A Tour of the Solar System
• An image of each planet will be visible on
individual slides.
• Each slide will also describe the general
composition, size, motion and relative position of
each planet in the solar system.
• Additional slides of planetary satellites, comets,
and asteroids will be included.
• Hyperlinks to additional slides and web sites will
provide supplemental information.
Presented by Keith DeLong
Abstract
In this PowerPoint presentation, students explore
the solar system. The relative position of each
planet in the solar system is illustrated and
students examine the appearance of each planet as
well as investigate its composition, size and
motion. Also, planetary satellites, comets and
asteroids are discussed. Additional information on
the solar system and its component elements are
available to students via hyperlinks to slides and
additional web sites.
The Standard Addressed in this
Presentation
Earth’s Place in the Universe
1. Astronomy and planetary exploration reveal the
solar system’s structure, scale, and change over
time. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know how the differences and similarities
among the sun, the terrestrial planets, and the gas giants
may have been established during the formation of the
solar system.
The Solar System
Not to
scale
PLUTO
(Dwarf Planet)
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are the inner planets.
NEPTUNE
They are also known as terrestrial planets.
URANUS
SATURN
MARS
EARTH
VENUS
MERCURY
SUN
JUPITER
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune, and Pluto are
the outer planets.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
and Neptune are also
known as gas giants or
Jovian planets.
Pluto is a big ball of ice.
Between Mars and Jupiter there is a
large number of rocks orbiting the sun.
Each rock is known as an ASTEROID.
COMETS OR METEOROIDS
This ring of rocks is called the Asteroid
Belt.
| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Sun
Links to Sun sites:
•Live from the Sun
•StarDate: The Sun
•Solar Data Analysis Center
• The Sun is a star at the center of our solar system.
• It is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old.
• It supports all life on Earth through photosynthesis and is the ultimate source of all food
and fossil fuel.
• It is 333,400 times more massive than the Earth
(this means that 333,400 Earths can make up the
Sun).
• 99.86% of all the mass of the solar system is
found in the Sun.
• The core of the Sun is 16 million °C.
• The surface of the Sun is 7000° C
• It takes several hundred thousand years for
photons to escape from the dense core and reach
the surface.
• The Sun generates energy the equivalent of 100
billion tons of TNT exploding every second.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT
NUCLEAR FUSION
| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Nuclear Fusion in the Sun
The Sun is basically a huge ball of hydrogen gas held together by the gravity
created by its own mass. Under the intense pressure created at the centre of the
Sun by gravity, hydrogen nuclei are fused together to produce helium nuclei. Very
simply stated, four hydrogen nuclei are fused into one helium nucleus, however
one helium atom has less mass than four hydrogen atoms. The fusion process
releases enough energy to account for the lost mass.
The energy released by nuclear fusion in the Sun's core heats the Sun. The hot
Sun radiates light into space, warming the Earth and the other planets.
About 1300 watts per square meter reaches the Earth's orbit, of which about 1000
watts per square meter reaches the Earth's surface (on a clear day).
VIDEO
NUCLEAR FUSION IN THE SUN
| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Nuclear Fusion in the Sun
Video
QuickTime™ and a
Sorenson Video 3 decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Mercury (Planet)
Links to Mercury sites:
•Exploring the Planets - Mercury
•Missions to Mercury
•NASA Planetary Photojournal: Mercury
Relative position: 1st planet out from the sun.
Appearance: Resembles Earth's Moon, scarred
by thousands of impact craters. There are
areas of smooth terrain as well as cliffs, some
soaring a mile high, formed by ancient
impacts.
General composition: Rocky material. It is a
terrestrial planet.
Density: 5.43 g/cm3
Atmosphere: Almost no atmosphere. The very
little atmosphere that exists is composed
chiefly of oxygen, sodium, and helium.
Size: .054 the volume of the Earth
Planetary satellites (Moons): None
Rotation: 58.65 days (very slow rotation)
Revolution: 88 days to go around the Sun once.
