Earth and Space Systems

Glossary
TERM DEFINITION
systems groups of related parts that work together to perform a task or complete a process

natural systems a group of related parts working together that was not made by humans

planet a large object that is nearly spherical, orbits the Sun, and has no other
objects of comparable size in its orbit

moon a natural satellite of a planet, dwarf planet, or asteroid

galaxy a system made up of a large number of stars held together by gravity

orbits one of three variations in Earth's movement as it orbits the Sun; includes
orbital eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession

comet a celestial body made up of a nucleus, coma, and tail that orbits the Sun; ice, frozen carbon
dioxide, rock, and dust make up the nucleus, which heats up and releases gas and dust
when it passes close to the Sun

asteroid a small, rocky body that orbits the Sun; most asteroids lie in the main asteroid belt situated
between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter

satellite satellite

dwarf planet an object that is nearly spherical, orbits the Sun, and has other objects of comparable size in
its orbit

Kuiper Belt a region of space beyond the planet Neptune that contains many icy objects

stars a system made up of a large number of stars held together by gravity

Objective
In this lesson, you will
develop a model of the solar system, and explain how the parts of the solar system interact.
What Is a System?
human made
Systems may be natural or __________-________.
use
____________ systems exist in nature and were not created by humans.

Sun
 All the ________________ in the solar system move around the Sun.
Human-made
pulley
 simple as a fishing rod or even a ____________ used to draw water from a well
road
 complex as a ________ and rail transportation system or a spacecraft sent to the ________
subsystem
A __________________ is a smaller system within a larger system.
subsystem
 Earth and the Moon form a ____________________ within our solar system, which is a subsystem of
Milky
the __________ Way galaxy.
______

Modeling Our Solar System

gravity
subsystems paths as they travel around the Sun. The Sun’s ______________
The planets follow these ____________
orbits
makes the planets move in this way. It pulls on the planets, keeping them in motion in their ____________.

idea
Modeling is a way to ________________ Modeling
or _____________ a particular idea or
concept.

moons
 Models do have some ______________________.

updated
 Often a model is made with certain _______________________.

 A model of the solar system may contain all of the planets and the Sun, but it may not include the planets’
system and ________________
individual moons or every __________ show in the solar system.

 need to be updated regularly with new information

regularly
 Example: Older models of the solar system may show ________ planets, which we now know is inaccurate.

 can draw by hand or even use computer software

 Creating a Model
Question 1
Part A
The table shows the diameters of the planets in our solar system.
1. Find the scale (ratio) between Jupiter and the basketball.
2. Then use this ratio to find the scaled diameter of the other planets.
3. Enter these numbers into the table.
4. Finally, choose a real-world spherical or nearly spherical object that matches the scaled diameter of each
planet.
Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune

Diameter (km) 4,879 12,104 12,756 6,792 142,984 120,536 51,118 49,528
Scaled 0 0 0 0 0 0
25 21
Diameter (cm)
0 0 0 0 0 0
deflated
Spherical object basketball
basketball

Part D
The Sun has a diameter of about 1,400,000 kilometers. Based on the scale established earlier, how tall do
you think a sphere that represents the Sun would be? What would a real-world example of this
measurement be? The sphere would be about 250 centimeters tall. That’s about the height of a doorway.
The sphere would be about 250 centimeters tall. That’s about the height of a doorway.

Based on their __________ from the _____, planets can be classified as inner planets or outer planets.
Inner planets:
mecury
1. _____________
venus
2. _____________
earth
3. _____________
mars
4. _____________

Outer planets:
jubter
1. _____________
saturn
2. _____________
uranus
3. _____________
metune
4. _____________
Objects in The Solar System
celestial
In our solar system, a nearly round __________________ orbits
body that ____________ the Sun is called a
planet
____________. path
A ____________ orbit is maintained by the gravitational ________ of the planet it is near.
moon’s planet. Pluto does have moons, but there are also other objects in its
Pluto is an example of a __________
means which means it is not the sole gravitationally dominant __________
neighborhood ________,
______________ force in its orbit.

Moons
natural __________,
A __________ satellite commonly called a moon, is a smaller body that ____________
orbits a larger object
in space. Earth has one more than one natural satellite.

Asteroids Comets
rock
Asteroids are composed of ________ or ice
Comets are celestial bodies made of ______and rock
________.
metal
__________.
Sun the ice slowly
When comets travel close to the ______,
moons
Some asteroids have ___________ of their vapor
turns to __________ comet around
and falls away. The ________
own. Earth that may be thousands of
the comet then forms a ________
miles
__________ long.
belt between the
Asteroids lie mostly in a ______
Mars and ______________.
orbits of ________ Jupiter Halley’s Comet is a short- long- period comet with
76 years.
an orbital period of about ____

Meteoroids
rock
A meteoroid is a small object made up of ________ metal
or __________ that travels through space. These
meteors
objects become ____________, sometimes called shooting stars, when they interact with a planet’s
when
____________________. They burn up as they fall through the atmosphere. Pieces of these objects that
surface
make it to the ______________ meteorites
of a planet without burning up are known as ____________________.

meteor
A ____________ shower
____________ is a cosmic event that can be seen from Earth. It occurs when a number of
burn
meteoroids ________ up in the planet’s atmosphere as ______________.
____ meteors
 With advancements in space research and technology, there are also human-made objects orbiting in
space alongside celestial bodies:
Earth
human-made satellites - machines placed in orbit around __________ information
to collect ____________________
communication
spacecraft - vehicles designed to travel to outer space for __________________________ and exploration
Earth
orbital debris - human-made objects in orbit around __________ that no longer serve a purpose

Summary
Why are models vital to the study of Earth and space systems?