Solar System Notes

Solar System Notes

Sun

Location / Diameter / Size Compared to Earth
Center of Solar System / 895,000 miles / 1.3 million Earths could fill Sun

Planets

Planet / Order from Sun / Size / Length of Year / Length of Day / Number of Moons / Rings / Atmosphere / Other observations
Mercury / 1 / 8 / 88 days / 59 days / 0 / No / Very, very thin
Venus / 2 / 6 / 225 days / 243 days / 0 / No / Very thick / Covered with clouds; hottest planet
Earth / 3 / 5 / 365 days / 24 hours / 1 / No / Thick
Mars / 4 / 7 / 687 days / 24 hours / 2 / No / Very thin
Jupiter / 5 / 1 / 12 years / 10 hours / 63 / Yes – faint / Very thick
Saturn / 6 / 2 / 29 years / 10 hours / 63 / Yes – bright / Very thick
Uranus / 7 / 3 / 84 years / 17 hours / 27 / Yes – faint / Very thick
Neptune / 8 / 4 / 165 years / 15 hours / 13 / Yes – faint / Very thick

Dwarf Planets

Names

a. Ceres d. MakeMake

b. Eris e. Pluto

c. Haumea

Diameter Range / Rings / Moons
1,400 miles (Pluto) to 580 miles (Ceres) / None / Pluto – 3; Haumea – 2; Eris - 1

Asteroid Belt

Location / Number / Largest / Size Range / Shape / Moons
Between Mars and Jupiter / Over 100,000 / Vesta – 330 miles / 330 miles to about 100 yards / Irregular / Some asteroids have one or more moons

Comets

Period (Term) / Location / Parts
Short Period (Term) Comets – Takes under 200 years for one revolution.
Long Period (Term) Comets –
Takes over 200 years for one revolution. / Short Period (Term) Comets –
Kuiper Belt
Long Period (Term) Comets – Oort Cloud / 1. Nucleus – icy body made of water ice, ammonia ice, rocks, and dirt.
2. Coma – gas, rocks, and dirt from nucleus vaporized when close to Sun.
3. Tail – gas, rocks, and dirt from nucleus pushed away from comet by solar wind; always points away from Sun.

Meteoroids, Meteors, Meteorites

Meteoroid / Meteor / Meteorite
Rocky body in space (from size of grain of sand to rock under 100 yards); comes from the Asteroid Belt. / The rocky body when it enters the Earth’s (or any other body in space’s) atmosphere. / The rocky body when it hits the surface of the Earth (or any other body in space).

Gravity

1. Force that holds the Solar System together.

Ö No gravity, no Solar System

Ö Planets fly off in straight direction into space.

2. Planet motion

Ö Fact #1 – Closer to the Sun, shorter the year.

Ö Fact #2 – Farther from the Sun, longer the year.

Weight on Other Worlds

If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh:

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