Temperatures: High: 467 °C on the sunny side
of the planet. Low: -183 °C on the dark side
of the planet.
| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Venus (Planet)
Links to Venus sites:
•Exploring the Planets - Venus
•Missions to Venus
•StarDate: Venus
Relative position: 2nd planet out from the sun.
Appearance: It is covered by thick, rapidly spinning
clouds. Due to its thick cloud layer reflecting
sunlight, it is the brightest planet in the sky
General composition: Rocky material. It contains an
iron core and a molten rocky mantle. The crust is a
solid, rocky material. It is a terrestrial planet.
Density: 5.24 gm/cm3
Atmosphere: Consists mainly of carbon dioxide,
nitrogen, and droplets of sulfuric acid; it contains
almost no water vapor. This thick atmosphere traps
immense amounts of heat in a large-scale greenhouse
effect.
Size: .88 the volume of the Earth
Planetary satellites (Moons): None
Rotation: -243 days (retrograde)
Revolution: 225 Earth days. Its day is longer than its
year.
Temperature: 450 °C. It’s hotter than Mercury due to
the greenhouse effect. It is actually hot enough to
melt lead.
| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Earth (Planet)
Relative position: 3rd planet out from the sun.
Appearance: The Earth looks blue and green
from space with clouds moving through the
atmosphere. The surface of the Earth is 70%
water and 30% land.
General composition: Rocky material. It is a
terrestrial planet. It has a nickel-iron core
with a molten mantle and solid rocky crust.
Density: 5.52 gm/cm3
Atmosphere: Mostly oxygen (21%) and nitrogen
(78%). Some argon, carbon dioxide, and
water vapor.
Size: 40,000km (24,8000miles) around at the
equator.
Planetary satellites (Moons): 1 - The Moon
Rotation: 23 hours, 56miutes (1 day)
Revolution: 365.25 days
Temperature: Mean surface 15 °C to 20 °C
Links to Earth sites:
•Exploring the Planets - Earth
•Missions to Explore Earth
•StarDate: Earth
Special feature: Earth sustains life as we know it.
Water exists in all three states (solid, liquid , and
gas) on the Earth. There is a delicate balance
between its oceans, air, land, and life.
| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
The Moon
Links to Moon sites:
Missions to the Moon
StarDate: Moon
Collecting Moon Rocks
•
The Moon is the Earth’s only natural satellite.
•
The Moon contains no water and has no
atmosphere
•
Its has about 1/6 the mass of the Earth,
therefore it has 1/6 the gravitational pull of the
Earth.
•
•
It is 384 401 km from the Earth.
•
It takes 27.32 days to orbit the Earth once.
•
The gravitational pull of the Moon is
responsible for the Earth’s tides.
•
The surface of the Moon is covered with craters
and flatlands. The craters are due to repeated
meteorite bombardments while the dark,
flatlands are the result of ancient lava flows.
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| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Mars (Planet)
Relative position: 4th planet out from the sun.
Appearance: Mars appears red due to the iron
oxide in its soil. It has polar ice caps that
grow and recede with the seasons, and it has
dust storms, which cause giant dunes, wind
streaks, and wind-carved features.
General composition: Rocky material. It is a
terrestrial planet.
Density: 3.94 gm/cm3
Atmosphere: Mostly carbon dioxide, nitrogen,
and argon.
Size: .149 times the volume of the Earth.
Planetary satellites (Moons): 2 Moons
Rotation: 24 hours, 33 minutes.
Revolution: 686.67 days.
Temperature: -87 °C to -5 °C
Links to Mars sites:
•Missions to Mars
•Mars Explorations
•StarDate: Mars
Special Features: Mars has the largest volcanic mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons (27
km high and 600 km across); volcanoes in the northern Tharsis region that are so huge they deform
the planet's roundness; and a gigantic equatorial rift valley, the Valles Marineris. This canyon
system would stretch from New York to Los Angeles; the Grand Canyon could fit into one of the
side canyons of this great chasm.
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| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Moons of Mars
Phobos
Deimos
Gouged by a giant impact crater and beaten by
thousands of meteorite impacts, Phobos is on
a collision course with Mars. It may collide
with Mars in 50 million years or break up into
a ring.
