From Melanie Andersen
http://www.berteig.org/melanie/homeschooling/Programs%20of%20Intelligence/Science/planets.htmlSet: Planets of the Solar System
Pictures of the planets were bought as a mobile package from Business Depot for $3.95 CDN.
Resource for information:
www.nineplanets.orgEARTH
1. Earth is blue and white in color.
2. Earth is the third closest planet to the sun.
3. The Earth has an equatorial radius of 6,378 km.
4. The name derives from Old English and Germanic.
5. Earth takes 365 days to travel once around the sun.
6. Earth has a single natural satellite, the Moon.
7. Earth is a terrestrial body whose solid surface, abundant waters, and oxygen-rich atmosphere have combined to create conditions suitable for life.
8. It was not until the time of Copernicus (the sixteenth century) that it was understood that the Earth is just another planet.
9. Earth is the only planet known to man that can sustain life.
10. The Earth is the densest major body in the solar system. 71 % of the Earth's surface is covered with water. Earth is the only planet on which water can exist in liquid form on the surface. Liquid water is essential for life as we know it.
MARS
1. Mars is red in color.
2. Mars is the fourth closest planet to the sun.
3. Mars' size is a little over half that of Earth.
4. Mars is named for the Roman god of war.
5. Mars takes 687 Earth days to travel once around the sun.
6. Mars has two moons, Phobos (meaning Fear in Greek) and Deimos (meaning Terror in Greek).
7. Life forms from Earth could not live on Mars because it is too cold and there is almost no water and very little oxygen.
8. Mars has been known as far back as 3,000 years ago.
9. The first spacecraft to visit Mars was Mariner 4 in 1965. Several others followed including Mars 2, the first spacecraft to land on Mars.
10. A 100 pound object on Earth would weigh 38 pounds on Mars.
JUPITER
1. Jupiter is white, yellow, and brown in color.
2. Jupiter is the fifth closest planet to the sun.
3. Jupiter is 11 times larger than Earth. Jupiter's equatorial radius is 71,492 km.
4. Jupiter is named for the king of the gods in the Roman pantheon.
5. Jupiter has 3 faint rings.
6. Jupiter has 16 moons.
7. Life forms from earth could not live on Jupiter because it is a gaseous planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium.
8. Jupiter has been known since prehistoric times.
9. The first spacecraft to visit Jupiter was Pioneer 10 in 1973. The spacecraft Galileo is currently in orbit around Jupiter and will be sending back data for at least the next two years.
10. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and has the largest magnetic field of any known planet.
MERCURY
1. Mercury is gray in color.
2. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. Mercury is 58 million km away from the sun.
3. Mercury is the second smallest planet and is smaller than Earth. Mercury's equatorial radius is 4,870 km.
4. Mercury is named for the Roman messenger God.
5. Mercury takes only 88 Earth days to travel once around the sun.
6. Mercury has no known moons.
7. Mercury is in many ways similar to the Moon: its surface is heavily cratered.
8. Mercury has been known since at least the time of the Sumerians (3000 BC).
9. Mercury has been visited by only one spacecraft, Mariner
10. It flew by three times in 1974 and 1975. 10. The surface temperature has the greatest temperature range of any planet or satellite in our system, reaching 427° C on the day side and -183° C on the night side.
NEPTUNE
1. Neptune is blue in color.
2. Neptune is the eighth closest planet to the sun.
3. Neptune is more than eight times larger than Earth. Neptune's equatorial radius is 49,532 km.
4. Neptune is named for the Roman god of the sea.
5. Neptune takes 165 years to travel around the sun.
6. Neptune has 8 moons.
7. Life forms from Earth could not live on Neptune because it is a gaseous planet whose atmosphere consists mostly of hydrogen and helium.
8. Neptune was first discovered in 1846.
9. Neptune has been visited by only one spacecraft, Voyager 2 on August 25 1989.
10. Neptune travels around the Sun in an elliptical orbit.
URANUS
1. Uranus is light blue in color.
2. Uranus is the seventh closest planet to the sun.
3. Uranus is approximately 4 1/2 times larger than Earth. Uranus's equatorial radius is 26,000 km.
4. Uranus is named for the ancient Greek god of the Heavens, the earliest supreme god.
5. Uranus has ten narrow, dark rings.
6. Uranus has 21 moons. The five major moons are named - Miranda, Umbriel, Ariel, Oberon, and Titania.
7. Life forms from Earth could not live on Uranus because it is a gaseous planet. Its atmosphere consists of clouds of methane ice, hydrogen and helium.
8. Uranus, the first planet discovered in modern times, was discovered by William on March 13, 1781.
9. Uranus has been visited by only one spacecraft, Voyager 2 on Jan 24, 1986.
10. Most of the planets spin on an axis nearly perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic but Uranus' axis is almost parallel to the ecliptic.
VENUS
1. Venus is brilliant yellow-white in color.
2. Venus is the second closest planet to the Sun.
3. Venus is almost the same size as Earth. Its equatorial radius is 12,103 km.
4. Venus is named for the Roman goddess of love and beauty.
5. Venus takes 225 Earth days to orbit around the sun.
6. Venus has no moons.
7. Life forms from Earth could not live on Venus because it is completely enveloped by a thick layer of clouds consisting chiefly of droplets of concentrated sulfuric acid.
8. Venus was one of the five planets known in ancient times. Its appearances were recorded by the Babylonians in approximately 3,000 BC.
9. The era of spacecraft exploration of the planets began with the U.S. Mariner 2 mission to Venus in 1962. Since then, Venus has been the target of approximately 20 spacecraft missions.
10. Venus comes closer to the Earth than any other planet, approaching to within about 42,000,000 km.
SATURN
1. Saturn is yellow in color.
2. Saturn is the sixth closest planet to the Sun.
3. Saturn is approximately nine times larger than Earth. Saturn's equatorial radius is 60, 268 km.
4. Saturn is named for the Roman god of agriculture.
5. Saturn is the least dense of the planets; its specific gravity (0.7) is less than that of water.
6. Saturn has at least 19 icy moons.
7. Life forms from Earth could not live on Saturn because it is a gaseous planet composed of about 75% hydrogen and 25% helium.
8. Saturn has been known since prehistoric times.
9. The first spacecraft to visit Saturn was Pioneer 11 in 1979. Cassini, now on its way, will arrive in 2004.
10. Saturn has seven rings.
PLUTO
1. Pluto is gray in color.
2. Pluto is the ninth planet closest to the sun.
3. Pluto is the smallest planet in the solar system.
4. Pluto is named for the Roman god of the underworld.
5. The average surface temperature on Pluto ranges from -235°C to -210°C.
6. Pluto has one moon, named Charon.
7. Pluto rotates in the opposite direction from most of the other planets.
8. Pluto was discovered in 1930 by the American astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh.
9. Pluto is the only planet that has not been visited by a spacecraft.
10. Pluto is the most distant planet from the Sun, it is about 5.9 billion km away from the Sun.
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