The Solar System – Astronomy

1. The Solar System – Astronomy Text from: http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm

2. What Is The Solar System? • The Solar System is made up of all the planets that orbit our Sun. In addition to planets, the • 3. Solar System also consists of moons, comets, asteroids, minor planets, and dust • 4. and gas. Everything in the Solar System orbits or revolves around the Sun. The Sun contains • 5. around 98% of all the material in the Solar System. The larger an object is, the more gravity it • 6. has. Because the Sun is so large, its powerful gravity attracts all the other objects in the Solar • 7. System towards it. At the same time, these objects, which are moving very rapidly, try to fly • 8. away from the Sun, outward into the emptiness of outer space. The result of the planets trying • 9. to fly away, at the same time that the Sun is trying to pull them inward is that they become • 10. trapped half-way in between. Balanced between flying towards the Sun, and escaping into • space, they spend eternity orbiting around their parent star. • How Did The Solar System form? • 13. This is an important question, and one that is difficult for scientists to understand. After all, the • 14. creation of our Solar System took place billions of years before there were any people around to • 15.witness it. Our own evolution is tied closely to the evolution of the Solar System. Thus, without • 16. understanding from where the Solar System came from, it is difficult to comprehend how • 17. mankind came to be. • 18. Scientists believe that the Solar System evolved from a giant cloud of dust and gas. They believe • 19. that this dust and gas began to collapse under the weight of its own gravity. As it did so, the • 20. matter contained within this could begin moving in a giant circle, much like the water in a drain • 21. moves around the center of the drain in a circle. • 22. At the center of this spinning cloud, a small star began to form. This star grew larger and larger • 23. as it collected more and more of the dust and gas that collapsed into it. • 24. Further away from the center of this mass where the star was forming, there were smaller • 25. clumps of dust and gas that were also collapsing. The star in the center eventually ignited • 26. forming our Sun, while the smaller clumps became the planets, minor planets, moons, comets, • 27. and asteroids.

3. GHR for Vocabulary The Solar System In line 1, highlight the word that refers to the Sun. In line 2, highlight the word that means to go around. In line 4, highlight the word that means made up of or composed of. In line 5, highlight the word that describes weight or seriousness. In line 10, highlight the word that means equally weighted or the same weight. In line 11, highlight the word that means forever. In line 14, highlight the word that describes the beginning of something. In line 15, highlight the word that means or describes change. In line 16, highlight the word that means to understand the meaning of something. In line 18, highlight the word that mean to have developed slowly or gradually. In line 19, highlight the word that means to fall apart or come apart. In line 24, highlight the word that describes where the star was forming. In line 25, highlight the word that means finally. In line 25, highlight the word that means set on fire. In line 27, highlight the word that describes a minor planet.

4. What Is The Solar System? • The Solar System is made up of all the planets that orbit our Sun. In addition to planets, the • 3. Solar System also consists of moons, comets, asteroids, minor planets, and dust • 4. and gas. Everything in the Solar System orbits or revolves around the Sun. The Sun contains • 5. around 98% of all the material in the Solar System. The larger an object is, the more gravity it • 6. has. Because the Sun is so large, its powerful gravity attracts all the other objects in the Solar • 7. System towards it. At the same time, these objects, which are moving very rapidly, try to fly • 8. away from the Sun, outward into the emptiness of outer space. The result of the planets trying • 9. to fly away, at the same time that the Sun is trying to pull them inward is that they become • 10. trapped half-way in between. Balanced between flying towards the Sun, and escaping into • space, they spend eternity orbiting around their parent star. • How Did The Solar System form? • 13. This is an important question, and one that is difficult for scientists to understand. After all, the • 14. creation of our Solar System took place billions of years before there were any people around to • 15.witness it. Our own evolution is tied closely to the evolution of the Solar System. Thus, without • 16. understanding from where the Solar System came from, it is difficult to comprehend how • 17. mankind came to be. • 18. Scientists believe that the Solar System evolved from a giant cloud of dust and gas. They believe • 19. that this dust and gas began to collapse under the weight of its own gravity. As it did so, the • 20. matter contained within this could begin moving in a giant circle, much like the water in a drain • 21. moves around the center of the drain in a circle. • 22. At the center of this spinning cloud, a small star began to form. This star grew larger and larger • 23. as it collected more and more of the dust and gas that collapsed into it. • 24. Further away from the center of this mass where the star was forming, there were smaller • 25. clumps of dust and gas that were also collapsing. The star in the center eventually ignited • 26. forming our Sun, while the smaller clumps became the planets, minor planets, moons, comets, • 27. and asteroids.

