Get ready--you're about to take a journey out of this world and into our incredible solar system. Along the way you'll discover the cosmic wonders that make up our celestial neighborhood, from the blazing star at its center, the sun, to the distant edges of space.
Before take-off, watch this introductory video, which provides a basic overview of Earth and its immediate neighbors. Then, answer the questions in the Take Notes box, below.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Space | Pause/Play video playback |
| Enter | Pause/Play video playback |
| m | Mute/Unmute video volume |
| Up and Down arrows | Increase and decrease volume by 10% |
| Right and Left arrows | Seek forward or backward by 5 seconds |
| 0-9 | Fast seek to x% of the video. |
| f | Enter or exit fullscreen. (Note: To exit fullscreen in flash press the Esc key. |
| c | Press c to toggle captions on or off |
A solar system is a collection of planets orbiting a star (sun).
Our solar system has a few defining physical features: a star (the sun), 8 planets, moons orbiting those planets, asteroids, meteors, comets, dust, gas, and a whole lot of, well, space in between.
Beyond the physical “stuff” there are a few important non-physical details that shape our solar system and how it operates.
- Gravity is the invisible force of attraction between objects. The more massive the object, the stronger its gravitational pull on objects around it. Gravity keeps planets revolving around the sun, and moons revolving around planets.
- Next is Movement. Nothing is standing still in our solar system– things are not only revolving, they are rotating. And that rotation differs depending on the object.
- And then there is Solar Radiation. Our giant star is emitting radiation in the form of light and heat. This creates patterns of light and dark shadow (day/night), and hot and cold (seasons) on the different planets depending on their movement.
But this complicated celestial dance has one thing going for it: It is predictable. That watch, calendar, and sundial are pretty handy ways to keep tabs on our solar system.
In this lesson you’ll learn how gravity shapes our solar system and shed light on characteristics of the planets and beyond. You’ll watch four short animations that explain how our solar system formed, why Earth is special among its neighbors, and how we have unlocked the mysteries of space. After taking notes and online quizzes, you’ll have a chance to organize what you’ve learned, and create and outline. Finally, you will produce your own project to explain the properties, structures, and predictable motions of celestial bodies in the universe.
Answer the following questions in the notes box, below: