Planets in the Solar System

Planets in the
Solar System


Whenever you see a ⭐️, add the information to your planets chart!

Don't forget our mnemonic!


My Very Excellent Mother
Just Served Us Noodles

How do we categorize planets?

• Color

• Proximity to the Sun (how close or how far they are from the Sun)

• Size

• Speed

• Density

• Physical characteristics

• Chemical characteristics

These are just a few examples!

• Mercury - Venus - Earth - Mars

• Closer together

• Terrestrial or rocky surface

• Dense

• Smaller diameter (distance from one side to the other)

• Shorter length of revolution

Inner Planets

​​Outer Planets

• Jupiter - Saturn - Neptune - Uranus

• Farther apart

• Mostly made of gas/ice

• Less dense

• Larger diameter (distance from one side to the other)

• Longer length of revolution

Categorize

Options (10)

Mars

Neptune

Earth

Venus

Mercury

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Close together

Far apart

Organize each option into the correct category.

Inner Planets

Outer Planets

Categorize

Options (8)

Terrestrial/rocky

Dense

Made of gas/ice

Less dense

Smaller diameter

Larger diameter

Shorter orbit

Longer orbit

Organize each option into the correct category.

Inner Planets

Outer Planets

​Remember, if you see a
⭐️
it goes on your chart!

• Surface: rocky/terrestrial (and full of craters!)

• Rings: no

• Moons: no

• Day: 59 Earth hours

• Year: 88 Earth days

Mercury ⭐️

Unique Characteristics:

• Closest planet to the sun

• Smallest and fastest planet

• No atmosphere

Mercury ⭐️

Yellow characteristics are required.
White are optional.

• Surface: rocky/terrestrial

• Rings: no

• Moons: no

• Day: 5,832 Earth hours

• Year: 255 Earth days

Venus ⭐️

Unique Characteristics:

• Similar in size to Earth, sometimes called our "sister planet"

• Hottest planet due to extremely thick atmosphere

• Its day is longer than its year!

Venus ⭐️

​Yellow characteristics are required.
White are optional.

• Surface: rocky/terrestrial

• Rings: no

• Moons: yes - 1

• Day: 24 Earth hours

• Year: 365.25 Earth days

Earth ⭐️

Unique Characteristics:

• Earth's surface is nearly 70% water

• Only planet known to support life

• Largest inner planet

Earth ⭐️

​Yellow characteristics are required.
White are optional.

• Surface: rocky/terrestrial

• Rings: no

• Moons: yes - 2

• Day: 24.6 Earth hours

• Year: 687 Earth days (or 1.9 Earth years)

Mars ⭐️

Unique Characteristics:

• The "red planet"

• Has a canyon much larger than Grand Canyon

• Frequent dust storms

• Unmanned rovers are currently exploring there!

Mars ⭐️

Yellow characteristics are required.
White are optional.

Reorder

Put the four inner planets in order, starting with the planet closest to the sun.

• Mercury

• Venus

• Earth

• Mars

1

2

3

4

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

Match

Match the following planets to their unique characteristics.

• Mercury

• Venus

• Earth

• Mars

No atmosphere

Smallest planet

Many craters

Very thick atmosphere

Hottest planet

Surface is ~70% water

Our home!

Frequent dust storms

Red planet

• No atmosphere

  Smallest planet

  Many craters

• Very thick atmosphere

  Hottest planet

• Surface is ~70% water

  Our home!

• Frequent dust storms

  Red planet

• Surface: gas

• Rings: yes (very faint)

• Moons: yes - 95!

• Day: 10 Earth hours

• Year: 4,333 Earth days (or 12 Earth years)

Jupiter ⭐️

Unique Characteristics:

• Largest planet

• Great Red Spot is actually a 100+ year long storm

• Great Red Spot can fit 2 Earths!

• Has a large ocean full of liquid hydrogen instead of water

Jupiter ⭐️

Yellow characteristics are required.
White are optional.

• Surface: gas

• Rings: Definitely yes!

• Moons: yes - 146!

• Day: 10 Earth hours

• Year: 10,747 Earth days (or 29.4 Earth years)

Saturn ⭐️

Unique Characteristics:

• Thousands of distinct rings made of dust and ice

• One of it's moons is bigger than Mercury

Saturn ⭐️

Yellow characteristics are required.
White are optional.

• Surface: ice

• Rings: yes (faint)

• Moons: yes - 28

• Day: 17 Earth hours

• Year: 30,687 Earth days (or 84 Earth years)

Uranus ⭐️

Unique Characteristics:

• Orbits the sun on its side

• First planet to be discovered with a telescope

• Only planet named after Greek, not Roman, god

Uranus ⭐️

Yellow characteristics are required.
White are optional.

• Surface: ice

• Rings: yes

• Moons: yes - 14

• Day: 16 Earth hours

• Year: 60,225 Earth days (or 165 Earth years)

Neptune ⭐️

Unique Characteristics:

• Great Dark Spot (long-lasting storm) disappeared in the 1990s

• Strongest winds in solar system

• One of it's moons orbits (thought to be a former Kuiper belt object) orbits backwards!

Neptune ⭐️

Yellow characteristics are required.
White are optional.

Now get ready for some practice questions!

Use your chart to help you if you get stuck.

You'll know you're done when you see a really silly looking creature...

Match

Match the following planets to their unique characteristics.

