The Solar System
By: Shaheer Khan
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3
Inner and Outer Planets ------------------------------------------------- 4
The Asteroid Belt ----------------------------------------------------------- 5
Revolution Paths and Speeds ---------------------------------------- 6
Glossary ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
"The Solar System consists of the Sun and those celestial objects bound to it by gravity, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. Of the retinue of objects that orbit the Sun, most of the mass is contained within eight relatively solitary planets whose orbits are almost circular and lie within a nearly-flat disc called the ecliptic plane." (Wikipedia)
"The four smaller inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, also called the terrestrial planets, are primarily composed of rock and metal. The four outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn,Uranus and Neptune, also called the gas giants, are composed largely of hydrogen and helium and are far more massive than the terrestrials". (Wikipedia)
"The Solar System is also home to two regions populated by smaller objects. The asteroid belt, which lies between Mars and Jupiter, is similar to the terrestrial planets as it is composed mainly of rock and metal" (Wikipedia).
Watch the video below about NASA's planned mission to study the asteroid belt, and then post a response below.
Different planets in our solar system revolve around the sun at different speeds. The orbits are not always circular, but can be elliptical.
Click on the link below to access a FLASH simulation of the solar system. Try the zoom function, and change the speed of the simulation. Then come back and post a response to the prompt below