Intended Learning Outcome – Provide relevant data to support inferences and conclusions.
Solar System Data Sheet
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Solar Fact Sheet
Diameter
Surface
Interior Temperature
Rotation
Temperature
860,000 miles
Hydrogen and
Helium gases
Language
Arabic
Chinese
Danish
Dutch
French
German
(Length of “Day”)
11,000o F.
Composition
28,000,000o F.
26 days at Equator/36 days at Poles
Sunspots
Prominences
Cooler areas on the Sun’s surface (6,000o
F.). Can be as large as 30,000 miles across.
Are areas of intense magnetic activity.
Word for Sun
Shams
Taiyang
Sol
Zon
Soleil
Sonne
Gravity
Solar Flares
Hot gases extending form
surface, often in loops.
Language
Word for Sun
Hawaiian
Italian
Japanese
Lakota
Navajo
Roman
La
Sole
Talyo
Anpetu wi
Sha
Sol
1
Weight on Earth x 27
Violent explosions in Sun’s
atmosphere.
Language
Russian
Spanish
Swahili
Turkish
Word for Sun
Soince
Sol
Jua
Güneş
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Planets
Planet
Distance from
Distance
Sun (miles)
Astronomical Unit
Diameter Average Surface
(miles)
Atmosphere
Temperature
Mercury
36,000,000
.4
3,032
–300o F. – 800o F.
Very, very thin
Venus
67,000,000
.7
7,520
870o F.
Earth
93,000,000
1
7,926
–126o F. – 136o F.
Mars
141,000,000
1.5
4,222
–67o F. – 80o F.
Jupiter
484,000,000
5.2
88,846
–240o F.
Saturn
887,000,000
9.5
74,898
–290o F.
Uranus
1,780,000,000
19.2
31,763
–360o F.
Neptune
2,870,000,000
30
30,778
–390o F.
Very thick; mostly
carbon dioxide
Thick; mostly
nitrogen & oxygen
Thin; mostly carbon
dioxide
Very thick, hydrogen
& helium
Very thick, hydrogen
& helium
Very thick hydrogen,
helium & methane
Very thick hydrogen,
helium & methane
*An Astronomical Unit (AU) is equal to the distance to the Sun from Earth (93,000,000 miles).
2
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Planets
Planet
Composition
Length of Day
Length of Year
(Earth
(Earth
hours/days)
days/years)
Moons
Rings
Gravity*
Mercury
Rocky
59 days
88 days
0
No
.38
Venus
Rocky
243 days
225 days
0
No
.91
Earth
Rocky
24 hours
365 days (1 year)
1
No
1
Mars
Rocky
25 hours
2 years
2
No
.38
Jupiter
Gas Giant
10 hour
12 years
63
2.4
Saturn
Gas Giant
11 hours
29 years
63
Uranus
Gas Giant
17 hours
84 years
27
Neptune
Gas Giant
243 days
165 years
13
Yes
(very faint)
Yes
(very bright)
Yes
(very faint)
Yes
(very faint)
*Multiply weight on Earth by this number to find your weight on other worlds.
3
1.1
.9
1.2
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Classifying the Planets
 Rocky Planets
o Mercury
o Venus
o Earth
o Mars
 Gas Giants
o Jupiter
o Saturn
o Uranus
o Neptune
 Classical Planets (seen without a telescope)
o Mercury
o Venus
o Mars
o Jupiter
o Saturn
 Modern Planets (seen with a telescope)
o Uranus
o Neptune
 Inferior Planets (having an orbit between Earth and the
Sun)
o Mercury
o Venus
 Superior Planets (having an orbit farther from the Sun
than Earth)
 Mars
 Jupiter
 Saturn
 Uranus
 Neptune
Dwarf Planets
Dwarf Planet
Diameter (miles)
Pluto
1,473
Eris
1,447
Distance from Sun (miles)
Atmosphere
2,700,000,000 (closest) Nitrogen, carbon dioxide,
4,600,000,000 (farthest) and methane (thin)
3,500,000,000 (closest)
Unknown
12,700,000,000 (farthest)
4
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Dwarf Planet
Diameter (miles)
Distance from Sun (miles)
Haumea
Egg-Shaped
Polar – 619
Equatorial – 1,281
882
3,300,000,000 (closest)
4,800,000,000 (farthest)
Unknown
3,500,000,000 (closest)
4,800,000,000 (farthest
280,000,000
Methane
MakeMake
590
Ceres
Dwarf
Composition
Planet
Day
Year
(Earth
(Earth years)
Atmosphere
None
Temperatures Moons
Hours/Days)
Pluto
Icy
6.4 Earth days
248 Earth years
–380o F.
