Scie6 4th W8melc
Scie6 4th W8melc
Scie6 4th W8melc
Week 8
Day 1
Planets of the Solar
System: Colors, Sizes and
Relative Distances from the
Sun
Let us see if you could still recall the lessons
you learned about the relative distances of
planets from the Sun. Write T if the
statements is true and F if the statement is
false. Write your answers on a separate
sheet.
___1. The letters AU stand for astronomical
unit which is the term astronomers use to
measure the distances in the Solar System.
___2. The average distance of the Earth from
the Sun is 57 million kilometers.
___3. The amount of energy the planets receive
decreases as their distance from the Sun
increases.
___4. Neptune is the planet farthest from the
Sun with a distance of about 227.9 million
kilometers.
___5. Planets closer to the sun have higher
temperature than those located farther.
Show pictures of the different
planets and discuss it to the class.
Planets have different sizes. Some are
small. Some are very large. Jupiter is the
biggest planet and Mercury is the smallest.
Planets are located at different distances
from the Sun. Some are closer to the Sun.
Some are very far away. The closest planet
to the Sun is Mercury while the farthest is
Neptune.
Planets closer to the Sun have higher
temperature than those located farther. The
letters AU stand for astronomical unit which
is the term astronomers use to measure
distances in the Solar System. One
astronomical unit equals the average
distance between the Sun and Earth, or
approximately 150 million kilometers.
Kelvin (K) is the international system unit of
temperature which is equal in magnitude to
degree Celsius (⁰C). The Kelvin Scale is a
scale of temperature measured in degrees
Celsius with absolute zero (-273.15 ⁰C).
Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar
System. It is also the closest planet to the
Sun. Thus, it is called the innermost planet.
The Sun’s strong glare prevents you from
seeing Mercury with the naked eye, except
for short periods of about an hour before
sunrise and an hour after sunset.
It has a diameter of only 4,879 km at its
equator. The color of the planet Mercury is
dark grey and slightly brownish. Mercury
orbits only 0.39 AU (57.9 million km.) from
the Sun with -437 ⁰C when it is day and -
184 ⁰C at night.
Venus has often been called “Earth’s twin.” It
is the sixth largest planet in the Solar
System with a diameter of 12,104 km.
Surface temperatures on Venus are so high
because carbon dioxide in the atmosphere traps
energy which causes temperature near the
surface to remain high. The clouds of Venus are
mostly sulfuric acid which gives Venus its yellow-
white color. It is 0.723 AU (108.2 million km) from
the sun. Surface temperatures on Venus are
hotter than those on Mercury. Temperatures
average around 465 ⁰C.
Earth is the only planet in the Solar System that
has the combination of factors needed to support
life. It is the fifth largest planet in the Solar
System with the diameter of 12,756 km. Earth is
mostly blue with scattered white clouds. The
Earth circles in space around the Sun at a
distance of 1.0 AU (149.6 million km). It has an
average temperature of -89 ⁰C to 58 ⁰C.
Mars is a little more than half the size of the
Earth having a diameter of 6,792 km. It is
the seventh largest planet in the Solar
System. Mars is often referred to as the Red
Planet because it is covered with reddish
dust and rocks.
When the Viking probes visited the planet in
1976, they found that the whole surface has
a reddish-brown color. Mars has a distance
of 1.52 AU (227.9 million km) from the Sun
with a temperature of -140 ⁰C to 20 ⁰C.
Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar
System with a diameter of 142,984
kilometers, more than 11 times wider than
the Earth. Jupiter is also the massive planet.
Its mass is twice that of the other seven
planets combined.
The color is mostly in shades of orange, red,
brown, and yellow with whitish bands.
Jupiter lies more than three times as far
away from the Sun as Mars, at a distance of
some 5.20 AU (778.3 km). The gas giant
planets are cold. Jupiter has a surface
temperature of -150 ⁰C.
