The Solar System

1. The Solar System Created by: Aimee Cannova

2. What is the Solar System? • The Solar System consists of the Sun and celestial objects bound to it by gravity. • These objects are the eight planets, their 166 known moons, five dwarf planets, and billions of small bodies. • The small bodies include asteroids, icy Kuiper belt objects, comets, meteoroids, and interplanetary dust.

3. What is the order of the planets? In order of their distances from the Sun, the eight planets are: • Mercury • Venus • Earth • Mars • Jupiter • Saturn • Uranus • Neptune

4. Pluto • Pluto was originally one of the nine planets in the Solar System. • Recently, in 2005, scientists have discovered that Pluto is no longer a planet in our Solar System. • Planets have to fit three criteria: • It must orbit the Sun • It must have enough mass to pull itself into a spherical shape • It must have cleared out the other objects in its orbit. • Pluto does clear out the other objects in its orbit because of Eris. • Pluto only has half of its mass to clear out the other objects in its orbit, whereas all the other planets have enough mass to clear it out.

5. How does the Solar System Work? • Our planet Earth is part of a solar system that consists of eight planets orbiting a giant, fiery star we call the sun. • For thousands of years, astronomers studying the solar system have noticed that these planets march across the sky in a predictable way. They've also noticed that some move faster than others and some seem to be moving backward, but essentially they all orbit the sun.

6. What kinds of things effect the Solar System? Asteroids, Meteorites, Comets How do they effect it? They are particles that collide with the planets and one day it is predicted that it will hit the earth. When they hit a planet of our Solar System damage is done to the planet itself, and the Solar System as a whole. • Asteroids: bodies, primarily of the inner Solar System, that are smaller than planets but larger than meteoroids. (sometimes called minor planets or planetoids) • Meteorites: is a natural object originating in outer space that survives an impact with the Earth's surface. • Comet: a small Solar System body that orbits the Sun and, when close enough to the Sun, exhibits a visible coma or a tail. 

7. What is the moon? • The moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth. • It is the second brightest object in the sky after the Sun.

8. How does the moon orbit the earth? • The orbit of the Moon around the Earth is completed in approximately 27.3 days. • The moon orbits around the earth once a month.

9. Quiz Time!!! • Okay class, now lets see how many questions you can answer correctly: • How many planets are there in our Solar System? • What are their names? • How long does it take the moon to orbit the Earth, and how often does it happen? • What are three things that can effect our Solar System? • What do all the planets orbit or rotate around? • Why is Pluto not a planet anymore? * Our next lecture, we will be exploring each individual planet, so get excited!