The Solar System

Lesson 1
An Overview
 Each dot of
light is one
galaxy,
representing
billions of
stars

The Universe
 Our solar
system orbits a
black hole that is
located in the
center of the
Milky Way
galaxy

The Milky Way Galaxy

 The Sun was
formed by gravity
pulling mass in on
itself. This
created nuclear
reactions that will
rage on for
billions of years.

The Sun
A True Scale of Planet Sizes &
Distances

Neptune, far right, is 30AU

(Astronomical Units) from the sun.
 The theoretical
“Oort Cloud”
contains the
furthest items
that the sun’s
gravity holds.
The edge is
122AU from the
sun.
The Entire Solar
System
 The Terrestrial Planets

All have molten activity and are made

of rock and metal
 The Giant Planets

Jupiter & Saturn are Gas Giants

Uranus & Neptune are Ice Giants
 Dwarf Planets

Examples of some of Dwarf

Planets & their moons
 Located
between
Mars
and
Jupiter

The Asteroid
Belt
 Located
just beyond
Neptune

The Kuiper Belt

 Beyond the
Kuiper Belt, the
Oort Cloud
encircles the
solar system in a
sphere of space
debris.

The debris is
captured by the
sun’s gravity
The Oort
Cloud
The Solar System

Lesson 1
An Overview