Celestial Body

Inner Planets

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My Very Excited Mother Just Served Us Nachos.

Open Ended

Based on the image, how are the inner planets different than the outer planets?

Multiple Select

Which four planets are inner planets?

• Saturn

• Venus

• Mars

• Earth

• Mercury

Multiple Choice

Which number on the diagram represents Earth?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Characteristics of Inner Planets

Smaller

Compared to outer planets, inner planets are much smaller.

Multiple Choice

Based on the image, which planets is the smallest in the solar system?

• Mercury

• Venus

• Earth

• Mars

Rocky

Inner planets are made of rock.

Multiple Select

Which of the following planets are made of rock? Choose 3!

• Mercury

• Neptune

• Mars

• Jupiter

• Earth

Hotter Temperature

Inner planets are hotter than the outer planets

Multiple Choice

Why are inner planets hotter than outer planets?

• They have hot cores.

• They are closer to the sun

• they are farther from the sun

• They are stars

Faster Orbits

Inner planets orbit faster than outer planets.

Open Ended

Why do you think the inner planets move faster around the sun? Hint: Look at their orbits.

Less Moons

Inner planets have less moons than outer planets.

Multiple Choice

How many moons do the inner planets have in total?

• 0

• 3

• 6

• 18

Multiple Choice

Based on the image, Which planet would most likely be an inner planet?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Multiple Choice

Based on the chart, which planet would most likely be an inner planet?

• Planet X

• Planet Y

Multiple Select

Using the image, which characteristics would fit with the A planets? Choose 3!

• Rocky

• Gassy

• Small

• Big

• Hot

The Outer Planets

Gas Giants

Outer Planets = Gas Giants

• The 4 outer planets are much larger and more massive than Earth

• They do not have solid surfaces

• Their size exerts a very strong gravitational force

• This force keeps gases from escaping and creates thick atmospheres

Outer Planets = Gas Giants

• High pressures inside the planets causes materials to actually be liquid

• Outer layers are extremely cold but inner layers are much warmer

• All gas giants have many moons and are surrounded by rings

• Some moons are small balls of rock and ice only 1km across, while others are larger than Mercury

• The rings are thin discs of small rock and ice particles

Jupiter - "Giant Planet"

• Largest and most massive planet

• Mass = about 2.5 times more than all other planets combined

• Composed mostly of hydrogen and helium

• Atmosphere contains the "Great Red Spot"

• This is a giant storm with winds similar to a hurricane on Earth

Jupiter contiuned...

• Possibly has a dense core of rock and iron

• Core is surrounded by liquid hydrogen

• Has at least 63 moons

• The 4 largest being Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa

Saturn - "Ringed Planet"

• Second largest planet

• Atmosphere composed of hydrogen and helium

• North pole has strange hexagon shaped clouds

• Has the most complex set of rings

Saturn continued...

• From Earth, it appears to have 7 main rings but actually there is between 500-1000

• Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is the larger than Mercury and the only moon with a thick atmosphere

• Titan's atmosphere is composed mostly of nitrogen and methane

Uranus - "Ice Giant"

• Twice as far from the Sun as Saturn so it is MUCH colder

• Gets its blue-green color from methane in its atmosphere

• Has at least 27 moons

• Axis is rotated 97.9 degrees making it "roll" around the Sun

Neptune - "Windy Planet"

• A very cold, blue planet with visible clouds in the atmosphere

• Neptune's interior is still hot, releasing energy that rises and causes clouds and storms

• Once had a "Great Dark Spot" storm, similar to Jupiter

• Voyager 2 probe showed the largest moon, Triton, is covered in nitrogen ice

Multiple Choice

Gas Giants have solid surfaces.

• True

• False

Multiple Select

Which planets are Gas Giants?

• Venus

• Saturn

• Mars

• Pluto

• Neptune

Multiple Choice

Which planet rotates on its side?

• Jupiter

• Uranus

• Mercury

• Neptune

• Saturn

Multiple Choice

Which planet has a huge hurricane-like storm in its atmosphere?

• Neptune

• Saturn

• Jupiter

• Uranus

Multiple Select

What are the outer planet's rings made of?

