The Solar System

How the Solar System Formed

After the Sun formed, the leftover _______________________________________________ in

the nebula formed a disc. __________________________caused the material to clump
together, creating a range of_____________________________objects such as
___________________________________________________________________________

Planet: a _____________________________________ that orbits one or more

___________________and can form a spherical shape due to its own ____________________.
It does not create or ___________________________________________ but rather reflects
the light of the star or stars that it _________________________.

The Rocky Inner Planets:

Formed as __________________________________ of dust and gas slammed into each other

during the__________________________________ of the solar system’s formation and
______________________________________ until they developed ____________________
which caused them to bind together even more _______________________.
Rocky inner planets include
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________

Earth’s Moon:
A few million years after the formation of the ___________________________, it may have
been struck by an object the size of ____________________ called __________________.They
_____________________ and mixed to become the Earth we know. During the collision
vaporized chunks of the young planet's crust got thrown into space. Gravity bound the ejected
particles together, creating a_________________________.
Asteroid Belt:
A band of ___________________of various sizes that are spread out in a __________________
_________________________________, past the orbit of _______________.
The ____________________were created at the same time as Earth.
Sometimes ____________________crash into Earth and scientists can date how old they are,
this is how they can estimate the age of Earth, about 5 billion years ago.

The Four Gaseous Outer Planets

Formed when _____________ bound together gas and ____________________________ in
the outer regions of the_________________ system. These planets grew much _____________
than the ____________________________________.

Four Gaseous outer planets include

- _________________________
- _________________________
- _________________________
- _________________________

The Dwarf Planets

Dwarf planets such as __________________________________________________________
do not have clear orbits (paths) around the Sun.

Comets
A _________________________ made of ice and dust. Come from the____________________
__________________ in the most distant region of the solar system.
______________________ disturbances can cause __________________ to fall nearer the Sun,
where they are ___________ When they are carried away from the Sun by the
__________________________, some of their icy particles break away and spread out like a
tail, _________________________ ___________________. They can be seen from
__________________.

Meteoroids
Small pieces of ____________________________
that travel throughout the solar system with
_____________________________. Have a
similar origin to asteroids and comets. A
____________ is a meteoroid that enters the
Earths atmosphere and ____________________.
If part of it strikes the Earth, it is called a
_________________________.

Know the difference.

Activity
Go to http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/ and explore information about the planets in our
solar system. Using the information on the site and p. 316-317 of your textbook, fill in the
Planetary Data Sheet.