5
Eris
Icy
Unknown
557 Earth years
–406o F.
1
Haumea
Icy
3 hours 55 minutes
285 Earth Years
–402o F.
2
MakeMake
Icy
Unknown
310 Earth Years
–406o F.
0
9 Hours
4.6 Earth Years
–100o F. (High
Noon)
0
Ceres
Rocky
5
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Asteroids
Composition
Locations
Distance from Sun
Number
(millions of miles)
Rocky bodies
Most found between orbit of Mars and
Jupiter; are also found between Mars and the
Sun.
Size Range
Most asteroids are
between 186,000,000
miles to 300,000,000
miles.
Shape
How Seen
From pebbles to 544 miles. Irregular to almost round.
150,000,000 (larger than 100 meters)
Two Largest*
Cannot be seen without a telescope. Pallas – 540 miles
Vesta – 524 miles
*Ceres was the largest asteroid. In 2006, Ceres was classified a dwarf planet.
Main Asteroid
Belt
6
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Meteoroids/Meteors/Meteorites
Where They Come
Size Range
From
Definition of a
Definition of a Meteor
Meteoroid
Most come from particles
in the Asteroid Belt.
A few come from particles
left from comets when
Earth crosses their path.
Meteor
Iron Meteorite
Grain of sand to
a round around
10 yards across.
Meteorite
Grain of sand or rock Grain or rock that has
that is travelling in
entered the atmosphere
space.
(sometimes called
“shooting” or “falling”
star.)
Meteoroid
Stony Meteorite
7
Definition of a
A meteor that is large
enough to survive the
trip through the
atmosphere and hit the
Earth’s surface.
Meteor
Iron Meteorite
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Comets
Composition
Water ice, dry ice, ammonia ice, dirt, and
rocks. Are also called “dirty snowballs”
or “icy dirtballs.”
Number
Unknown. Estimated to be over one
trillion.
How Seen
Some comets are bright enough to be
seen without a telescope. A telescope is
needed to see most comets.
Parts of a Comet
Nucleus
Coma
The actual comet; the “dirty snowball.”
Gases that vaporize and surround the
nucleus as the comet gets close to the
Sun.
Tail
Made of dust particles and gases pushed
away from the comet by the solar wind;
always points away from the Sun.
Coma
Nucleus
Tail
8
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Where Comets Begin Their Journey
Kuiper Belt
Where Found
Distance From Sun
Number
Size
(miles)
Outside of Neptune’s Closest – 2,790,000,000
orbit
Farthest – 4,650,000,000
Note – Kuiper Belt objects cannot be seen without a telescope.
Where Found
Period (One
orbit of Sun)
> 1,000,000,000,000,000
Small chunks to 62
miles across.
< 200 years
Size
Period (One
Oort Cloud
Distance From Sun
Number
(miles)
orbit of Sun)
Border of Kuiper
Closest – 186,000,000,000
> 2,000,000,000,000,000 (?)
Belt to 1 light year.* Farthest – 6,000,000,000,000
Note – Oort Cloud objects cannot be seen.
*A light year is the distance light travels in one year – 6,000,000,000,000 miles (six trillion).
(source: American Museum of Natural History)
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Small chunks to 62
miles across.
> 200 years