Earth's Neighborhood

Introduction

Image result for solar system 

                  The Solar System

 For I dipped into the Future, far as human eye could see; saw  the vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be. -  Alfred Lord Tennyson, 1842

 Our solar system consists of an average star we  call the Sun,  the  planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Sat  urn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. It includes: the satellites of t he planets; numerous comets, asteroids, and meteoroids; and the interplanetary medium. The Sun is the richest source of electromagnetic energy (mostly in the form of heat and light) in the solar system. The Sun's nearest known stellar neighbor is a red dwarf star called Proxima Centauri, at a distance of 4.3 light yearsaway. The whole solar system, together with the local stars  visible on a clear night, orbits the center of our home galaxy, a spiral disk of 200 billion stars we call the Milky Way. The Milky Way has two small galaxies orbiting it nearby, which are visible from the southern hemisphere. They are called the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud. The nearest large galaxy is the Andromeda Galaxy. It is a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way but is 4 times as massive and is 2 million light years away. Our galaxy, one of billions of galaxies known, is traveling through intergalactic space.

The planets, most of the satellites of the planets and the asteroids revolve around the Sun in the same direction, in nearly circular orbits. When looking down from above the Sun's north pole, the planets orbit in a counter-clockwise direction. The planets orbit the Sun in or near the same plane, called the ecliptic. Pluto is a special case in that its orbit is the most highly inclined (18 degrees) and the most highly elliptical of all the planets. Because of this, for part of its orbit, Pluto is closer to the Sun than is Neptune. The axis of rotation for most of the planets is nearly perpendicular to the ecliptic. The exceptions are Uranus and Pluto, which are tipped on their sides.

 

Image result for terrestrial planet

              The Terrestrial Planets

 The terrestrial planets are the four innermost planets in the solar  system, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. They are called terrestrial because they have a compact,  rocky surface like the Earth's. The planets, Venus, Earth, and Mars have significant atmospheres  while Mercury has almost none. The following diagram shows the approximate distance of the  terrestrial planets to the Sun.

 

 

Image result for jovian planet

                The Jovian Planets

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are known as the Jovian (Jupiter-like) planets, because  they are all gigantic compared with Earth, and they have a gaseous nature like Jupiter's. The  Jovian planets are also referred to as the gas giants, although some or all of them might have  small solid cores. The following diagram shows the approximate distance of the Jovian planets to  the Sun.

 

 

 

Task

Research properties of the inner and outer planets in our Solar System. You will organize the research by creating a Solar System poster that displays a comparison between the planets. Compare and contrast the properties of the inner and outer planets by answering the guiding questions listed below.

Guide Questions: 
  1. Which planets are located closest to the sun?
  2. Which planets are located farthest from the sun?
  3. What do you think the temperature is on the planets closest to sun? Why?
  4. Where is Earth located? Is it an inner or outer planet?
  5. Which planets are the inner planets?
  6. Which planets are the outer planets?
  7. Which of the planets have a moon? If so, how many moons does each planet have?
  8. What is the mass on the planet?
  9. Does the planet have rings? ?
  10. Is the planet a rocky or gas giant?
  11. What is the diameter of the planet?
  12. What is the average distance of the planet from the sun?
  13. What is the atmospheric composition of the planet?
  14. What is the planet's axis of rotation?
  15. What is the length of "day" on the planet?
  16. What is the average temperature on the planet?
  17. What is the temperature on the sunny side of the planet compared to the dark side of the planet?

Process

  • Using the researchyou've conducted, your KWL Charts, Venn Diagrams, and the Inner and Outer Planet Research  will work individually to create a solar system poster.
  • Students should be sure to include the following on their posters:
    • An illustration of each planet (inner and outer).
    • Specific defining characteristics for each planet (should include the information from the Inner and Outer Research Handout and anything else they've learned)
    • Include facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the planets.
    • Use domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain about each planet.
    • A creative approach to displaying their work.

Evaluation

Image result for rubric for poster making

Conclusion

This project was designed for you to learn about the Solar System.  Now that everyone has an understanding of the planets, they will be able to move up in their life.

  Reflect back on what you knew about the Solar System before you started this project.  Hopefully you have learned a lot and will continue to learn about the sun, moon, and stars that go with the Solar System, and deeply explore the Earth.

To continue learning about the planets, you can play games at:

http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/solar-system/index.shtml

http://www.kidsastronomy.com/fun/make-a-planet.htm

Credits