5. GHR for Summary The Solar System In line 2, highlight what makes up the Solar System. In line 2-4, highlight what, in addition to planets, is also part of our Solar System. In line 4, highlight what everything in the Solar System does. In line 4 and 5, highlight what the Sun contains. In line 5, highlight what gives an object more gravity. In line 6, highlight why the Sun’s powerful gravity attracts all the other objects in the Solar System. In line 7 and 8, highlight what the objects being attracted to the sun are trying to do. In line 11, highlight what these objects spend eternity doing. In line 14 and 15, highlight when the creation of the Solar System took place. In line 18, highlight where scientists think the Solar System evolved from. Highlight, in lines 18-21, how scientists believe the Solar System developed. In line 22, highlight what began to form at the center of the spinning cloud. In line 25-27, highlight what eventually became our sun and what the other smaller clumps became.

6. What Is The Solar System? • The Solar System is made up of all the planets that orbit our Sun. In addition to planets, the • 3. Solar System also consists of moons, comets, asteroids, minor planets, and dust • 4. and gas. Everything in the Solar System orbits or revolves around the Sun. The Sun contains • 5. around 98% of all the material in the Solar System. The larger an object is, the more gravity it • 6. has. Because the Sun is so large, its powerful gravity attracts all the other objects in the Solar • 7. System towards it. At the same time, these objects, which are moving very rapidly, try to fly • 8. away from the Sun, outward into the emptiness of outer space. The result of the planets trying • 9. to fly away, at the same time that the Sun is trying to pull them inward is that they become • 10. trapped half-way in between. Balanced between flying towards the Sun, and escaping into • space, they spend eternity orbiting around their parent star. • How Did The Solar System form? • 13. This is an important question, and one that is difficult for scientists to understand. After all, the • 14. creation of our Solar System took place billions of years before there were any people around to • 15.witness it. Our own evolution is tied closely to the evolution of the Solar System. Thus, without • 16. understanding from where the Solar System came from, it is difficult to comprehend how • 17. mankind came to be. • 18. Scientists believe that the Solar System evolved from a giant cloud of dust and gas. They believe • 19. that this dust and gas began to collapse under the weight of its own gravity. As it did so, the • 20. matter contained within this could begin moving in a giant circle, much like the water in a drain • 21. moves around the center of the drain in a circle. • 22. At the center of this spinning cloud, a small star began to form. This star grew larger and larger • 23. as it collected more and more of the dust and gas that collapsed into it. • 24. Further away from the center of this mass where the star was forming, there were smaller • 25. clumps of dust and gas that were also collapsing. The star in the center eventually ignited • 26. forming our Sun, while the smaller clumps became the planets, minor planets, moons, comets, • 27. and asteroids.

7. With a partner, review what you’ve highlighted in the text. Identify the important ideas and information that you think you need to remember. Once you have finished your review – about 5 minutes, then turn your text over and on the lines provided, write a summary of 1-5 lines telling what you’ve learned about the Solar System. You may refer back to the text as needed. When finished with your summary, write any questions you might have about the text you’ve just read and summarized or the solar system.

8. Questions to consider… Are we affected by the power of the sun’s gravity? If so, how? What is keeping us from flying off the earth? Why do the planets stay in orbit around the Sun? 4. What are some of your questions?