Saturn is well known for its system of three
rings. It is the second largest planet with an
equatorial diameter of 120,536 km. The
color of the elegant planet Saturn is Pale
Gold.
Due to the hydrogen in the atmosphere, the
clouds acquire a deep red color. But this red
color is obscured by the clouds of ammonia
which makes up the outer most layer and
covers the entire planet. This outer layer of
ammonia, however, is bright white in color
due to its exposure to the Sun.
The deep red clouds when combined with
the white ammonium give the beautiful pale
gold color. Saturn has a distance of 9.58 AU
(1.43 billion km) from the sun and a surface
temperature of -180 ⁰C.
Uranus is 51,118 kilometers in diameter
making it the third largest planet in the
Solar System. Just like Jupiter and Saturn,
the Voyager probe gave us our first look at
the planet in 1986. Uranus has a pale blue
color.
But what gives it the pale blue color is the
methane that is present in its atmosphere.
Uranus has a distance of 19.2 AU (2.871
billion km) from the Sun. The effective
temperature of Uranus atmosphere is 220
⁰C, the coldest in our Solar System.
Neptune is practically a twin to Uranus. It
has a diameter of 49,528 kilometers and is
the fourth largest planet in the Solar
System. The planet’s bluish color is caused
by the absorption of red light by methane.
But because Neptune does not have an
atmospheric haze like Uranus does, we can
see deeper into the atmosphere, so
Neptune appears blue, whereas Uranus is
blue-green. So, after Uranus comes the
planet Neptune, nearly 30.1 AU (4.5 billion
km) away from the Sun with an average
temperature of -210 ⁰C.
Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer.
Write the letter of your answer on a separate sheet
of paper.
1. Which of these is the third planet from the Sun?
A. Venus C. Mars
B. Mercury D. Earth
2. Which planet revolves the longest around the
Sun?
A. Jupiter C. Saturn
B. Neptune D. Uranus
3. Which of the following is the right order of
planets from the Sun?
A. Mercury, Mars, Neptune, Uranus
B. Mars, Mercury, Venus, Earth
C. Venus, Earth, Uranus, Saturn
D. Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
4. Does the distance from the Sun affect the
temperature of the planets?
A. No, because the planets have their own light.
B. No, because the planets get their temperature
from each other.
C. Yes, because the planets that are farther from
the Sun are hotter.
D. Yes, because the planets that are nearer to
the Sun are generally hotter.
5. Which statement below explains the
relationship between the distance of planets from
the Sun and its temperature?
A. The farther the planet is from the Sun the
hotter it becomes.
B. The farther the planet is from the Sun the
cooler it becomes.
C. The nearer the planet is from the Sun the
hotter it becomes.
D. Both B and C.
Directions: Study the chart of the planet’s
temperature and distances from the Sun.
Then, answer the questions that follow.
Write your answers on a separate sheet of
paper.
1. Which is the nearest planet to the Sun?
Which is the farthest?
2. Which is the nearest planet to the Sun?
Which is the farthest?
Which planet has the highest
temperature and which has the
lowest?
Directions: Write FACT if the statement is
correct and BLUFF if the statement is
incorrect.
_______1. Mars is often referred to as the
Red Planet because it is covered with
reddish dust and rocks.
_______2. The effective temperature of
Uranus’ atmosphere is 57K, the coldest in
the Solar System.
_______3. Jupiter is the second largest planet
in the Solar System with an equatorial
diameter of 120,536 km.
_______4. Earth is the fifth largest planet in
the Solar System with the diameter of 12,756
km.
_______5. The surface temperatures on Venus
are so high because carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere traps energy which causes
temperatures near the surface to remain high.
Day 2
Recall previous lesson...
Continuation of the topic...
Directions: Complete the table by filling in the
information about the colors and sizes/diameter of
each planet. Choose your answers from the box. Write
your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
Directions: Choose the answers in the box
to complete the paragraph. Write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper.