Think for yourself!

•  On the slip of paper, write down your opinion.

•  Should Pluto be considered a planet? Why?

•  Criteria to be a planet:
1.  In orbit around the sun
2.  Enough mass to hit hydrostatic Equilibrium (Enough gravity to pull itself into a
spherical shape)
3.  “Cleared the neighborhood” around its orbit (no other similar sized
bodies that aren’t under it’s gravity)
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto(?)
 Our Solar System
•  Consists of nine planets.
•  All revolve around the Sun, which is the main source of light and
heat for these nine planets.
•  It is the Sun's strong pull of gravity which keeps the planets in orbit
around it.
 Mercury
Our Fastest Planet
•  Position: Closest planet to the sun
•  Atmosphere gases: Very thin atmosphere
composed O, Na, H, He
•  Composition of planet: Rocky planet-
Heavily cratered surface
•  Revolution: 88 Earth days
•  Rotation: 176 Earth days- One year happens
faster than their day!
Average temp range: 750F to -320F at night
•  Size comparison to Earth: 2/5 the size of
Earth
•  Moons: None
 Mercury
Our Fastest Planet

•  Unique characteristics : has glaciers

•  The closest Planet to the Sun.
•  Only a little larger than our moon.
•  It is covered by dust, rocks, and
craters.
•  Mercury can reach a high of 800
degrees and a low of about -300
degrees Fahrenheit.
•  Still shrinking
 Venus
Our Hottest Planet
•  Position: 2nd closest planet from the
sun
•  Atmosphere gases: CO2, N Clouds
made up of sulfuric acid (comes from
volcanoes) corrosive!!
•  Composition of planet: Rocky
•  Revolution: 225 Earth days
(clockwise)
•  Rotation: 243 days
Average temp range: 872F
•  Size comparison to Earth: Slightly
smaller than Earth
•  Moons: None
 Venus
Our Hottest Planet

•  Unique characteristics: It takes

longer to rotate once around its axis
than to revolve once around the sun.
•  Has mountains, valleys, and plains.
•  Has no water.
•  Life as we know it could not
survive here. Only rocks can
handle the high temperature and
crushing pressure.
•  It snows metal
 Earth
Our Planet
•  “AUTO! Earth is amazing! These are
called ‘farms’. Humans would put
seeds in the ground, pour water on
them, and they’d grow food, like
pizza!”
 Earth
Our Planet
•  Position: 3rd planet from the sun
•  Atmosphere gases: N, O
•  Composition of planet: Rocky
•  Revolution: 365 days
•  Rotation: 24 hours
Average temp range-:140F to -130F A
mean of 57F
•  Moons: 1 moon- stabilizes position of Earth
•  Unique characteristics:
•  70% of its surface is water & the other 30%
is land.
•  Its tilt causes seasons on the planet.
•  The center of the Earth, its core, is molten.
Mars
•  Position: 4th from the sun
•  Atmosphere gases: Very thin atmosphere
CO2, N
•  Composition of planet: Rocky
•  Revolution: 1.88 Earth years
•  Rotation: 24hr
Average temp range: 80F in the summer
to -207F in winter. A mean of -63F
•  Size comparison to Earth: Half the size
of Earth
•  Moons: 2
Mars
•  Unique characteristics-
•  Known as the red planet
•  The largest volcano in the Solar
System is on Mars, called Olympus
Mons.
•  Mars has seasons like Earth. This is
caused by the tilt of the planet's axis, at
a similar angle to the tilt of Earth's axis
•  Rocks from Mars have landed on Earth
from meteorite impacts blasting debris
through space.
 Jupiter
Our Largest Planet
•  Position:5th from sun
•  Atmosphere gases: H and He
•  Composition of planet: Mostly
gases: H and He
•  Revolution:11.9 Earth years
•  Rotation:9 hrs
•  Average temp range: -162 F
•  Size comparison to Earth:
- 20 Earths fit into Jupiter
(11 times the mass of Earth)
•  Moons: 39
 Jupiter
Unique Characteristics
•  Jupiter has volcanoes
•  Jupiter's famous Red Spot is a great storm that
has raged for at least four hundred years.
•  Jupiter has a thin set of rings, hardly visible
from Earth.
•  Strongest pull of gravity in Solar System-
vacuums asteroids!
•  If we were able to stand on the surface of
Jupiter, we would weigh three times as much
as we would on Earth.
•  Lo, its moon, has towering volcanic eruptions.
Up to 250 miles high! Caused by Jupiter's
large gravity, tensing and relaxing the moon’s
insides
 Saturn
Rings of Beauty
•  Position: 6th from sun
•  Atmosphere gases: H and He
•  Composition of planet: Hydrogen and
Helium
•  Revolution: 30 Earth years
•  Rotation:11hrs
Average temp range: -218F
•  Size comparison to Earth: 9.4 times the
diameter of Earth
•  Moons: 34
 Saturn
Rings of Beauty
•  Unique Characteristics:
Second largest planet.
•  Saturn's rings: may be particles
of an old orbiting moon,
smashed apart in a collision
about 50 million years ago.
•  Saturn is twice as far away from
the Sun as Jupiter is.
 Uranus
•  Position: 7th from sun
•  Atmosphere gases: H, He, Methane
•  Composition of planet: Gases listed
above
•  Revolution: 84 Earth years
•  Rotation: 17 hrs
Average temp range: -323 F
•  Size comparison to Earth: 4 times larger
•  Moons: 5 average size moons and 22
small moons
 Uranus
•  Unique characteristics:
•  Uranus is the only planet in our
solar system to rotate on its side.
•  If we were able to see Uranus'
moons orbiting the planet, they
would go over and under the planet
like lights on a Ferris wheel.
•  Uranus' pale blue color is caused
by the methane in its atmosphere
which absorbs out red light.
Neptune
•  Position : 8th from sun
•  Atmosphere gases: H, He,
3% Methane
•  Composition of planet: Gases listed
above
•  Revolution: 164 Earth years
•  Rotation: 16 hrs
Average temp range: -353 F
•  Size comparison to Earth: 4 Earths
could fit inside
•  Moons: 8 moons
 Neptune
Unique Characteristics
•  Looks greenish-bluish because the methane
absorbs red light
•  Its orbit of the Sun takes it further away
than Pluto, making it the most distant
planet.
•  Since its discovery in 1846, Neptune
recently has completed its first full orbit.
•  Neptune has the strongest winds in the
Solar System, and a dark spot, similar to
Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
•  Named after Roman God of the Sea
 Pluto
Our Tiniest Planet
• Position:9th from sun
• Atmosphere gases: Thin and
unstable- CO, N, with 10%methane
• Composition of planet: rocky with
ice interior
• Revolution: 249 Earth years
• Rotation: 6 days
Average temp range: -369 F
• Size comparison to Earth: Smaller
than the Earth’s moon.
• Moons: 2
 Pluto
Our Tiniest Planet

• Unique characteristics:
• Pluto has its own moon, Charon,
which was discovered in 1978.
• Pluto is the only planet in the Solar
System which has not yet been
visited by any space craft.
• Pluto is the smallest planet in the
Solar System.
Solar Eclipse
•  A total solar eclipse is not noticeable
until the Sun is more than 90-percent
covered by the Moon. At 99-percent
coverage, daytime lighting resembles
twilight.
•  The longest duration for a total solar
eclipse is 7.5 minutes.
•  At any specific geographic location on
the globe, a total solar eclipse can occur
only once every 360 years, on average.
•  Local animals and birds often prepare for
sleep or behave confusedly during a total
solar eclipse. Local temperatures often
drop 20 degrees or more near totality.
 Lunar Eclipse
•  A lunar eclipse happens when the
Moon passes through the Earth's
shadow.
•  Lunar eclipses can only occur at full
Moon.
•  Lunar eclipses can last for more than
three hours because the Moon and the
Earth are moving slowly in relation to
each other, and the shadow cast by the
Earth is so large.
•  Lunar eclipses are visible over an
entire hemisphere, and can never
happen more than three times a year.