The Solar System
Ms. Raeann DelFratte
Grade 5
2/23/15
Preview of The Solar System
A Tour of the Solar System
Mercury
Diameter: about 5,000 km
Revolution:
88 days
Rotation:
59 days
Full of craters
FUN FACT: Mercury’s sunny side has a temperature rising to 750°
Fahrenheit. Mercury’s dark side, however, goes down to -328° Fahrenheit.
Venus
Diameter: about 12,000 km
Revolution:
225 days
Rotation:
243 days
Atmosphere composed of sulphuric acid and CO2
FUN FACT: Venus is named after the Roman Goddess of love and beauty.
Earth
Diameter: about 12,000 km
Revolution: What
do you think?
Rotation: What do
you think?
Only planet with conditions right for plentiful, liquid water
FUN FACT: The Earth is relatively fragile due to its moving tectonic plates.
Mars
Diameter: about 7,000 km
Revolution:
687 days
Rotation:
24.6 hours
Surface covered in craters, volcanoes, and canyons
FUN FACT: Mars has polar ice caps, which makes scientists
wonder if life was once, or is, a possibility on Mars.
Jupiter
Diameter: about 143,000 km
Revolution:
12 years
Rotation:
10 hours
Made of Hydrogen gas, experiences huge oval-shaped storms
FUN FACT: There is a permanent storm on the planet known as
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.
Saturn
Diameter: about 121,000 km
Revolution:
12 years
Rotation:
10 hours
The rings are composed of small ice and rock particles
FUN FACT: Saturn has at least 18 moons.
Uranus
Diameter: about 51,000 km
Revolution:
84 years
Rotation:
17 hours
Covered by a thick layer of gas and is surrounded by nine rings
FUN FACT: As Uranus orbits the sun, it is laying on its side.
Neptune
Diameter: about 50,000 km
Revolution:
165 years
Rotation:
16 hours
Affected by harsh storm systems and is surrounded by five rings
FUN FACT: This planet was not discovered until 1846.
Questions For Class Discussion
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
As of 2008, Pluto is no longer considered a
planet. Who knows why?
What planet is closest to Earth in size? In
time spans of revolutions and resolutions?
If all planets were created at the same time,
which planet has gone around the sun the
most amount of times? The least?
How many times bigger is the biggest planet
compared to the smallest planet?
A preview for the next lesson: What are some
other components of our Solar System,
besides the planets?
Interactive Websites to Try
Comparing Planet Sizes
 Your Weight on Other Worlds
 Detailed Descriptions – Click “Homework Helper”
 Quiz Yourself

References
Hipschman, R. Exploratorium. (1997). Your Weight on Other Worlds. Retrieved on March 1, 2015 from
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/
History. (2014). Interactive Universe. Retrieved on February 26, 2015 from http://www.history.com/interactives/interactive-universe
Microsoft. (n.d.). Image of Earth. Taken from PowerPoint on March 4, 2015.
MS Nucleus (n.d.). Universe Cycle - Solar System. Retrieved on February 28, 2015 from http://www.msnucleus.org/membership/html/k6/uc/solar_system/2/ucss2_1a.html
NASA. (2009). Image of Mars. Retrieved on March 4, 2015 from (https://www.dvidshub.net/image/833393/planet-mars).
NASA. (2009). Image of Mercury. Retrieved on March 4, 2015 from (https://www.dvidshub.net/image/715477/planet-mercury).
NASA. (2009). Image of Neptune. Retrieved on March 4, 2015 from (https://www.dvidshub.net/image/718570/neptune).
NASA. (2009). Image of Saturn. Retrieved on March 4, 2015 from (https://www.dvidshub.net/image/701293/saturn-and-4-icy-moonsnatural-color).
NASA. (2009). Image of Uranus. Retrieved on March 4, 2015 from (https://www.dvidshub.net/image/707555/uranus-upperatmosphere).
NASA. (2009). Image of Venus. Retrieved on March 4, 2015 from (https://www.dvidshub.net/image/710176/pioneering-venus).
NASA. (2010). Image of Jupiter. Retrieved on March 4, 2015 from (https://www.dvidshub.net/image/730771/jupiter-astronomy).
NASA. (2011). Image of Earth. Retrieved on March 4, 2015 from (https://www.dvidshub.net/image/742056/earth-observations).
Nine Planets (n.d.). Interactive Tour of the Solar System. Retrieved on February 26, 2015 from http://nineplanets.org/tour/
Planets for Kids. (2012). Solar System Quiz. Retrieved on March 1, 2015 from http://www.planetsforkids.org/quiz.html
Planets for Kids. (2014). Planets for Kids. Retrieved on February 26, 2015 from http://www.planetsforkids.org/
ScienceNet Links. (n.d.). Planet Size Comparison. Retrieved on February 27, 2015 from
http://sciencenetlinks.com/interactives/messenger/psc/PlanetSize.html
Solar System. (n.d.). Solar System 101. Retrieved on February 26, 2015 from https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/kids/#