Why are Planets Planets?

Why are Planets Planets?

Multiple Choice

What do all planets orbit a star (ours is the Sun)

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

Planets need to be large enough to collapse into a

• flat circle

• round sphere

• cube

• potato

Multiple Choice

What else can be in a planets orbit?

• Dust and cloud going around the star

• Satellites going around the star

• other rocks or masses

• Nothing

Inner Planets

• Closer to the Sun

• Terrestrial - made of rocky material

• Have less mass than outer planets

• Have a faster orbit due to being closer to the Sun

• Smaller diameter than the outer planets

• Warmer temperatures

Asteroid Belt

This a "belt" of house to mountain sized rocky objects called asteroids that all orbit the Sun. The belt separates the terrestrial, inner planets from the gas giant, outer planets. Some other objects, such as meteoroids, can also be found here.

Outer Planets

• Further from the Sun

• Gas Giants - made mostly of gasses and sometimes have a solid core with a very thick atmosphere

• Have more mass than inner planets

• Have a slower orbit than inner planets

• Have a larger diameter than inner planets

• Colder than inner planets

Multiple Choice

Which planets are colder

• Inner planets

• Outer planets

• Asteroids

• Meteors

Multiple Choice

Which planet is terrestrial?

• Jupiter

• Mars

• Neptune

• Saturn

Multiple Select

Which planets are larger and more massive? Choose all that apply

• inner planets

• outer planets

• terrestrial planets

• gas giants

Multiple Choice

_______ separates the inner and outer planets

• Comets

• Rings of Saturn

• Asteroid Belt

• Dwarf Planets