Roosevelt Elementary Planet Tour Prepared by Mr. Dabb Roosevelt Elementary
Relative Size of the Planets This graphic thanks to http://www.bautforum.c om/showthread.php?t= 14356
Tour of the Planets This image is courtesy of Windows to the Universe, http://www.windows.ucar.edu
Please memorize the order of the planets from the Sun. Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune (My) (Very) (Educated) (Mother) (Just) (Served) (Us) (Nachos)
The Sun
The Sun The Sun is a Star The Sun is an average star Average temperature Average size Average mass Average brightness Just a plain old ordinary star
The Sun The Sun appears so huge to us because it is so close to us. A quarter seems small, unless it is right in front of your eye!
The Sun The sun is made of mostly Hydrogen being changed or converted into helium.
The Sun Sunspots
Planets Planet means wandering star.
Mercury http://www.nineplanets.org/mercury.html
Mercury Mercury is closest to the Sun. Mercury is riddled with craters. Because it has almost no atmosphere, there is no erosion to erase the craters. Even though it is closest to the Sun, it is not the hottest planet. It does have the greatest range of temperatures. It is the smallest planet.
Mercury The Mariner 10 Space Probe http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/1973-085a.html
Mariner 10 http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/image/mariner10_labelled.jpg
Venus This image is Copyright by Calvin J. Hamilton. Any commercial/for-profit use of this image needs to be addressed to Calvin J. Hamilton.
Venus The hottest planet (Because of Carbon Dioxide) Venus is sometimes known as Earth s twin because of its size. Heavy and crushing atmosphere Surrounded by clouds of sulfuric acid. Environment will destroy probes within hours.
What is Venus Like? Mountains Valleys Plains Active Volcanoes
Exploration of Venus Mariner 2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mariner_2
Earth http://www.nineplanets.org/
Earth The only planet that we know that will sustain life and contains life. Most abundant liquid water on the surface (mars also may have liquid water).
Earth s Moon http://www.nineplanets.org/
Mars http://www.nineplanets.org/
Mars Known as the red planet Iron rich materials in soil make it red. Has the most moons of the inner planets. Grand whopping total of two moons! Subject of many science fiction stories.
Exploration of Mars See Mars Exploration in Wikipedia.
Asteroids, Meteoroid, Meteors, and Meteorites What is the difference? Size and location that s all!!!
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/ida.html
Asteroids are really big. http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/mathilde1.jpg Asteroids are generally larger chunks of rock that come from the asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Meteoroids The debris is called a meteoroid. A meteoroid is a piece of interplanetary matter that is smaller than a kilometer and frequently only millimeters in size. Most meteoroids that enter the Earth's atmosphere are so small that they vaporize completely and never reach the planet's surface. http://hubblesite.org/reference_desk/faq/answer.php.id=22&cat=solarsystem
Meteors are falling from the sky. Most of us probably have seen meteors or shooting stars. A meteor is the flash of light that we see in the night sky when a small chunk of interplanetary debris burns up as it passes through our atmosphere. "Meteor" refers to the flash of light caused by the debris, not the debris itself. http://hubblesite.org/reference_desk/faq/answer.php.id=22&cat=solarsystem http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/leonids01.jpg
Meteorites are on the ground and can be picked up. If any part of a meteoroid survives the fall through the atmosphere and lands on Earth, it is called a meteorite. Although the vast majority of meteorites are very small, their size can range from about a fraction of a gram (the size of a pebble) to 100 kilograms or more (the size of a huge, life-destroying boulder). http://hubblesite.org/reference_desk/faq/answer.php.id=22&cat=solarsystem http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/snc/
Jupiter http://www.nineplanets.org/
Jupiter The largest planet. Has a giant red spot that is actually a swirling storm. You cannot land on Jupiter. It is nothing but gas. Has many, many moons. Is a gas giant.
Saturn http://www.nineplanets.org/
Saturn Has the most visible rings from Earth. It is the second largest planet. You cannot land on this planet. Has many, many moons. Is a gas giant.
Uranus http://www.nineplanets.org/
Uranus Rotates 90 degrees on its axis. You cannot land on it, because it is nothing but gas. Is a gas giant. Has many moons.
Neptune http://www.nineplanets.org/
Neptune Occasionally has a blue spot. You cannot land on it, because it is nothing but gas. Is a gas giant. Has many moons.