It is also heavily cratered with a small lumpy
appearance.
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| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Jupiter (Planet)
Links to Jupiter sites:
•Exploring the Planets - Jupiter
•Missions to Jupiter
•StarDate: Jupiter
Relative position: 5th planet out from the sun.
Appearance: It is sometimes called a “mini-solar
system” because of its numerous moons and
several rings. Jupiter appears striped because
light and dark belts are created by strong
east-west winds.
General composition: It is a gas giant, meaning it
is mostly made of gases. Jupiter's core is
probably not solid but a dense, hot liquid with
a consistency like thick soup.
Density: 1.76 gm/cm3
Atmosphere: Mostly hydrogen, helium and
methane.
Size: 1316 times the volume of the Earth. It is the
planet with the highest gravity in the solar
system.
Planetary satellites (Moons): 63 Moons; some of
them have been named and some have
alphanumeric designations.
Rotation: 9 hours, 54 minutes
Revolution: 11.86 Earth years
Temperature: -108 °C
Special Feature: The Great Red Spot has existed for at least 100 years, and perhaps longer.
It is a hurricane-like storm on Jupiter. (Galileo reported seeing a similar feature nearly 400
years ago). Three Earths could fit across the Great Red Spot.
| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Moons of Jupiter
1. Io
2. Europa
3. Ganymede
4. Callisto
5. Amalthea
6. Himalia
7. Elara
8. Pasiphae
9. Sinope
10. Lysithea
11. Carme
12. Ananke
13. Leda
14. Thebe
15. Adrastea
16. Metis
17. Callirrhoe
18. Themisto
19. Megaclite
20. Taygete
21. Chaldene
22. Harpalyke
23. Kalyke
24. Iocaste
25. Erinome
26. Isonoe
27. Praxidike
28. Autonoe
29. Thyone
30. Hermippe
31. Aitne
32. Eurydome
33. Euanthe
34. Euporie
35. Orthosie
36. Sponde
37. Kale
38. Pasithee
39. Hegemone
40. Mneme
41. Aoede
42. Thelxinoe
43. Arche
44. Kallichore
45. Helike
46. Carpo
47. Eukelade
48. Cyllene
49. Kore
50. S/2003 J2
51. S/2003 J3
52. S/2003 J4
53. S/2000 J11
54. S/2000 J5
55. S/2003 J9
56. S/2003 J10
57. S/2003 J12
58. S/2003 J15
59. S/2003 J16
60. S/2003 J17
61. S/2003 J18
62. S/2003 J19
63. S/2003 J23
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| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Saturn (Planet)
Links to Saturn sites:
•Exploring the Planets - Saturn
•Missions to Saturn
•StarDate: Saturn
Special feature: Saturn's ring system is
the most extensive and complex in our
solar system; it extends hundreds of
thousands of kilometers from the planet.
The rings are mostly water ice with
particles ranging in size from a few
micrometers to several tens of meters.
Relative position: 6th planet out from the
sun.
Appearance: Saturn has a large system of
rings, and the yellow and gold bands in
its atmosphere are caused by super-fast
winds combined with heat rising from its
interior.
General composition: It is a Gas giant,
meaning it is mostly made of the gases
hydrogen and helium.
Density: .70 gm/cm3 (This low density means
that Saturn could float on water if their
was a body of water big enough).
Atmosphere: Mostly hydrogen and helium.
Size: 755 times the volume of the Earth.
