Extra blank layout for teachers.

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 The Sun
• The Sun is a medium-sized star at the
center of our solar system.
• Its tremendous mass creates a
gravitational pull that keeps all
planets, moons, asteroids, and
comets within our solar system.
How does the Sun create • The Sun is a giant ball of helium and
energy to warm our solar hydrogen with an 865,000-mile
system? diameter.

Hydrogen atoms are turned into

• The Sun constantly changes hydrogen
helium atoms, creating energy. into helium, creating energy in the
form of light and heat. This energy
radiates to our solar system.
Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC
 Location of the Sun

• Our Sun is found in the Orion

arm of the Milky Way galaxy.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC/Caltech); orbit, text inserted

• Our solar system is 28,000 light
years from the center of the
Where can the Sun be found Milky Way. One light year is 9.4
in the Milky Way? trillion kilometers.
• Our region of the galaxy spins at
• Our Sun is found in the Orion a rate of 828,000 km/hr. It
arm of the Milky Way galaxy.
takes 230 million years to
complete one orbit.
Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC
 Composition of the
Sun
• The Sun has three inner
layers: the core, the radiative
zone, and the convection zone.
• The Sun has three outer What are the three inner
layers that vary in temperature: layers of the Sun?
the photosphere, the
chromosphere, and the corona.
The core, the radiative zone, and
the convection zone are the three
inner layers of the Sun.

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 The Sun’s Outer Layers
• The photosphere is the shining
surface of the Sun that we can see.
Temperatures here are 5,500°C.
• The chromosphere glows red
above the photosphere. Jets of gas
can extend up to 10,000 km above
the Sun’s surface. Temperatures
here are up to 7,760°C. Arrange the Sun’s outer
layers by temperature order.
• The corona is the Sun’s outermost
halo. This very hot region can reach
up to 1 million °C. The ________, the ________,
and the ________ are the
layers from ________ to
________.

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 The Planets
Our solar system has eight planets.
• In order to be a planet, an object must:
• orbit around a star
• have enough gravity to form into a sphere
• have enough gravity to clear away nearby objects
of similar size

Why do you think Pluto is no longer a planet?

Pluto doesn’t have enough gravity to clear

away nearby objects of similar size.

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 The Rocky Planets

• The innermost planets are

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and
Mars.
• These planets are terrestrial
because they have a rocky Describe the four inner
surface. planets of our solar system.

• None of the inner planets have

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and
rings. Mars are terrestrial plants.

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 The Gas Giants
• The outermost planets are
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune.
• These planets are made of gas
How are the outer planets and are referred to as the
different from the inner Jovian planets.
planets?
• Jovian planets are larger, spin
faster, and have more moons
The outer planets are Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune than the terrestrial planets.
• All outer planets have rings.
Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC
 Astronomical Units (au)
• This distance between the Sun and a planet is
measured in astronomical units (au).
• The length between Earth and the Sun is 1 au.
• 1 au = 150 million kilometers.
• The distance between Mercury and the Sun is 0.4 au.
• Jupiter and the Sun are 5.2 au apart.
• Neptune is 30.1 au from the Sun.

Will Mars be more or less than 1 au from the Sun?

Mars is farther from the Sun than Earth, so it

is farther that 1 au from the Sun.
Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC
 Quick Action: INB

Drag the text boxes to the appropriate part of the Venn diagram.

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 Terrestrial Planet
Comparison Table
Inner Planet Facts
Length of
Name Diameter Year • Venus and Earth are
(1 revolution
around the Sun) so similar in size
that they are
Mercury 4,789.4 km 88 days referred to as
“sister planets.”
Venus 12,104 km 225 days • Earth and Mars are
the only inner
planets with moons.
Earth 12,765.2 km 365 days

Mars 6,779 km 687 days

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 Brain Break

Using the data from the Length of

table, imagine living a year Year
Name Diameter
on a rocky planet besides (1 revolution
around the Sun)
Earth.
What will your experience Mercury 4,789.4 km 88 days
be like? Share your ideas
with a partner.
Venus 12,104 km 225 days

Earth 12,765.2 km 365 days

Mars 6,779 km 687 days

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 Outer Planet Comparison
Table
Outer Planet Facts
Length of
Name Diameter Year
• Jupiter’s giant red (1 revolution around
the Sun)
spot is a storm
larger than Earth.
Jupiter 139,822 km 12 years
• Uranus has an
unusual tilt and
appears to spin Saturn 116,464 km 29 years

sideways.
Uranus 50,724 km 84 years

Neptune 49,244 km 165 years

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 Moons
• Moons are naturally formed
bodies that orbit planets.
• Conditions on moons can vary.
Earth’s Moon has no
What are the conditions like atmosphere, but other moons
on a moon? can have an atmosphere or
large amounts of liquid water.
The conditions vary. Some • Gas giant planets like Jupiter
moons have no atmosphere,
while others have an
have many more moons than
atmosphere and large amounts the terrestrial planets.
of liquid water.
Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC
 Europa Clipper
• Scientists plan to send the
“Clipper” space probe to
Jupiter’s moon, Europa.
• It is scheduled to arrive in 2030.
• Europa has more water than
Earth’s oceans and may have
conditions to support life.

Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC
 What Is an Asteroid?
• Asteroids are small, rocky objects
that orbit the Sun. They do not have a
tail.
• Most asteroids are contained in the
asteroid belt.
• Asteroids can be composed of clay,
silicate materials, nickel, or iron.
What materials are asteroids
made of? • Asteroids have a jagged shape and
can range from the size of pebbles to
Asteroids are made up of clay,
being hundreds of kilometers wide.
silicate materials, nickel, or iron.

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 The Main Asteroid Belt
• An orbiting ring of rocky objects
separates Mars and Jupiter.
• Millions of asteroids range in
size, but their combined mass is
less than Earth’s Moon.
• The dwarf planet Ceres is found
in the asteroid belt.

Why might the asteroid belt not be the remains of a failed rocky planet?

The combined ________ of the asteroid belt is ________ than Earth’s moon, so the
material is too ________ to be a planet.
Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC
 What Is a Comet?
• A comet is an object made of dust
and ice that orbits the Sun.
• Comets have a nucleus and a
recognizable tail.
• The tail is created by ice evaporating
into gas due to the Sun’s energy.
• Short-period comets are found in the
Why do comets have a tail?
Kuiper belt and orbit every 200 years.
• Long-period comets are found in the
Oort cloud and orbit every 250,000 The ice component of the comet
vaporizes into gas due to the
years. Sun’s energy.

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 Halley’s Comet
• Halley’s comet revolves around the
Sun and crosses the orbits of the
four inner planets.
• The comet can be seen from Earth
with the naked eye every 75 - 79
years.
• Halley’s comet will be visible from
Earth in the year 2061. nagualdesign, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What parts of a comet are easy to recognize?

Comets have a ________ and emit a tail made of ____ that has vaporized.

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 What Is a Meteor?
• A meteor is a rocky object that
enters Earth’s atmosphere.
• As the object enters the atmosphere,
friction causes it to emit a bright light
and burn.
• Many meteors in a meteor shower
are small objects that completely
What causes the “shooting
stars” in a meteor shower?
burn up in the atmosphere.
• If a meteor passes through the air
Small ________ objects from
and strikes the ground, it is called a
space enter Earth’s atmosphere meteorite.
and burn up due to ________.

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 Quick Action: INB
What Does It Describe?
Move the boxes to
1. composed of a nucleus and a tail
highlight the word
comet asteroid both
“comet,” “asteroid,” or
“both” to correctly match 2. orbits the Sun
the description. comet asteroid both
3. made of dust and ice particles
comet asteroid both

4. made of clay, silicate materials, and metals

comet asteroid both
5. can break apart into meteorites
comet asteroid both

6. comes from the area between Mars and Jupiter

comet asteroid both
Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC
 The Kuiper Belt
• The Kuiper belt is a large,
donut-shaped region beyond Neptune
that contains icy objects and dwarf
planets.
• The belt takes up a region between
30 au and 1,000 au.
• Comets, with frozen water and carbon
What is the Kuiper belt? dioxide that vaporize to form a tail,
can come from the Kuiper belt.

The Kuiper Belt is ...

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation Source: NASA © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC
 Changes to the Kuiper Belt
The Kuiper belt is slowly eroding
and shifting orbits of the outer
planets. Solar wind causes the icy
objects to blow away.

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation Image recreated from NASA/Caltech © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC
 The Oort Cloud
• Our solar system is surrounded by a
sphere of orbiting rocks and icy
objects called the Oort cloud.
• The Oort cloud begins 2,000 to 5,000
au from the Sun.

What is the Oort cloud?

The Oort cloud is a ...

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 More Oort Cloud
Information
• Long-period comets, which orbit
once every 250,000 years, are
believed to originate here.
• The Oort cloud is so distant that
the Sun appears as a normal star. Why does the Sun look like a
The Oort cloud may extend to normal star from the Oort
100,000 au. cloud?

The Oort cloud is extremely

____ away from the ____.

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 Last Look

Choose the element produced by the

E Sun F
correct term to
one of the Sun’s inner
match the X layers T
description.
O planet with rings P
Slide the
correct card off L
distance between Earth
T
and the Sun
to the side to
reveal a hidden naturally forming bodies
O that orbit a planet
F
message.
an object made of dust and
S ice that orbits the Sun
R
Hidden spherical collection of rocks
X E
message: that extends to 100,000 au

type message here

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC

 Check for Understanding
1. What are the physical properties of objects in our solar
system?

The terrestrial planets, moons, and asteroid belt are

________. The gas giant planets have tremendous
________ but are made of ____. The Sun is an extremely
hot ball of ________ and ________ gas.

2. Where can objects in our solar system be found, and

how do they move?

The four terrestrial planets are closest to the ____, followed

by the asteroid belt. The gas giants are found ____, followed
by the Kuiper Belt and Oort cloud. All objects ________
around the Sun in proportion to their ________. Moons
rotate around individual ________.

Objects in the Solar System - Presentation © 2024 Kesler Science, LLC