SOLAR SYSTEM Treasure Hunt
Science 6
Central Park Middle School
Schenectady City School District
Instructions
Your “job” for today is to read what is written on the following page and answer the questions using the sites listed. Answer your questions on a separate piece of paper and be prepared for a discussion to follow.
Everywhere you look today, you see the word “solar”. Solar energy, solar power, solar wind to name just a few. What exactly does the word “solar” mean? “Solar” in its most simple definition means, “of or relating to the sun.”
The solar system, then, is the system of the SUN! This system is made up of the sun and all the objects that travel around the sun. These satellites of the sun travel in “paths” called orbits. They are held in their orbits by the sun’s gravity. For a quick look at the sun go to the following site and click on the “largest” picture…http://www.astronomy.com/content/static/AstroForKids/default.asp
Once you have opened it and clicked on the Earth, answer the following two questions:
1. How many miles away is the Earth from the sun?
2. What percent of the Earth’s water is fresh water?
Now that you are somewhat familiar with the site above, go back to it yet again and click on the dog that the Earth is holding on
leash. Answer the following:
3. What is the name of this “dog on the leash”?
4. What are the names of the bright, light areas called?
5. How many miles away is this object from the earth?
Starting to have a little fun aren’t you? Lets’ mix it up a little and click on the following site: http://www.solarviews.com/ss.html
Once the site is opened click on the “English” setting…that way you can hopefully read it! Find the planet mercury and click on it.
6. Who gave the planet Mercury its name?
Staying on this page, scroll down near the bottom until you see in black bold lettering, “Hills of Mercury”. Click on the image and
answer the following:
7. What is the name of the spacecraft that took the pictures?
Let’s take a look at a rather large planet, Jupiter. This is the fifth planet from the sun. Its orbit is 483 million miles away from the sun. That’s five times farther than the Earth. It is the biggest planet in our solar system. In fact, 11 Earth’s could fit across the face of Jupiter. Let’s go back to this site, http://www.astronomy.com/content/static/AstroForKids/default.asp and click on the big, bald, brownish looking guy with glasses and one red eye. Click on him, which is Jupiter.
8. What is the red spot on Jupiter?
9. About how long has this red spot been around?
The “Sideways” planet, Uranus, is named for the Greek god of the skies. Its symbol is a circle with an arrow pointing from the top.
It represents an arrow pointing from the Earth to the skies. Jupiter and Saturn are known as gas giants. Uranus is a smaller
version. The atmosphere on Uranus differs from the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn because it contains more methane. This
gas gives the planet a bluish-green appearance.
Uranus’s unique feature is its position. While the other planets spin like tops as they orbit the sun, Uranus rolls on its side like a spinning ball. Scientists believe that, while as a young planet, Uranus may have actually been hit by a large space object, the size of Earth! The object may have hit Uranus close to its pole with enough force to topple the planet onto its side. While on its side, Uranus rotates from east to west, unlike most planets that rotate from west to east. Use the following site and click on the planet whose head is “sideways”. http://www.astronomy.com/content/static/AstroForKids/default.asp
10. How often does Uranus spin on its axis?
11. Who discovered Uranus?
I really think you are starting to get a hang of this. Lets try a few more planets.
Venus, our closest neighbor, was named for the Roman goddess of beauty and love. Most of the features on Venus’s surface have been given a women’s name. Venus, which is 67 million miles from the sun, has been called Earth’s twin. It is very close in size of the Earth but unlike Earth, Venus has no natural satellites. Venus is surrounded by three thick layers of clouds, which prevent the surface from being seen from Earth. These clouds are made of droplets of sulfuric acid and they give Venus a greenish-yellow color. The top layer of clouds is believed to move at speeds up to 300 miles per hour.
Below the acid clouds, Venus has a very thick atmosphere. Approximately 97 percent of this atmosphere is carbon dioxide. This atmosphere acts as a greenhouse. Most of the sun’s heat, which arrives at Venus, is reflected by the thick clouds. Because the atmosphere is so dense, the heat cannot escape and temperatures reach as high as 908 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, Venus holds the record as the hottest planet in our solar system.
Now that you are familiar with using the site below, click on it and find Venus. http://www.solarviews.com/ss.html
12. According to this, Venus is actually hotter than what planet?
13. Venus, the jewel of the nighttime sky, goes by two names. What are they?
Mars, the last of the inner planets, was named for the Roman god of war. Mars, like Earth, has natural satellite. Actually Mars has two, Phobos and Deimos. They are very small, irregularly shaped moons. Many astronomers believe that the moons may have been asteroids, which ventured too close to Mars and became caught up in its gravitational field.
Mars is known as the Red Planet because of its color. Because Mars has a thin atmosphere and is so close to Earth, it can be seen with the naked eye and easily studied with a telescope. The surface appears red due to the iron oxide (rust) which coats it. In 2003 Mars exploration rovers were launched from Earth in the hope to learn history of Mars and the possibility of water. In January 2004, the rover landed on Mars after traveling some 36 million miles. Studies continue to this day.
Use the following site one more time and answer the following:http://www.astronomy.com/content/static/AstroForKids/default.asp
14. What did the red planet’s color remind ancient astronomer of?
15. Mars has the highest volcano in all of the solar system. What is its name?
Congratulations on a job well done. Even though we did not visit each and every planet, you got to see six that are rather special. If time allows you may visit the other planets by using either of the sites listed below.