Planetary satellites (Moons): 60 Moons;
some have been named and others have
alphanumeric designations
Rotation: 10 hours, 38 minutes
Revolution: 29.45 Earth years
Temperature: -139 °C
| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Moons of Saturn
1. Mimas
2. Enceladus
3. Tethys
4. Dione
5. Rhea
6. Titan
7. Hyperion
8. Iapetus
9. Erriapus
10. Phoebe
11. Janus
12. Epimetheus
13. Helene
14. Telesto
15. Calypso
16. Kiviuq
17. Atlas
18. Prometheus
19. Pandora
20. Pan
21. Ymir
22. Paaliaq
23. Tarvos
24. Ijiraq
25. Suttungr
26. Mundilfari
27. Albiorix
28. Skathi
29. Siarnaq
30. Thrymr
31. Narvi
32. Methone
33. Pallene
34. Polydeuces
35. Daphnis
36. Aegir
37. Bebhionn
38. Bergelmir
39. Bestla
40. Farbauti
41. Fenrir
42. Fornjot
43. Hati
44. Hyrokkin
45. Kari
46. Loge
47. Skoll
48. Surtur
49. S/2004 S7
50. S/2004 S12
51. S/2004 S13
52. S/2004 S17
53. S/2006 S1
54. S/2006 S3
55. Greip
56. Jarnsaxa
57. Tarqeq
58. S/2007 S2
59. S/2007 S3
60. Anthe
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| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Uranus (Planet)
Links to Uranus sites:
•Exploring the Planets - Uranus
•Missions to Uranus
•StarDate: Uranus
Relative position: 7th planet out from the sun.
Appearance: It has a blue-green color from the
methane gas above the deeper clouds.
Methane absorbs red light and reflects blue
light. It does have a small system of rings.
General composition: It is a Gas giant, meaning it
is mostly made of the gases hydrogen and
helium, with a small amount of methane and
traces of water and ammonia. It has no solid
surface, but it does contain a liquid core made
mostly of “icy” materials (water, methane, and
ammonia)
Density: 1.30 gm/cm3
Atmosphere: Mostly hydrogen, helium, and
methane.
Size: 52 times the volume of the Earth.
Planetary satellites (Moons): 27 Moons
Rotation: 17 hours, 11 minutes
Revolution: 84.02 Earth years
Temperature: -197 °C
Special feature: Uranus’ axis is tilted so that it seems to rotate on its side.
This tilt gives it seasons that last over twenty years.
| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Moons of Uranus
1. Cordelia
2. Ophelia
3. Bianca
4. Cressida
5. Desdemona
6. Juliet
7. Portia
8. Rosalind
9. Mab
10. Belinda
11. Perdita
12. Puck
13. Cupid
14. Miranda
15. Francisco
16. Ariel
17. Umbriel
18. Titania
19. Oberon
20. Caliban
21. Stephano
22. Trinculo
23. Sycorax
24. Margaret
25. Prospero
26. Setebos
27. Ferdinand
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| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Neptune (Planet)
Links to Neptune sites:
•Exploring the Planets - Neptune
•Missions to Neptune
•StarDate: Neptune
Relative position: 8th planet out from the sun.
Appearance: Neptune has a blue color because of the
methane in its atmosphere. The methane reflects
blue light while it absorbs red light. It has a small
system of rings and periodically Great Dark Spots
(hurricane-like storms) appear.
General composition: It is a Gas giant, meaning it is
mostly made of the gases hydrogen, helium, and
methane. It has no solid surface, but its liquid
core is composed of water and other “melted
ices.”
Density: 1.76 gm/cm3
Atmosphere: Mostly hydrogen, helium,and methane.
Size: 44 times the volume of the Earth.
Planetary satellites (Moons): 13 Moons
Rotation: 16 hours, 4 minutes
Revolution: 164.79 Earth years
Temperature: -200 °C
Special features: Neptune is actually the farthest planet from the Sun for a
20-year period out of every 248 Earth years due to Pluto’s unusual
elliptical orbit.
| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Moons of Neptune
1. Triton
2. Nereid
3. Naiad
4. Thalassa
5. Despina
6. Galatea
7. Larissa
8. Proteus
9. Halimede
10. Psamathe
11. Sao
12. Laomedeia
13. Neso
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| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Charon
Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
Relative position: 9th planet out from the sun.
Appearance: A large frozen ball of ice.
General composition: Rocky core surrounded by
water ice.
Density: 2.0 gm/cm3
Atmosphere: Frozen most of the time. When it is
closest to the Sun the bright layer of frozen
methane, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide
thaws out and gives it a thin atmosphere.
Size: .005 the volume of the Earth. It is the planet
with the lowest gravity in the solar system.
