1. In our solar system, nine planets circle around our Sun. The Sun sits in the middle while the
planets travel in circular paths (called orbits) around it. These nine planets travel in the same
direction (counter- clockwise looking down from the Sun's north pole). The picture on the
right shows the different paths and positions of each plane.
THE SOLAR SYSTEM IS MADE UP OF TWO PARTS:
The inner solar system contains Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. These four planets
are closest to the Sun.
The outer solar system contains Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
The inner planets are separated from the outer planets by the Asteroid Belt.
These nine planets are grouped in many different ways. Two easy groupings
are composition (what they are made up of) and size.
COMPOSITION
ROCKY PLANETS (Mercury - Venus - Earth - Mars - Pluto)
The rocky planets are mostly made up of rock and metal. These planets are very
heavy and move slowly. They also do not have rings and very few moons.
GAS PLANETS (Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus - Neptune)
The gas planets are mostly made up of gases (hydrogen and helium). These planets
are light for their sizes (just like a big air balloon) and move quickly. They have rings
and lots of moons.
SIZE
SMALL PLANETS (Mercury - Venus - Earth - Mars - Pluto)
The small planets have diameters less than 13000 km across. Mercury and Pluto are
sometimes referred to as lesser planets because they are so tiny.
GIANT PLANETS (Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus - Neptune)
The giant planets have diameters greater than 48000 km. The giant planets are
sometimes also referred to as gas giants.
2. MERCURY
Mercury is the planet closest to our Sun, and it is the eighth largest of
the nine planets.
Mercury is a small, rocky planet - much like our Moon. It is covered with
craters and has changed very little from when it was first formed.
Mercury takes 59 days to make a rotation but only 88 days to circle the
Sun. That means that there are fewer than 2 days in a year!
Many astronomers believe that Mercury might be the core of what was
once a much larger planet -- it appears to be a huge ball of iron covered by
a thin layer of rock.
VENUS
Venus is the brightest planet in our sky and can sometimes be seen
with the naked eye if you know where to look. It is the solar system's
brightest planet -- yellow clouds of sulfuric acid reflect the sun's light.
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, and the sixth largest of all the
nine planets.
Venus' hot temperature is due to what we call "the Greenhouse
Effect." The large amount of carbon dioxide in Venus' atmosphere acts
like a blanket. The heat gets trapped underneath the thick layer of
clouds. Because the heat has nowhere to go, Venus gets hotter and stays
hot.
EARTH
Earth is the only planet whose English name does not derive from Greek or
Roman mythology. The name comes from Old English and Germanic
language. There are, of course, hundreds of other names for the planet in
other languages.
Earth, of course, can be studied without the aid of spacecraft. It was not
until the twentieth century that we had maps of the entire planet. Pictures
of our planet taken from space are very important! They are a big help in
predicting the weather - especially in tracking and predicting hurricanes. They are also
extraordinarily beautiful.
MARS
Mars is the god of War. In Greek mythology, he is known as Ares. The
planet probably got this name due to its red color; Mars is sometimes
referred to as the "Red Planet." The name of the month March derives
from Mars. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh
largest of the nine planets. Mars comes in second place (Earth being in
3. first) for having the most highly varied and interesting terrain of any of the terrestrial planets.
JUPITER
Jupiter (a.k.a. "Jove") was the King of the Roman Gods and the patron
of the Roman state. To the ancient Greeks, he was known as Zeus,
ruler of the Greek Gods and Mount Olympus.
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and by far the largest of all nine
planets. Jupiter is more than twice as massive as all the other planets
combined - It's 318 times bigger than the Earth!
Jupiter does not have a solid surface due to its gaseous composition.
The swirls and bands we see when looking at Jupiter are the tops of
clouds high in its atmosphere.
SATURN
In Roman mythology, Saturn is the god of agriculture. He is
known as Cronus in Greek mythology. Cronus was the father of
Zeus (Jupiter). Saturn is the root of the English word "Saturday."
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun, and the second largest
of the nine planets. Like Jupiter, Saturn has bands (left). Saturn's
bands, however, are much fainter. The bands are also much wider near the equator.
URANUS
Uranus is the ancient Greek God of the Heavens - the earliest
supreme god. He was the father of Cronus (also known as Saturn in
Roman mythology) and of the Cyclopes and Titans (predecessors of
the Olympian gods).
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and the third largest of the
nine planets (in size). Uranus is larger in size but smaller in weight
than Neptune.
NEPTUNE
In Roman mythology Neptune was the god of the Sea. He is known as
Poseidon in Greek mythology. The planet was probably named after
the sea gods because of its deep blue color.
Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the fourth largest (by
size) of the nine planets. Neptune is smaller in size but it's heavier
than Uranus.
Neptune's blue color is the result of a gas called "methane" in its
atmosphere. Like the other gas planets, Neptune has rapid winds trapped
in "bands" of latitude and large storms. Neptune's winds are the fastest in the solar system,
reaching 2000 km/hour!
4. PLUTO
In Roman mythology, Pluto is the god of the underworld. In Greek
mythology, he is known as Hades, ruler of the underworld. The
planet received this name perhaps because it's so far from the
Sun that it is in perpetual darkness. Pluto used to be the farthest
planet from the Sun (usually) and by far the smallest of the nine
planets. Pluto is smaller than seven of the solar system's moons!
Now it's officially not a planet at all, just a "dwarf planet.
To date, not much is known about the planet, Pluto. Most of the
information we have is largely based on speculation and
inference. Its moon, Charon, helps scientists with various calculations relating to the
properties and characteristics of Pluto.Pluto is so far away that even the Hubble Space
Telescope can make out only the largest features on its surface. This is why available
pictures look so blocky and ambiguous.
5. SPRING MONTESSORI ACADEMY
Iriga City
Submittedby:
BETTINA PAULINE L. FRANCIA
Grade VI
Submitted to:
JO MAREELEN L. CARMELO
Teacher
