Solar System

Solar SystemEzra Zarazua

OverviewThe Sun

The Planets

Moons

MercuryMercury is the closest planet to the Sun.Mercury orbits at 29 miles per second.Temperatures range from 700 degrees to –300

degrees Fahrenheit.

VenusVenus is the second planet from the Sun.Temperature is about 900 degrees Fahrenheit.Venus spins backwards on its axis.

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun.Earth has oceans of water, and an oxygen-rich

atmosphere.Earth has intelligent life.The distance from the surface to the center of

the Earth is about 2,000 miles.

Our home planet

MarsMars is the fourth planet from the Sun.Mars is smaller and colder than Earth.Temperatures range from 30 degrees to –220

degrees Fahrenheit.

Our nearest neighbor

JupiterJupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun.Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.Jupiter’s fast rotation causes the clouds to form

bands.Big red spot in southern hemisphere is a

hurricane-like storm.

The planet Jupiter's four largest moons are called the Galilean satellites, after Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who observed them in 1610.

These large moons are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

Ten of the Moons of Jupiter:

1. Metis

2. Adrastea

3. Amalthea

4. Thebe

5. Io

6. Europa

7. Ganymede

8. Callisto

9. Themisto

10. Leda

The German astronomer Simon Marius claimed to have seen the moons around the same time, but he did not publish his observations and so Galileo is given the credit for their discovery.

SaturnSaturn is the sixth planet from the Sun.Saturn is known as the “ringed” planet.Rings are made of ice and rock.Winds at the equator reach speeds of 1,100

miles per hour.

UranusUranus is the seventh planet from the Sun.Uranus is the third largest planet in the solar

system.Named after the father of Saturn in Roman

mythology.Summers and winters on Uranus last 42 years.

NeptuneNeptune is the eighth planet from the Sun.Neptune is the fourth-largest planet in the solar

system.Neptune is sometimes further from the Sun than

Pluto.

PlutoPluto is the ninth planet from the Sun.Pluto is smaller than the Earth’s moon.Pluto is the smallest planet.Pluto has an elliptical orbit.

Planet Distance from Sun in Million km

Mercury 57.9

Venus 108.2

Earth 149.6

Mars 227.8

J upiter 778

Saturn 1,427.00

Uranus 2,870.00

Neptune 4,500.00

Pluto 5,900.00

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Distance from Sun in Million km

Distance from Sun in Million km

Sun FactsAstronomy Class Lecture

What is the Sun?Is a ball of hot gases. Is 70% hydrogen, 28% helium, 1.5%

carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, and 0.5% all other elements.

The Sun's temperature is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface and 27,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the center.

The Sun DistancesThe average distance from the Earth to

the Sun is 93,000,000 miles. It takes light eight and a half minutes to travel from the Sun to the Earth.

The diameter of the Sun is 870,000 miles, 109 times larger than the Earth's. Its volume is big enough to hold over 1 million Earths.

Looking at the sun?DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN, EVEN WITH

DARK OR SMOKED GLASSES. DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN WITH

BINOCULARS OR SMALL TELESCOPES. YOU CAN DAMAGE YOUR EYES!

NEVER LOOKED AT THE SUN DIRECTLY

Studying the SunScientists study the sun with instruments on

the Ulysses spacecraft. Ulysses is a joint effort of NASA and the

European Space Agency.Ulysses was launched in October 1990. It is the first spacecraft to orbit the Sun's

North and South poles.