Solar System KEY NOTES Presentation

TEKS 7.9A

Objects in the Solar System

KEY IDEAS

• How is the solar system structured?
• What are the objects of the inner solar system?
• What are the objects of the outer solar system?
• What are the Kuiper belt and the Oort Cloud?

Words to Know

planet
asteroid
meteor

Kuiper belt
comet
Oort Cloud

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Copyright © Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. Savvas is not responsible for any modifications made by end users to the content posted in its original format.

How is the solar system structured?
continued
Our solar systemconsists of the
sun, the planets, and a variety of
other objects. The sun is an
average-sized star at the center
of the solar system. Its gravity
keeps all objects in the solar
system in orbit, or a curved path
around the sun.

Astronomers use the
astronomical unit(AU) as a
unit of distance within the solar
system. One AU is the average
distance from Earth to the sun,
or about 150,000,000 km.

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Structure of the Solar System Answers

Describe Fill in the blank with the correct term from the word
bank.

Word Bank

smallest

a star

1.

The sun’s gravity

keeps objects orbiting it in

the solar system.

2.

All planets in the solar system orbit

around

the sun.

3.

The sun is the largest

object in the solar

system.

4.

An AU is the distance from the sun to Earth

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What are the objects of the inner
solar system? 1 continued

Sun

Mercury

Venus

Earth

Mars

The inner solar system includes the sun, and four small, rocky
planets—Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. It also includes
our moon and the moons of Mars, along with the asteroid
belt. Ceres, a dwarf planet, is located in the asteroid belt.
Many meteors originate from within the asteroid belt.

Photo credit: 24K-Production/Shutterstock; Artsiom P/Shutterstock; NOAA/GOES Project/NASA; Breizhatao/Shutterstock

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What are the objects of the inner
solar system? 2 continued

Sun

Diameter (km)
Distance from the Sun (AU)

Orbit of Sun (in Earth days)

Mean Temperature (ºC)

Moons

Mercury

4,879

0.39
88.0

167

0

Venus

12,104

0.72

224.7

464

0

Earth

12,756

1

365.26

15

1

Mars
6,792

1.52

687

−65

2

Photo credit: 24K-Production/Shutterstock; Artsiom P/Shutterstock; NOAA/GOES Project/NASA; Breizhatao/Shutterstock

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Objects of the Inner Solar System Answers

Describe Fill in the blank with the correct term from the word bank.

Word Bank

1.

The smallest inner planet is Mercury

.

2.

The inner planet farthest from the sun is

Mars

.

3.

It takes the planet Venus

225 days to orbit

the sun.

4.

The distance from the sun to

Earth

is used by

scientists as the basis to measure distances in the

solar system.

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What are the objects of the outer solar
system? 1 continued

Sun

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

The outer solar system consists of four giant planets—Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Much larger than the inner
planets, these planets also have different compositions, being
made mostly of gases and ices. Each has its own ring system,
though Saturn’s is most visible, and each has many moons.

Photo credit: Kevin M. Gill/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/NASA; Vadim Sadovski/Shutterstock; 24K-Production/Shutterstock; NASA

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What are the objects of the outer
solar system? 2 continued

Sun

Diameter (km)

Distance from the Sun (AU)

Orbit of Sun (in Earth years)

Mean Temperature (ºC)

Known Moons

Jupiter

~142,980

5.2

11.9

−110

80

Saturn

~116,000

9.6

29.5

−140

83

Uranus

~50,600

19.2

84.0

−195

27

Neptune

~49,500

30.1

164.8

−200

14

Photo credit: Kevin M. Gill/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/NASA; Vadim Sadovski/Shutterstock; 24K-Production/Shutterstock; NASA

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Objects of the Outer Solar System

Identify Identify the outer planet that matches each description.

Description

It has the most noticeable rings of any planet and
83 known moons.

It is the farthest planet and takes about 165 Earth
years to complete one orbit of the sun.

It is tilted on its side and about 1.4 billion km
farther from the sun than the second outer planet.

It is the largest planet and has the second
greatest number of moons

Planet

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Objects of the Outer Solar System Answers

Identify Identify the outer planet that matches each description.

Description

It has the most noticeable rings of any planet and
83 known moons.

It is the farthest planet and takes about 165 Earth
years to complete one orbit of the sun.

It is tilted on its side and about 1.4 billion km
farther from the sun than the second outer planet.

It is the largest planet and has the second
greatest number of moons.

Planet

Saturn

Neptune

Uranus

Jupiter

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What are the Kuiper Belt and the
Oort Cloud? 1 continued

Sun

Pluto

Eris

CometHyakutake

Comets are made of rock and ice. A vast majority come
from the farthest parts of our solar system—the Kuiper belt
and the Oort Cloud. The Kuiper belt is a region just beyond
the orbit of Neptune. Pluto, Eris and at least two other
known dwarf planets orbit there. The Oort Cloudis sphere
of small icy objects around the entire solar system.

Photo credit: Swri/Jhuapl/NASA; Christophe Coat/Alamy Stock Photo; NASA Image Collection/Alamy Stock Photo

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What are the Kuiper Belt and
the Oort Cloud? 2 continued

Sun

Diameter (km)

Distance from the Sun (AU)

Orbit of Sun (in Earth years)

Mean Temperature (ºC)

Known Moons

Pluto

2,370

39.5

247.9

−225

5

Eris

2,326

67.9
~559

−230

1

Comet Hyakutake

~4.2

0.2 to 3500

17,000 to 70,000

−225 to 30

Unknown

Photo credit: Swri/Jhuapl/NASA; Christophe Coat/Alamy Stock Photo; NASA Image Collection/Alamy Stock Photo

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The Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud

Describe Decide whether each statement is true or false.

1.

Pluto is the largest dwarf planet.

2.

Comets can come from either the Kuiper belt or the Oort Cloud.

3.

A comet usually has a long, narrow orbit around the sun.

4.

Eris and Pluto are both located in the Oort Cloud.

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The Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud Answers

Describe Decide whether each statement is true or false.

4.

Eris and Pluto are both located in the Oort Cloud.

T

1.

Pluto is the largest dwarf planet.

T

2.

Comets can come from either the Kuiper belt or the Oort Cloud.

T

3.

A comet usually has a long, narrow orbit around the sun

F

Multiple Choice

These are the 4 planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) are known as

• terrestrial planets

• gas giants

• dwarf planets

• solar planets

Multiple Choice

These are the four planets; Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are classified as

• terrestrial planets

• gas giants

• solar planets

• the best planets

Multiple Choice

Where is the Asteroid Belt located in the Solar System?

• near Neptune

• between Mercury and Venus

• between Mars and Jupiter

• around the Sun

Multiple Choice

Name the planets in order.

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

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

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

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

Multiple Choice

Gravity

• It is the eight planet from the Sun.

• It is called the Red planet.

• a natural force that pulls two objects toward one another

• the only planet in the solar system on which life is known to exist

Multiple Choice

The Oort cloud is found:

• between Jupiter and Saturn

• behind the Sun

• beyond Neptune and after the Kuiper Belt

• between Mars and Jupiter

Multiple Choice

A loose collection of ice, dust, and small rocky particles, typically with a long, narrow orbit of the sun.

• comet

• asteroid

• meteor

• meteorite

Multiple Choice

This is the donut shaped region of comets that circles the entirety of our solar system.

• Oort cloud

• Kuiper Belt

• Asteroid Belt

• Dwarf Planets

Multiple Choice

a large planet composed mostly of gases, such as hydrogen and helium, with a relatively small rocky core. The gas giants of our solar system are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune

• terrestrial planets

• planetesimals

• nebula

• gas giant planets