is the smallest of the outer planets.

NEPTUNE:

Uranus and Neptune are both ice giants, which means they are composed mainly of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, such as oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. Scientists think there might be a ocean of extremely hot water under Neptune's cold clouds. Neptune does not have a solid surface, like the other 3 gas giants.

WANT TO PRACTICE OR LEARN MORE?

Youtube:

To Scale: The Solar System

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR3Igc3Rhfg

Introduction to the Solar System: Crash Course Astronomy #33:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKM0P3XlMNA

Kahoot:

https://play.kahoot.it/v2/?quizId=a66107b2-eafc-4d45-8de4-dca07d63293f