The document provides information about the solar system. It defines the solar system as our sun and the objects that orbit it, including eight planets. It describes how the planets can be grouped based on their composition as terrestrial planets, gas giants, or ice/rock dwarf planets like Pluto. Key details about each planet's orbit, composition, and distance from the sun are given. Vocabulary terms like sun, solar system, orbit, planet, asteroid, and comet are also defined.

1. Solar System
Focus Question: How can the Solar
System be characterized?
Investigation 1; Part 1

2. Solar System Definition
 What
is the Solar System?
– Solar refers to Sol, another name for our
Sun.
– System is a set of objects working together
 Solar
System = our Sun and a set of
other objects working together in some
way.

3. How Does the Solar System
Work?
 Set
of Picture Cards
– Spread out in front of you Picture-side up
– Look at front of card only
 Put
cards into groups by similar
characteristics
– Use just what you observe in images, not
prior knowledge*
 How
did you sort your cards?

4. 
Type
Card Data
– Planet, dwarf planet, star, comet, asteroid, or
satellite

Distance from Sun or other object
– Except for Sun, all orbit the Sun or other object

Orbit period
– How long does it take to orbit the Sun in Earth
days or years

Maximum/Minimum surface temperatures
– Highest & lowest temperature recorded on
surface

Composition
– Solid, liquid, gas

5. Orbit
 Revolving
or moving in a path around
another object.
 Challenge:
– Find all the planet cards and Sun card.
– Use “Distance from…” information on
cards to arrange planets in order, starting
with the Sun.

6. Solar System
 Sun
and eight planets in order describe
the solar system
 Other objects in solar system
– Use information on cards to incorporate
other objects into solar system*

7. Solar System Data Sheet
 Complete
notebook sheet - start by
filling out table on left side of sheet.
 Planet cards
– Separate planets into classes based on
composition*
– How did you use composition to sort
planets?
 Rock
planets
 Gas planets
 Ice and rock dwarf planet

8. Composition
What do you notice about the sizes of the
planets you have put in your groups?
 What do you notice about the distance from
the Sun for the planets in your groups?
 Terrestrial Planets

– Four rocky planets closest to the Sun
– Terrestrial means “land”, rocky composition

Gas Giants
– Beyond the asteroid belt
– Why “Gas Giant” name?

9. Pluto
 Dwarf
Planet
– Located in Kuiper Belt
 Area
filled with “dirty ice” objects, made of
frozen dust, water, and gas
 Some objects are planet size
 Pluto
– Rock-and-ice dwarf planet or
Kuiper object

10. Vocabulary
 The
Sun
– An average star at the center of the solar
system around which all other solarsystem bodies revolve.
 Solar
System
– The Sun and all the bodies that orbit it,
including the planets and their moons, the
asteroids, and the comets.

11.  Orbit
– The path an object takes around another
object; for example, Earth has an orbit
around the Sun.
 Planet
– A large natural object that orbits around a
star, such as the Sun.
 Asteroid
– A rocky object, which can be a few
hundred meters to several hundred
kilometers wide, that orbits the Sun.

12.  Comet
– A small body of ice and dust that orbits the
Sun in a large oval path.

13. Content
 What
is the Sun?
– Average-sized star; mostly hydrogen
(72%) and helium (26%); other solar
system bodies revolve around it
 What
is the solar system?
– Sun and all the bodies that orbit it,
including planets and their moons,
asteroids, and comets
 Your
questions?
 Homework- Read A Tour of the Solar
System, pg 145-158. Use 3-Column
notes for each section. Answer
questions on page 158 in notebook.