OUR SUN IS THE CENTER OF IT ALL

It is bigger than all of the other planets combined. The sun provides all of the light and heat for our solar system. Everything in our solar system orbits around the Sun. It looks yellow from Earth.

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Mercury is the closest planet to the sun.

It is about 1/3 the size of Earth (its diameter is 4,880 km). It is very hot and doesnt have an atmosphere so it cant support life. It just sits there and has the Sun beat down on it all day long, which is over 58 Earth days.

Next up is bland

Venus, which we see as

our Earthly evening or morning star. It is almost as big as the Earth (diameter is 12,103 km). Venus is probably one of the harshest planets in the solar systemits a nasty place. It's hot, over 800 degrees Fahrenheit. It has thick clouds made up of acid. There are mountains, big cracks and lava everywhere from volcanoes on the surface.

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This is our home. We live on the third planet orbiting the Sun. (Our diameter is 12,756 km).

This is what Earth looks like from the Space shuttle.

We are special because we have an atmosphere and temperature range that supports life.

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Mars is the fourth planet from the sun.

It is about the size of earth (diameter is 6,794 km). It is a planet known to have had large amounts of liquid water in the distant past. Right now there are ice caps on the surface. It also has an atmosphere composed mainly of Carbon dioxide.

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Jupiter, the fifth planet from the sun, is

the largest planet in our solar system
(diameter =142,984 km).

Its over 300 times the size of the Earth!

It is like the sun without the heat. Burr! Its really cold there. Jupiter has weather with storms as big as our whole Earth.

Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun. It is the other big planet in our solar system. Its diameter is 120,536 km. It is also another gaseous planet like Jupiter.

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Saturn is famous for its rings. Another neat thing about Saturn is, if you could find a lake big enough, and you put Saturn in the water, it would float.

The seventh planet from the sun is Uranus (pronounced with an emphasis on the "Ur." There is very little emphasis on the "a." ) It is about 4 times as big as Earth (51,118 km).

It is also composed mainly of gases. All of the Methane in the atmosphere makes it look blue. Uranus is unique because it spins almost on its side instead of orbiting on an axis like the other planets (up and down).

z Neptune is the last gas giant planet and the eighth planet from the sun.

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It is about 4 times the size of earth (49,528 km). With an atmosphere full of methane, and (we believe) a deep ocean underneath, Neptune also has the swiftest winds of any planet in the Solar System.

Pluto, the ninth planet, is the most

remote planet in the Solar System. It is a lot smaller than the Earth (2,340 km). Some scientists dont even think Pluto is a planet. Because of its distance from the sun, Pluto receives very little light, or energy, and it is very, very cold.

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Here are three easy ways to remember the order of the planets. Solar System Finger Play/Poem: The Planets in Our Solar System The Planets of Our Solar System in the Song: Family of the Sun sung to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell) Mnemonics: (An example is-- My Very Extraordinary Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas).

The Planets in Out Solar System

Nine planets make our Solar System. Ill call them off in case you missed them. The planet closest to our Sun is Mercury. Its number one. The Evening Star, perhaps you know. Is Venus, and our number two. The blue-green planet that gave you birth. Is number three: our planet Earth. Four is brighter than the stars. These are the planets, one through nine. We call this crimson planet Mars. Can you repeat them one more time? Jupiter, with its great red spot. Is the largest planet, we are taught. The colored rings form a pretty pattern Around the planet we call Saturn. The seventh planet is not too famous. Its the one we call Uranus. Neptune is next, at any rate. So we call it number eight. The Planet Pluto is next in line, So we call it number nine.

The Planets in Out Solar System

Nine planets make our Solar System. Ill call them off in case you missed them. The planet closest to our Sun is Mercury. Its number one. The Evening Star, perhaps you know. Is Venus, and our number two. The blue-green planet that gave you birth. Is number three: our planet Earth. Four is brighter than the stars. These are the planets, one through nine. We call this crimson planet Mars. Can you repeat them one more time? Jupiter, with its great red spot. Is the largest planet, we are taught. The colored rings form a pretty pattern Around the planet we call Saturn. The seventh planet is not too famous. Its the one we call Uranus. Neptune is next, at any rate. So we call it number eight. The Planet Pluto is next in line, So we call it number nine.

Family of the Sun

The Planets of Our Solar System in Song The family of the Sun, The family of the Sun, There are nine planets in The family of the Sun, Mercury is hot And Mercury is small. Mercury has no atmosphere; Its just a hard rock ball. Chorus: The Family of the Sun, The Family of the Sun, Heres another planet in The Family of the Sun, Venus has thick clouds That hide what is below. The air is foul, the ground is hot. It rotates very slow. Chorus: We love the Earth, our home, Its oceans and its trees. We eat its food; we breathe its air, So no pollution, please. Chorus: Mars is very red. Its also dry and cold. Some day you might visit Mars If you are really bold.

Great Jupiter is big. Weve studied it a lot. We found that it has 16 moons And a big red spot. Chorus: Saturn has great rings. We wondered what they were, Now, we know theyre blocks of ice Which we saw as a blur. With atmospheres that swirl & wispy white clouds too Uranus and Neptune Are so cold that youd turn blue.

Chorus: Plutos last in line. Its farthest from the Sun. Its small and cold and icy too To land there wont be fun. The family of the Sun, The family of the Sun, There are nine planets in The family of the Sun,

Mnemonics (A Memory Game):

On the worksheet your teacher has given you use the first letters from the manes of each of the planets and create your own sentence. M ________________ V __________________ E _______________

M ________________ J __________________ S _______________ U ________________ N __________________ P_______________ .

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lets see if we can remember the correct order.

Jupiter Mars Mercury

Neptune

Sun
Venus Earth

Pluto

Saturn Uranus

So far we have learned about the planets, but not about the planet s size in relationship to each other. This picture shows how big (and little!) the nine planets are in relation to each other.

Can you see tiny Mercury in the very bottom, left-hand corner? Pluto is the teenytiny planet in the very top, right-hand corner!

Here are some more sites about the 9 planets in our solar system :

StarChild: A Learning Center for Young Astronauts: http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html NASA Kids: http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/ The 9 Planets for Kids: http://www.staq.qld.edu.au/k9p/

The 9 Planets: http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/intro.html Planets http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/

Evaluation Exercise

Make a three dimensional representation of the solar system. Use any materials that you desire. Extra credit will be given for realism and imagination.