The Solar System 

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  • Planets reflect sunlight and Orbit the sun in Ellipses.
    • The Solar System
      • Stars and planets are very different to each other.
        • Planets are much smaller and just reflect light.
        • Planets are much much closer to us than any stars (except the sun)
    • Eight planets orbit the sun in almost circular paths (Ellipses).
    • Closest planets to the sun are inner planets.
      • Mercury, Venus, Earth And Mars.
        • Planets often have moons orbiting them, they ten to be much smaller and close to their planet.
          • Jupiter, Saturn Uranus and Neptune.
    • Outer planets are much further away.
      • Jupiter, Saturn Uranus and Neptune.
    • Asteroid belts
    • Comets, dwarf planets (pluto) and dust all orbit the sun.
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  • You can see some planets with the naked eye.
    • They look like stars, but they're totally different.
    • Stars and planets are very different to each other.
      • Planets are much smaller and just reflect light.
      • Planets are much much closer to us than any stars (except the sun)
  • The sun's diameter is over 100 times bigger than the Earth's.
    • Stars are huge, very hot and far away.
      • They give of lots of light which is why you can see them from far away.
  • The solar system is about 5 thousand million years old.
    • 1) It was formed over a very long period from big clouds of dust and gas.
    • 2) One cloud started to get squeezed slightly from perhaps a nearby star exploding.
    • 3) Gravity started to take over after the particles started to move closer to each other.
    • 4) Gravity pulled things together until the whole cloud started to collapse in on itself.
    • The Solar System
      • 5) At the centre of the collapse, particulates came together to form a protostar.
      • 6) When the temp got hot enough, fusion started.
      • 7) Hydrogen nuclei joined together to make helium.
      • 8) Fusion gives heat and light, so a star (our sun) was born.
      • 9) The energy of the sun and other stars come from hydrogen nuclei.
      • 10) Chemical elements in clouds of heavier atoms than helium and hydrogen are also formed in the stars by fusion of different nuclei.
      • 11) Planets are made of hydrogen, helium and heavier elements clumping together.
      • 12) Oldest rocks on Earth are meteorites.
    • Comets are balls of rock, dust and ice which orbit orbit the sun in elongated ellipses.
      • Asteroids and comets are smaller than most planets.
        • Asteroids and Comets are made of left over stuff from the formation of the solar system.
        • Asteroids are smallish lumps of rubble and rock.
        • The ice from a comet melts it gets closer to the sun.
          • This leaves a bright tail of gas and debris, that can be see from Earth.

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