Apologia Physical Science-the Solar System.

image from the web

The Solar System is an amazing topic.  There is so much to discover and both my girls are interested in this topic.  We have been known to be outside at 2 a.m. to see if we can get just a glimpse of meteor shower or any other astrological phenomena that might be occurring.

Here is the gist of it.

~Basically there are 8 known planets.  Pluto was considered a planet but was demoted to dwarf planet status due to the classification system of what a planet is and is not.

~So what the heck is a planet?  A planet is a non-luminous celestial body larger than a comet or asteroid and is illuminated by the light from a star (sun) which it revolves around.

~A dwarf planet is similar to a planet but is smaller, they do orbit the sun, and they are not considered to be moon.  In 2006, Pluto, Eris, Ceres, and Makemake and Haumea were named dwarf planets in 2008 and discovered in 2004.

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Now a little about the planets.

~Mercury is the smallest of the planets and the closest to the sun.

~Venus is the brightest planet in the sky and the yellow clouds of sulfuric acid reflect the sun's light.  The second planet from the sun around 67 million miles. There are no moons on Venus.  One year is approximately 225 earth days.  The temperature is around 850 degrees.

~Earth has one moon and one year is equal to 365.5 days.  Temperatures range from -125 to +130 degrees Fahrenheit.  Earth is the third planet from the sun around 93 million miles.

~Mars is the largest volcano in the solar system and home to Olympus Mons.  Mars has two moons, 1.9 earth years equals one year on Mars, and one day is 24.6 hours long.  The temperature on Mars varies from -190 degrees to +60 degrees Fahrenheit.  Mars is also called the red planet and is the fourth planet from the sun around 142 million miles.

Mars

~Jupiter is the largest planet and spins very quickly.  One day on Jupiter lasts just under ten hours on earth.  It takes 11.9 earth years to equal one year on Jupiter.  Jupiter has 63 moons.  The temperature is -170 degrees.  Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun around 484 million miles.

~Saturn is the second largest planet and is the lightest planet.  The rings around Saturn could possibly be remnants of a moon that was shattered by Saturn's gravity.  Saturn has 60 moons.  One earth year on Saturn is equal to 29.4 years.  The days are 10.7 hours and the temperature is -215 degrees.  Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun around 887 million miles.

~Uranus is on a 97 degree angle so this planet orbits on its side.  There are 21 moons.  One Uranus year is 83.8 earth years and a day is 17.2 hours.  The temperature is -280 degrees.  Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun around 1.8 billion miles.

~Neptune-One year on Neptune lasts 165 earth years.  Neptune completed its first orbit around the sun in 2011 since being discovered in 1846.  Neptune is about the size of earth.  Neptune has 13 moons.  One year on Neptune is approximately 164 years on earth.  One day on Neptune is equal to 16.1 earth hours.  Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun around 2.8 billion miles.

~Dwarf planet Pluto is small and icy.

~Eris, named after the Greek goddess of strife and takes 550 years to orbit the sun.  Eris is larger than Pluto.

~Makemake and Haumea are a little further out in the solar system.

~In 2004 Sedna, a planetoid, (named after the Inuit goddess of the ocean) was discovered orbiting the sun in the solar system.  It is approximated that it takes Sedna +/-11,000 earth years to orbit around the sun.

That will sum up our solar system study for now.  Please use these great links I have included.  It will save you so much time.

My recent blog post about Pluto.
John and Hank Green-Exploring the Universe.
John and Hank Green-The Sun and the Earth.
Khan Academy 
Kids Astronomy
NASA for kids
Astronomy on Pinterest.