• Rocks

• Lava

• Dead stars

• Ice

6.11A Celestial Objects

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Multiple Select

What are some characteristics of inner planets? Check all that apply

• Terrestrial

• Gaseous

• Rocky

• Small

Multiple Select

What are some characteristics of outer planets?

• Large

• Gaseous

• Rocky

• Terrestrial

Multiple Choice

The four planets that orbit furthest from the Sun can be described as -

• mostly made up of gasses.

• having rings similar to Saturn’s.

• having a rocky and terrestrial surface.

• being composed entirely of water.

Mostly made up of gasses.

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are outer planet gas giants

Multiple Choice

Europa, a Galilean moon, is quite different from Earth’s Moon. However, one characteristic it shares with Earth’s Moon is that Europa -

• is covered in ice.

• orbits a planet.

• has an oxygen atmosphere.

• contains volcanoes.

orbits a planet.

Both Jupiter's moons and Earth's moon are natural satellites that go around the planets they are in a system with.

Multiple Choice

What is the difference between a moon and a planet?

• Planets revolve around moons.

• Moons revolve around planets.

• Both of the above.

• None of the above.

Moons revolve around planets.

Moons go around planets

Multiple Choice

Which motion does Earth make once every 365 days (1 year)?

• Rotates once on its axis

• Makes one revolution around the Sun

• Revolves once around the Moon

• Passes by Mars on its path

Multiple Choice

Which model below represents the movements of the Sun, Earth, and Moon in our solar system?

Multiple Choice

The force of attraction that pulls objects toward each other; the force that controls the motion of our solar system.

• Friction

• Rocky

• Gravity

• Magnetism

Multiple Choice

Which motion does Earth make once every 24 hours (1 day)?

• Rotates once on its axis

• Makes one orbit of the Sun

• Revolves once around the Moon

• Passes by Mars in its path

Multiple Choice

The gravitationally-curved path of an object around a point in space is called

• a rotation

• an orbit

• a moon

• a comet

Multiple Choice

The region between the inner and outer planets where most asteroids orbit around the Sun.

• Meteoroid Belt

• Asteroid Belt

• Outer Planets

• Kuiper Belt

Multiple Choice

The composition of the Sun is best described as –

• liquid nitrogen and solid magnesium

• molten rock, primarily iron.

• dense and composed of hot gases.

• lightweight particles of dust.

Multiple Choice

A visible streak of light which shows the path of a rocky object which is burning up in Earth’s atmosphere is –

• an asteroid

• a Galilean moon

• a comet

• a meteor

Multiple Choice

Most of the asteroids in our solar system are located between the orbits of what two objects?

• The Sun and Earth

• Venus and Earth

• Mars and Jupiter

• Uranus and Neptune

Multiple Choice

What celestial body does the picture represent?

• Asteroid

• Comet

• Moon

• Meteor

Multiple Choice

Scientists discover a relatively small object in an orbital path around the Sun as shown in the diagram. Based on this information, the object is most like which of the following?

• Comet

• Star

• Planet

• Moon

Multiple Choice

Remains of meteoroids that strike the surface of Earth or the Moon.

• Asteroids

• Moons

• Meteorites

Multiple Choice

The table provides information on various objects in our solar system. Based on the information in the table, which object is a comet?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Multiple Choice

A celestial body that is small in mass, made of frozen gas, and has a tail of dust following it as it travels close to the Sun would most likely be called—

• a star

• a meteoroid

• a comet

• a planet

Multiple Choice

A meteoroid is

• a piece of rock or metal that hits Earth.

• a very small rocky body that orbits the Sun.

• an object made of ice, dust, and gas.

• a piece of rock or metal that burns up in the atmosphere.

Moons revolve around planets.

Moons go around planets

Multiple Choice

Which motion does Earth make once every 365 days (1 year)?

• Rotates once on its axis

• Makes one revolution around the Sun

• Revolves once around the Moon

• Passes by Mars on its path

Multiple Choice

The force of attraction that pulls objects toward each other; the force that controls the motion of our solar system.

• Friction

• Rocky

• Gravity

• Magnetism

Multiple Choice

A meteoroid is

• a piece of rock or metal that hits Earth.

• a very small rocky body that orbits the Sun.

• an object made of ice, dust, and gas.

• a piece of rock or metal that burns up in the atmosphere.