2. A. What’s in Our Solar System?
• Our solar system consists of a central star
(the Sun), planets, dwarf planets, moons,
asteroids, comets, meteors, interplanetary
gas, dust, and all the “space” in between.
• Except for Earth, the planets of the solar
system are named for Greek and Roman
gods and goddesses.
7. B. Planets are categorized
according to size and composition
– Small, rocky planets are the inner planets
closest to the sun
– gas giants are the outer planets
9. 1. Characteristics of Inner Planets
• They are made up mostly of rock and metal.
• They are very heavy.
• They move slowly in space.
• They have no rings and few moons (if any).
• They have a diameter of less than 13,000
km.
10. a. Mercury
• Has a revolution period of 88
days.
• Has 1000° temperature
swings from day to night
because there is no
atmosphere to trap heat.
• Is about 1/3 of Earth’s size
• Is about 1/3 Earth’s distance
from the sun (0.39 AU)
11. b. Venus
• Has retrograde rotation – so
the sun rises in the west and
sets in the east!
• Reaches 900F at the surface
due to a strong greenhouse
effect.
• Venus has no moons and
takes 225 days to complete an
orbit.
• Is about the same size as
Earth
• Is about 2/3 Earth’s distance
from the sun (0.72 AU)
12. c. Earth
• Is the only planet known to
support life!
• Has a surface composed of
71% water.
– Water is necessary for life on
Earth.
• Is the basis for the
Astronomical Unit (distance
from sun to Earth = 1 AU)
13. • Mars appears red because of
iron oxide, or rust, in its soil.
• Mars has two moons and
takes about two years to
complete an orbit.
• Is about ½ of Earth’s size
• Is about 1 ½ times as far from
the sun as Earth (1.52 AU)
d. Mars
14. 2. Characteristics of Gas Giants
• They are made up mostly of gases
(primarily hydrogen & helium).
• They are very light for their size.
• They move quickly in space.
• They have rings and many moons.
• They have a diameter of 49,000 km or
greater
15. a. Jupiter
• Is the largest, most
massive planet.
• Takes about 12 years to
orbit the sun.
• Jupiter has 17 known
moons.
• Is about 11 times larger
than Earth.
• Is about 5 times farther
from the sun than Earth
(5.19 AU)
16. b. Saturn • Has many rings made of ice
that extend about 260,000
miles from the surface but
are less than 1 mile thick.
• Has 19 known moons
• Takes about 30 years to orbit
the sun.
• Is almost10 times larger than
Earth
• Is nearly ten times farther
from the sun than
Earth (9.5 AU)
17. c. Uranus
• Has 21 known moons
• Takes 84 years to
complete one orbit.
• Is about 4 times
larger than Earth
• Is about 19 times
farther from the sun
than Earth (19.1 AU)
18. d. Neptune
• Takes 165 years to orbit
the sun
• Has 8 moons
• Is about 3.8 times larger
than Earth
• Is about 30 times farther
from the sun than Earth
(30 AU)