Planetary satellites (Moons): 3
1. Charon
2. Hydra
3. Nix
Links to Pluto sites:
•Missions to Pluto
•Pluto Portal
•StarDate: Pluto
Rotation: -6.39 days (retrograde)
Revolution: 247.9 Earth years
Temperature: -233 °C
| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Asteroids
Links to Asteroids sites:
•Missions to Asteroids
•The Nine Planets: Asteroids
•StarDate: Asteroids
•
Asteroids are either rocky or metallic objects
that orbit the Sun. They are too small to
considered planets but are sometimes called
planetoids.
•
They can be anywhere from the size of a
pebble up to a 1000km (620 miles) in
diameter; the asteroid Ceres is an example of
an asteroid that is this large.
•
They have been found inside Earth’s orbit and
all the way out past Saturn’s orbit. Most
asteroids, however, are located in the asteroid
belt which exists between the orbit’s of Mars
and Jupiter.
| The Solar System | Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Asteroid Belt
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| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Comets
Links to Comet sites:
•Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards
•The Planetary Society’s Near Earth Objects Page
•Missions to Comets
•
Comets - small, fragile, irregular-shaped body
composed of a mixture of non-volatile grains
and frozen gases. Components of Comets can
be seen by clicking on the link.
•
Their orbits are elliptical (oval) or parabolic
(U-shaped). The orbit brings them in very
close to the Sun and swings them far out into
space, sometimes out past Pluto. Example of a
comet’s orbit.
•
As comets approach the Sun, radiation from
the Sun evaporates the ice and gases, creating
the lone tail. The closer to the Sun, the longer
the tail of the comet. The tail of the comet
always faces away from the Sun because of
the solar wind coming from the Sun.
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| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Components of Comets
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| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Example of a Comet’s Orbit
Comet 2P/Encke
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Meteors, Meteoroids, and
Meteorites
Meteorite sample that is from the
crust of the asteroid Vesta
Links to meteorite sites:
•ANSMET: Antarctic Search for Meteorites
•Asteroids, Comets, and NASA Research
•Meteorites from Antarctica
•Meteorites from Mars
•
Meteoroids - asteroids that are on a collision
course with Earth.
•
Meteor - streak of light created when a
meteoroid strikes our atmosphere at high
velocity and friction causes the chunk of space
matter to burn up.
•
Meteorite - what is left that strikes the Earth’s
surface if the meteoroid does not burn up
completely.
•
92.8% of all meteorites are composed of
silicate (stone), and 5.7% are composed of
iron and nickel; the rest are a mixture of the
three materials.
•
Stony meteorites are the hardest to identify
since they look very much like terrestrial
rocks.
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| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Vocabulary
1.
Greenhouse Effect - warming of a planet’s surface as a result of atmospheric gases trapping heat.
Carbon dioxide is one of these greenhouse gases.
2.
Photon - a quantum of visible light or other form of electromagnetic radiation coming from the
Sun. A particle of light.
3.
Retrograde - this means that the planet is spinning backwards compared to the other planets.
4.
Revolution - one complete circle made around something. The orbit made by a planet or satellite
around another body.
5.
Rotation - the turning motion of a planet spinning on its axis.
6.
Star - a glowing, hot, gaseous mass in space such as the Sun ranging in size from that of a planet
to larger than the Earth’s orbit. It generates energy by thermonuclear reactions.
7.
Terrestrial - similar in composition and density to Earth. Relating to Earth. Earth-like.
BACK
8.
Volume - amount of space an object takes up.
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| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Vocabulary (p.2)
9.
Dwarf Planet - a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its
self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly
round) shape, (c) has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite.
10.
Planet - a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its selfgravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round)
shape and (c) has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.
11.
Plutoids - celestial bodies in orbit around the Sun at a semi-major axis greater than that of
Neptune that have sufficient mass for their self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that they
assume a hydrostatic equilibrium (near-spherical) shape, and that have not cleared the
neighborhood around their orbit.
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| Asteroids | Comets | Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites | End Show |
Thanks!
Your Tour of the
Solar System is Finished
(Click here to leave the
Tour)
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