The Solar System

A. What is the solar system?

1. The planets in the solar system orbit the Sun.
2. The Sun and the objects that orbit it make up the solar system.

B. Objects in the Solar System

1. The largest object in the solar system is the sun.
a. The Sun is a star made up mostly of hydrogen gas.
b. Nuclear fusion produces enormous amounts of energy in the Sun.
c. Objects that orbit the Sun because it applies gravitational forces on
them.
2. Objects that orbit the Sun include planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, and
comets. These objects absorb the Suns light.
3. A planet has a nearly spherical shape.
a. The mass of a planet is much larger than the mass of nearby objects.
b. There are 8 planets in the solar systems.
c. The four planets closest to the Sun are called the inner planets.
d. Inner planets are made mainly from rocky materials.
e. The four planets farthest from the Sun are called the outer planets.
f. Outer planets are made mostly of ice and gas.
g. Because the outer planets are much larger than the inner planets, they
are sometimes called gas giants.
4. A(n) dwarf planet is a spherical object that orbits the Sun, is not the moon of
another planet, and has less mass than any of the eight planets.
5. Millions of small, rocky objects called asteroids orbit the Sun in a belt
between Mars and Jupiter.
6. A(n) comet orbits the Sun in an oval-shaped orbit and is made of dust, gas,
and ice.
7. The light year is used to measure long distances in the solar system.
8. One astronomical unit (AU) is the average distance from Earth to the Sun.

C. The Motion of the Planets

1. The shape of a planets orbit is an oval, which is a stretched out circle.
a. The Sun is at one of the center of the ellipse, so the distance between
a planet and the Sun changes as the planet moves.
b. A planet moves faster when it is closer to the Sun than when it is
farther away.

D. Mercury
1. Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun.
2. Mercury has no gases close to its surface, which means it has no atmosphere.
a. Because of its small mass, Mercurys gravity is not strong enough to
hold gases to its surface.
 The Solar System
3. Mercurys surface is covered with impact craters, smooth plains, and high
cliffs.

E. Venus
1. Venus is the second planet from the Sun.
a. Venus rotates more slowly than it revolves, so a day on Venus is longer
than a year on Earth.
b. Unlike most other planets, Venus rotates from west to east.
2. Most of Venuss atmosphere is made up of carbon dioxide.
a. The clouds on Venus are made of sulfuric acid.
3. Venus is the second planet in the solar system.
a. The high temperatures on Venus are caused by the green house
gasses.
b. The greenhouse effect increases surface temperature because the
atmosphere traps solar energy.

G. Mars
1. Mars is the third planet from the Sun.
a. Mars has two small moons.
b. Many probes have examined the surface of Mars; most have looked for
signs of water.
2. Marss surface appears to be red because its soil contains iron.
a. Ice caps on Mars are made up of ice and frozen carbon dioxide.
b. Features on Marss surface include craters, lava flows, canyons, and
the largest known mountain in the solar system.