The student will investigate and understand the organization of the solar system and the interactions among the various bodies that comprise it. Key concepts include
1. the sun, moon, Earth, other planets and their moons, dwarf planets, meteors, asteroids, and comets
2. relative size of and distance between planets; the role of gravity
3. revolution and rotation
4. the mechanics of day and night and the phases of the moon
5. the unique properties of Earth as a planet
6. the relationship of Earth’s tilt and the seasons
7. the cause of tides
8. the history and technology of space exploration

The Solar System

• The solar system consists of the sun, moon, Earth, other planets and their moons, meteors, asteroids, and comets. Each body has its own characteristics and features.
• The distance between planets and sizes of the planets vary greatly.


• The outer, ―gas planets are very large, and the four inner planets are comparatively small and rocky.

• A dwarf planet revolves around the sun, and can maintain a nearly round shape as planets do, but it cannot move other objects away from its orbital neighborhood.
• Gravity is a force that keeps the planets in motion around the sun. Gravity acts everywhere in the universe.

Revolution and Rotation

• Planets revolve around the sun, and moons revolve around planets. A planet rotates upon an axis.
• As Earth rotates, different sides of Earth face toward or away from the sun, thus causing day and night, respectively.

• Seasons are caused by a combination of the tilt of Earth on its axis, the curvature of Earth’s surface and, thus, the angle at which sunlight strikes the surface of Earth during its annual revolution around the sun.

Planet Earth

• Earth is a rocky planet, extensively covered with large oceans of liquid water and having frozen ice caps in its polar regions.
  • Earth has a protective atmosphere consisting predominantly of nitrogen and oxygen and has a magnetic field.
  • The atmosphere and the magnetic field help shield Earth’s surface from harmful solar radiation.
  • Scientific evidence indicates that Earth is about 4.5 billion years old.

Moon Phases; Tides

• The phases of the moon are caused by its position relative to Earth and the sun.
• Tides are the result of the gravitational pull of the moon and sun on the surface waters of Earth.




Historical

• The ideas of Ptolemy, Aristotle, Copernicus, and Galileo contributed to the development of our understanding of the solar system.
• With the development of new technology over the last half-century, our knowledge of the solar system has increased substantially.

Make sure you know:

• the planets and their relative positions from the sun
• why Pluto was designated a dwarf planet
• the role of gravity in the solar system.
• how Earth’s axial tilt and its annual orbit around the sun cause the seasons
• the unique characteristics of planet Earth.
• the relationship between the gravitational pull of the moon and the cycle of tides
• the ideas of Ptolemy, Aristotle, Copernicus, and Galileo related to the solar system
• the advancements in solar system exploration over the past half century, including the first modern rockets, artificial satellites, orbital missions, missions to the moon, Mars robotic explorers, and exploration of the outer planets