What is the definition of a planet? The 2006 definition of "planet" by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) states that, in the solar system, a planet is a celestial body that: is in orbit around the Sun, has sufficient mass so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and has "cleared the neighborhood" around its orbit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_definition_of_planet
Dwarf Planets Ceres Pluto Eris
Ceres (Dwarf Planet)
Ceres (Dwarf Planet) Smallest Dwarf Planet. Located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Pluto (Dwarf Planet) http://www.nineplanets.org/
Pluto (Dwarf Planet) Located after Uranus from the Sun.
Eris (Dwarf Planet) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/eris_%28dwarf_planet%29
Eris (Dwarf Planet) Largest dwarf planet. Farthest most orbit from the Sun.
Exploring Space http://www.nineplanets.org/
What is out there to see? A Lot of light is out there to look at.
What else is out there?
What tools do we use to explore space? Observations Telescope Radio Telescope Rockets Satellites (Such as the Hubble Telescope) Space Probes
Telescope Telescopes enhance which sense? Vision Telescopes collect light. To use and optic telescope, things out in space need to emit or reflect light.
Telescopes can be small.
Telescopes can be Large
Telescopes and be launched into orbit such as the Hubble Space Telescope http://hubblesite.org/
Not all things in space emit visible light. How do we detect these? Radio Telescopes The collect radio emissions.
Very Large Array or VLA on the Plains of San Agustin fifty miles west of Socorro, New Mexico http://www.vla.nrao.edu/
Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico courtesy of the NAIC - Arecibo Observatory, a facility of the NSF
Comparative Distance to the Planets from the Sun http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/guidry/java/tcstats/distance.html
Comets http://www.nineplanets.org/comets.html Comets are asteroidlike objects covered with ice, methane, ammonia, and other compounds that develop a fuzzy, cloud-like shell called a coma and sometimes a visible tail whenever they orbit close to the Sun. http://hubblesite.org/reference_desk/faq/answer.php.id=22&cat=solarsystem
http://www.windows.ucar.ed u/tour/link=/comets/comet_m odel_interactive.html http://www.classzone.com/ books/earth_science/terc/co ntent/visualizations/es2706/ es2706page01.cfm?chapter _no=27
Comets Comets are sometimes called dirty snowballs or "icy mudballs". They are a mixture of ices (both water and frozen gases) and dust that for some reason didn't get incorporated into planets when the solar system was formed. This makes them very interesting as samples of the early history of the solar system. http://www.nineplanets.org/comets.html
Orbits of Comets The orbits of comets are long hotdog shaped orbits. The orbits go out way further than Pluto and come back close to the sun.
Why Do Comets Have Tails? http://www.nineplanet s.org/comets.html dust tail: up to 10 million km long composed of smoke-sized dust particles driven off the nucleus by escaping gases; this is the most prominent part of a comet to the unaided eye; ion tail: as much as several hundred million km long composed of plasma and laced with rays and streamers caused by interactions with the solar wind. http://www.nineplanet s.org/comets.html
What is the Solar Wind? In addition to heat and light, the Sun also emits a low density stream of charged particles (mostly electrons and protons) known as the solar wind which propagates throughout the solar system at about 450 km/sec. The solar wind and the much higher energy particles ejected by solar flares can have dramatic effects on the Earth ranging from power line surges to radio interference to the beautiful aurora borealis. http://www.nineplanets.org/sol.html#solarwind
Which of the following is true about the ancient Greek Ptolemy? A He believed that the Earth was the center of the universe. B. He understood it was gravity that kept planets in orbit. C. He believed that the Sun was at the center of the universe. D. Theorized that the moon consisted of extra sharp cheddar.
Which of the following is not an invention from the space program? A. cordless tools B. satellite television C. computers D. light bulbs
Which scientist discovered that the planetary orbits were ellipses and not circles. A. Kepler B. Copernicus C. Ptolemy D. Spielberg
Galileo was the first to do what while observing the sky? A. Use detailed sky charts. B. Take notes while watching the stars. C. Noticed that the orbits were ellipses. D. Use a telescope.
Which statement best describes how the ancient Greeks viewed the universe. A. They believed the stars and planets were somehow attached to a great celestial sphere. B. They understood that the orbits of the planets were ellipses. C. Almost everyone believed that the Sun was at the center of the universe. D. They believed Pluto was the great dog and created monuments to it.
Newton discovered that two forces combine to keep planets in orbit. What were they? A. energy and fusion B. cheese and potatoes C. circles and rings D. inertia and gravity