Solar System Data Inv. 1-1

Solar System

Investigation 1; Part 1

Solar System Definition What is the Solar System?

– Solar refers to Sol, another name for our Sun.

– System is a set of objects working together

Solar System = our Sun and a set of other objects working together in some way.

How Does the Solar System Work?

Set of Picture Cards– Spread out in front of you Picture-side up– Look at front of card only

Put cards into groups by similar characteristics– Use just what you observe in images, not

prior knowledge* How did you sort your cards?

Card Data Type

– Planet, dwarf planet, star, comet, asteroid, or satellite

Distance from Sun or other object– Except for Sun, all orbit the Sun or other object

Orbit period– How long does it take to orbit the Sun in Earth

days or years Maximum/Minimum surface temperatures

– Highest & lowest temperature recorded on surface

Composition– Solid, liquid, gas

Orbit

Revolving or moving in a path around another object.

Challenge:– Find all the planet cards and Sun card.– Use “Distance from…” information on

cards to arrange planets in order, starting with the Sun.

Solar System

Sun and eight planets in order describe the solar system

Other objects in solar system– Use information on cards to incorporate

other objects into solar system*

Solar System Data Sheet Complete notebook sheet - start by

filling out table on left side of sheet. Planet cards

– Separate planets into classes based on composition*

– How did you use composition to sort planets?

Rock planetsGas planetsIce and rock dwarf planet

Composition What do you notice about the sizes of the

planets you have put in your groups? What do you notice about the distance from

the Sun for the planets in your groups? Terrestrial Planets

– Four rocky planets closest to the Sun– Terrestrial means “land”, rocky composition

Gas Giants– Beyond the asteroid belt– Why “Gas Giant” name?

Pluto

Dwarf Planet– Located in Kuiper Belt

Area filled with “dirty ice” objects, made of frozen dust, water, and gas

Some objects are planet size

Pluto– Rock-and-ice dwarf planet or

Kuiper object

Vocabulary

The Sun– An average star at the center of the solar

system around which all other solar-system bodies revolve.

Solar System– The Sun and all the bodies that orbit it,

including the planets and their moons, the asteroids, and the comets.

Orbit– The path an object takes around another

object; for example, Earth has an orbit around the Sun.

Planet– A large natural object that orbits around a

star, such as the Sun. Asteroid

– A rocky object, which can be a few hundred meters to several hundred kilometers wide, that orbits the Sun.

Comet– A small body of ice and dust that orbits the

Sun in a large oval path.

Content What is the Sun?

– Average-sized star; mostly hydrogen (72%) and helium (26%); other solar system bodies revolve around it

What is the solar system?– Sun and all the bodies that orbit it,

including planets and their moons, asteroids, and comets

Your questions?