• Jupiter

• Saturn

• Uranus

• Neptune

Largest planet

Ocean full of hydrogen

Thousands of rings made of dust and ice

Orbits on its side

One moon orbits backwards

• Largest planet

  Ocean full of hydrogen

• Thousands of rings made of dust and ice

• Orbits on its side

• One moon orbits backwards

Multiple Choice

Which order of the planets is correct?

• Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Mercury
• Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Mercury, Venus
• Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Mercury, Venus, Earth
• Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Multiple Choice

Which is the farthest planet from the sun?

• Neptune

• Saturn

• Jupiter

• Uranus

Multiple Choice

Which is the smallest planet?

• Mercury

• Mars

• Earth

• Venus

Multiple Choice

Which is the hottest planet?

• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Neptune

Multiple Choice

This is the largest planet in the solar system.

• Saturn
• Jupiter
• Uranus
• Venus

Multiple Choice

This gas giant has a large storm in its atmosphere known as The Red Spot

• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune

Multiple Choice

Most likely due to a massive collision, this planet rotates from top to bottom.

• Saturn
• Venus
• Neptune
• Uranus

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements is correct?

• Pluto was once classified as a dwarf planet, but is now classified as a main planet

• Pluto was never classified as a planet

• Pluto has always been considered a planet

• Pluto was once considered a planet, but no longer is

Multiple Choice

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are all

• Terrestrial (rocky) planets

• Outer planets

• Gas giants

• Ice giants

Multiple Choice

The inner planets are:

• Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

• Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Multiple Choice

The outer planets are:

• Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

• Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Multiple Choice

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are all

• Terrestrial (rocky) planets

• Inner planets

• Gas/Ice giants

• Small planets

Multiple Choice

Which planet doesn't have a moon?

• Earth
• Mars
• Mercury
• Jupiter

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT true?
Planets closer to the sun...

• are hotter
• orbit slower

• have fewer moons

• are smaller

Multiple Choice

The inner and outer planets are divided by...

• The asteroid belt
• The oort cloud
• The kuiper belt
• a fraction

Multiple Choice

What does the word terrestrial mean?

• Warm planets
• planets with moons
• planets with ailens
• Rocky planets

Multiple Choice

Compared to the inner planets, the outer planets are...

• larger
• warmer
• denser
• better

Multiple Choice

An AU is the average distance between

• The Sun and Pluto

• any two planets

• The Sun and Earth

• The Earth and the moon

Multiple Choice

The planets are spaced

• evenly throughout our solar system

• unevenly throughout our solar system

• evenly throughout with a gap in between the inner and outer planets

• spaced out according to size, the bigger they are the further away from the sun

Multiple Choice

The closest star to Earth is

• Jupiter

• Alpha Centauri

• The Sun

• The Milky Way

Multiple Choice

What accounts for 99% of the mass in our solar system?

• Asteroids

• Jupiter

• The Sun

• All of the planets, moons, asteroids and comets combined.

Multiple Choice

The outer planets have solid, rocky surfaces.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The asteroid belt is located between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Which planet has no atmosphere and looks like our moon?

• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars

Multiple Choice

Which planet has a thick atmosphere and is the hottest planet?

• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars

Multiple Choice

Which planet's surface is covered by huge amounts of water?

• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars

Multiple Choice

Which planet has iron in its soil and is known as the red planet?

• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars

Multiple Choice

Which planet has had rovers sent to it to study its soil?

• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars

Multiple Choice

What is in between the inner planets and the outer planets?

• Asteroid belt
• Kuiper belt
• Sun
• Moon

Multiple Choice

Which planet has the biggest rings?

• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune

Multiple Choice

Which planet is the largest?

• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune

Multiple Choice

Which planet rotates on its side?

• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune

Multiple Choice

Which planet has a Great Dark Spot?

• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune

Multiple Choice

What force keeps the planets orbiting the sun?

• Gravity
• Magnetism
• Electricity
• Friction

Multiple Choice

The sun is a ___________.

• Star

• Comet

• Planet

Multiple Choice

The inner planets share 2 qualities or characteristics

• Humans can live on them, they all have water

• They are rocky, and humans can find food on them

• They are rocky and close to the Sun

• They are close to the Sun, and humans can live on them

Multiple Choice

The first planet, closest to the Sun, and the smallest planet. Is extremely hot during the day and freezing cold at night.

• Mercury

• Jupiter

• Venus

• Uranus

Multiple Choice

The fourth planet from the Sun, called the Red planet, and extensively explored and observed

• Neptune

• Venus

• Jupiter

• Mars

Multiple Choice

The third planet from the Sun, has liquid water, and keeps a temperature that allows humans to live

• Earth

• Venus

• Mercury

• Mars

Multiple Choice

The second planet from the Sun, the atmosphere is made up of 96% carbon dioxide, extremely hot and the atmospheric pressure is bone crushing.

• Earth

• Venus

• Mars

• Saturn

Multiple Choice

The fifth planet, the largest planet and has a large storm called the Giant Red Spot that is visible from Earth

• Neptune

• Uranus

• Jupiter

• Earth

Multiple Choice

The sixth planet, known for its rings made of ice particles, is considered the lightest planet due to its very low density.

• Jupiter

• Saturn

• Neptune

• Uranus

Multiple Choice

The seventh planet, originally called Herschel, rotates on its side due to the angle of the axis.

• Uranus

• Jupiter

• Neptune

• Mercury

Multiple Choice

The eighth planet, a dark blue color, windiest planet, with a set of faint rings

• Neptune

• Uranus

• Earth

• Mars

Multiple Choice

Is the sun a planet?

• Yes.

• No.

Congratulations! You finished all of your review questions.

Enjoy this little fella :)


His name is Simon.