Our Solar System

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Our Solar System
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• In our solar system, nine planets circle around
  our Sun. The Sun sits in the middle while the
  planets travel in circular paths (called orbits)
  around it.

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• These nine planets travel in the same direction
  (counter- clockwise looking down from the Sun's
  north pole).

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The Inner Planets

• The inner solar system contains Mercury, Venus,
  Earth and Mars. These four planets are closest to
  the Sun.

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The Outer Planets

• The outer solar system contains Jupiter, Saturn,
  Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

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• The separation
• The inner planets are separated from the outer
  planets by the Asteroid Belt.

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Mercury

•  Scientists think that there may be volcanic
  activity on Mercury.  It was once believed that
  there was no water on Mercury, but this turned
  out to be false. Recent radar information shows
  evidence of ice at Mercury's north pole! The ice
  hasn't melted because it is protected from the
  Sun. It is the closest planet to the sun.

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Venus

• Venus is a small, rocky planet blanketed in a
  thick layer of yellowish clouds. These clouds are
  not made of water (like the ones here on Earth).
  Instead, they are formed from a poison called
  sulfuric acid.  Venus' surface is very hot -
  about 400 degrees Celsius!  Even though Venus is
  very cloudy, it's simply too hot for rain to
  form.  Venus has no moons.

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Earth

• Earth, our home, is a small, rocky planet
  which supports a variety of life! As far as we
  know, Earth is unique from all other planets in
  this respect.
• Temperatures at the Earth's center (called
  the "core") may be as high as 7500 K - That's
  hotter than the surface of the Sun!  The Earth
  is orbited by one moon. It is the only planet
  with liquid water.

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Mars

• Mars is a small, rocky planet which is cold
  and lifeless.  Mars has permanent ice caps at
  both poles.  Very strong winds and vast dust
  storms sometimes blow through the entire planet
  for months!  Mars has two tiny moons which orbit
  very close to the surface. It is known as the
  red planet because of its reddish rocks and
  soil.

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Jupiter

• Jupiter is a giant gas planet which is made
  up of about 90 hydrogen and 10 helium.
  Jupiter is so big that you could cram 1,000
  Earths inside of it! That's mighty big!  It is
  thought that Jupiter's "Great Red Spot" is a
  storm of swirling gas that has lasted for about
  300 years. Scientists are still unsure as to how
  such a storm could last for so long.  Jupiter
  has 16 known moons! There are four large moons,
  and 12 small ones.     

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Saturn

• Saturn is a giant gas planet which is made up
  of about 75 hydrogen and 25 helium. It's most
  famous for its thousands of beautiful
  rings.  Saturn's rings are made up mostly of
  water ice, but they may also include rocky
  particles with icy coatings. The origin of the
  rings of Saturn is currently unknown.  Saturn is
  made up of materials which are lighter than
  water. If placed in a big pond, Saturn would
  float much like an ice cube does in a glass of
  water.  Saturn has 18 known moons - more than
  any other planet!

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Uranus

• Uranus is a giant gas planet which is made up of
  mostly rock and various ices.   Uranus spins
  differently from most planets. It seems to be
  tilted "sideways" instead of right-side up.
   Uranus has 15 known moons. Voyager 2 discovered
  10 small moons in addition to the 5 large ones
  already known. It is likely that there are many
  more tiny moons within the rings.

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Neptune

• Neptune is a giant gas planet which is most
  likely made up of various ices and rock.
  Depending on how far along Pluto is in its orbit
  (path around the Sun), Neptune can be either the
  eighth or ninth planet. Pluto's orbit is kind of
  wacky, and it sometimes crosses in front of
  Neptune. When Pluto does this, Neptune is behind
  Pluto - hence, it is the ninth planet for a short
  time.  Neptune has 8 known moons 7 small ones
  and a large moon.

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Pluto

• Pluto is a small, rocky planet. Scientists
  are still unsure as to what it's made of.  Pluto
  is the only planet that has not been visited by a
  spacecraft. Depending on how far along it is in
  its orbit (path around the Sun), Pluto can be
  either the eighth or ninth planet. Little is
  known of Pluto because it is so far away from us.
    Pluto has only one moon.

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Mnemonic Device

• My Mercury
• Very Venus
• Eager Earth
• Mother Mars
• Just Jupiter
• Served Saturn
• Us Uranus
• Nine Neptune
• Pizzas Pluto

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Pop Quiz!

• Question 1
• Which planet is closest to the sun?
• A. Earth
• B. Venus
• C. Mercury
• D. Saturn

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Question 2Which two planets are on each side of
Earth?A. Mercury and VenusB. Venus and
MarsC. Jupiter and SaturnD. Mercury and Uranus
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Question 3Which other planet besides Uranus has
rings?A. NeptuneB. PlutoC. SaturnD. Venus
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Question 4Which planet has a Great Red
Spot?A. EarthB. UranusC. SaturnD. Jupiter
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Question 5Which planet has not been explored by
man because it is too hot?A. MercuryB.
SaturnC. MarsD. Pluto
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Mnemonic Device

• My Mercury
• Very Venus
• Eager Earth
• Mother Mars
• Just Jupiter
• Served Saturn
• Us Uranus
• Nine Neptune
• Pizzas Pluto

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We are now at the end of the universe!
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