Our Solar System

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Our Solar System
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OUR SUN IS THE CENTER OF IT ALL

• It is bigger than all of the other planets
  combined.

• The sun provides all of the light and heat for
  our solar system.

• Everything in our solar system orbits around the
  Sun.

• It looks yellow from Earth.

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• Mercury is the closest planet to the sun.

• It is about 1/3 the size of Earth (its diameter
  is 4,880 km).

• It is very hot and doesnt have an atmosphere so
  it cant support life.

• It just sits there and has the Sun beat down on
  it all day long, which is over 58 Earth days.

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Next up is bland Venus, which we see as our
Earthly evening or morning star.

• It is almost as big as the Earth (diameter is
  12,103 km).

• Venus is probably one of the harshest planets in
  the solar systemits a nasty place.

• It's hot, over 800 degrees Fahrenheit.

• It has thick clouds made up of acid.

• There are mountains, big cracks and lava
  everywhere from volcanoes on the surface.

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• This is our home. We live on the third planet
  orbiting the Sun. (Our diameter is 12,756 km).

• This is what Earth looks like from the Space
  shuttle.

• We are special because we have an atmosphere
  and temperature range that supports life.

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• Mars is the fourth planet from the sun.

• It is about ½ the size of earth (diameter is
  6,794 km).

• It is a planet known to have had large amounts
  of liquid water in the distant past.

• Right now there are ice caps on the surface.

• It also has an atmosphere composed mainly of
  Carbon dioxide.

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• Jupiter, the fifth planet from the sun, is the
  largest planet in our solar system (diameter
  142,984 km).

• Its over 300 times the size of the Earth!

• It is like the sun without the heat. Burr!
  Its really cold there.

• Jupiter has weather with storms as big as our
  whole Earth.

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• Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun. It is
  the other big planet in our solar system. Its
  diameter is 120,536 km.

• It is also another gaseous planet like Jupiter.

• Saturn is famous for its rings.

• Another neat thing about Saturn is, if you could
  find a lake big enough, and you put Saturn in
  the water, it would float.

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• The seventh planet from the sun is Uranus
  (pronounced with an emphasis on the "Ur." There
  is very little emphasis on the "a." )

• It is about 4 times as big as Earth (51,118 km).

• It is also composed mainly of gases. All of the
  Methane in the atmosphere makes it look blue.

• Uranus is unique because it spins almost on its
  side instead of orbiting on an axis like the
  other planets (up and down).

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• Neptune is the last gas giant planet and the
  eighth planet from the sun.

• It is about 4 times the size of earth (49,528
  km).

• With an atmosphere full of methane, and (we
  believe) a deep ocean underneath, Neptune also
  has the swiftest winds of any planet in the
  Solar System.

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• Pluto, the ninth planet, is the most remote
  planet in the Solar System.

• It is a lot smaller than the Earth (2,340 km).

• Some scientists dont even think Pluto is a
  planet.

• Because of its distance from the sun, Pluto
  receives very little light, or energy, and it is
  very, very cold.

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Here are three easy ways to remember the order of
the planets.

• Solar System Finger Play/Poem The Planets in
  Our Solar System

• The Planets of Our Solar System in the Song
  Family of the Sun sung to the tune of The
  Farmer in the Dell)

• Mnemonics (An example is-- My Very
  Extraordinary Mother Just Served Us Nine
  Pizzas).

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The Planets in Out Solar System
Nine planets make our Solar System.
Ill call them off in case you missed them.
The planet closest to our Sun is Mercury.
Its number one.
The Evening Star, perhaps you know.
Is Venus, and our number two.
The blue-green planet that gave you birth.
Is number three our planet Earth.
Four is brighter than the stars.
These are the planets, one through nine.
We call this crimson planet Mars.
Can you repeat them one more time?
Jupiter, with its great red spot.
Is the largest planet, we are taught.
The colored rings form a pretty pattern
Around the planet we call Saturn.
The seventh planet is not too famous.
Its the one we call Uranus.
Neptune is next, at any rate.
So we call it number eight.
The Planet Pluto is next in line,
So we call it number nine.
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The Planets in Out Solar System
Nine planets make our Solar System.
Ill call them off in case you missed them.
The planet closest to our Sun is Mercury.
Its number one.
The Evening Star, perhaps you know.
Is Venus, and our number two.
The blue-green planet that gave you birth.
Is number three our planet Earth.
Four is brighter than the stars.
These are the planets, one through nine.
We call this crimson planet Mars.
Can you repeat them one more time?
Jupiter, with its great red spot.
Is the largest planet, we are taught.
The colored rings form a pretty pattern
Around the planet we call Saturn.
The seventh planet is not too famous.
Its the one we call Uranus.
Neptune is next, at any rate.
So we call it number eight.
The Planet Pluto is next in line,
So we call it number nine.
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Family of the SunThe Planets of Our Solar System
in Song
Venus has thick cloudsThat hide what is
below.The air is foul, the ground is hot.It
rotates very slow.
The family of the Sun,The family of the
Sun,There are nine planets inThe family of the
Sun,
Chorus
Mercury is hotAnd Mercury is small.Mercury has
no atmosphereIts just a hard rock ball.
We love the Earth, our home,Its oceans and its
trees.We eat its food we breathe its air,So no
pollution, please.
Chorus
Chorus
The Family of the Sun,The Family of the
Sun, Heres another planet in The Family of the
Sun,
Mars is very red.Its also dry and cold.Some
day you might visit MarsIf you are really bold.
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Chorus
Great Jupiter is big.Weve studied it a lot.We
found that it has 16 moonsAnd a big red spot.
Plutos last in line.Its farthest from the
Sun.Its small and cold and icy tooTo land
there wont be fun.
Chorus
The family of the Sun,The family of the
Sun,There are nine planets in The family of the
Sun,
Saturn has great rings.We wondered what they
were,Now, we know theyre blocks of iceWhich we
saw as a blur.
With atmospheres that swirl wispy white clouds
tooUranus and NeptuneAre so cold that youd
turn blue.
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Mnemonics (A Memory Game)
On the worksheet your teacher has given you use
the first letters from the manes of each of the
planets and create your own sentence.
M ________________ V __________________ E
_______________
M ________________ J __________________ S
_______________
U ________________ N __________________
P_______________ .
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• Now lets see if we can remember the correct
  order.

Jupiter
Neptune
Mars
Mercury
Sun
Venus
Earth
Pluto
Saturn
Uranus
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So far we have learned about the planets, but not
about the planets size in relationship to each
other.
This picture shows how big (and little!) the nine
planets are in relation to each other.
Can you see tiny Mercury in the very bottom,
left-hand corner? Pluto is the teeny-tiny planet
in the very top, right-hand corner!
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• Here are some more sites about the 9 planets in
  our solar system
• StarChild A Learning Center for Young
  Astronauts http//starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/
  StarChild/StarChild.html
• NASA Kids http//kids.msfc.nasa.gov/
• The 9 Planets for Kids http//www.staq.qld.
  edu.au/k9p/
• The 9 Planets http//www.seds.org/nine
  planets/nineplanets/intro.html
• Planets http//pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/

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Evaluation Exercise Make a three dimensional
representation of the solar system. Use any
materials that you desire. Extra credit will be
given for realism and imagination.