Hello Students! Today I will be

your tour guide!!

A Vacation In Space

On the next slide you will see the

solar system. Click on the planets that you would like to

visit!

The Sun

Mercury

Venus

Earth

Mars

Click on the arrow to see

the rest of the solar system!

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Below the arrow button you will

always find a home button to go to the

first slide of planets!

The SunThe Sun is a star.

The sun is the center of our solar system.

The Sun’s energy helps to keep our planet warm and allow plants to grow.

The Sun is always shining somewhere on the Earth.

Click the home button when you’re done

reading about the Sun!

MercuryMercury is the closest planet to

the Sun.It is covered in craters.Mercury is so hot that metal

would melt on the surface.

VenusVenus is Earth’s closest neighbor.It is very hot and has a thick atmosphere.It would be impossible to live on Venus.It is one of the brightest planets in the sky.

EarthEarth is our home planet.It is the only planet that has liquid water on the surface.Earth has moving plates that cause mountains, earthquakes and volcanoes.It is also the only planet that supports life.

MarsMars is red in color because of rust in the soil.It is covered in volcanoes and valleys.It is hard to see the surface because of dust storms.

JupiterJupiter is the largest planet in

the solar system.Jupiter looks striped because of its atmosphere.Jupiter has powerful winds and storms.It has 63 moons!

SaturnSaturn is surrounded by beautiful rings.The rings are made of ice, dust and rocks.It is made up of hydrogen and helium.

UranusUranus is made of ice.It has 27 moons.The atmosphere of Uranus is still forming.

NeptuneNeptune is the farthest planet

from the Sun.

It has a cloudy atmosphere.Due to the distance from the Sun, it is very cold!

Now let’s travel to learn about other Solar System

facts!

What causes Day and Night?

• The earth’s rotation around its axis causes day and night to occur

• The side of the earth facing the sun experiences day. The other half of the earth that is away from the sun experiences night

• It takes 23 hours 56 minutes and 4.09 seconds to complete one complete rotation

What causes the seasons?

THE SUN is the central

cause of the seasons! Click on the picture

to find out how!

What causes the seasons?

• There are many causes for seasons – Heat from the sun– Position of the earth– The earth’s rotation and revolution

• Seasons North of the equator are always opposite to seasons South of the equator

• Winter is caused by the poles tilting away from the sun. Summer is caused by the poles tilting towards the sun. The angle of the sun’s rays that a certain area absorbs causes the changes in the seasons and climate

The Moon

• It is 2,000 meters across its surface• It is 250,000 miles away from earth• The surface is made of mostly dust• There are thousands of big holes

called craters on the surface and millions of smaller ones

• Earth’s moon changes.

Why does the moon change?

• The moon does not actually change shape

• The shape of the moon that we see depends on what part of the moon is lit up from the sun

• There are 8 stages: New, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, and Waning Crescent

• Phases of the Moon Video

http://www.kidsastronomy.com/astroskymap/lunar.htm

http://www.scienceray.com/Earth-Sciences/Meteorology/What-Causes-the-Day-and-Night-and-the-Seasons.226443

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/sun.html

http://www.windows.ucar.edu

THANKS TO: