Things in bold are important or keywords
Things in brackets are (less important), and may not be necessary to say
The Objective Notes
T Recall the components The planets in order from closest to furthest to the Sun. Inner/terrestrial planets are in blue, outer
H of our solar system and or gas giants are in red:-
E describe their relative Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
sizes and distances from
the sun.
S · Sun (Star)
O · Planets: The following table highlights the differences between terrestrial planets and gas planets:
L · Inner or terrestrial Property Terrestrial Planets Gas-Giant Planets
A planets (4) Location in the solar Nearest the Sun Outer part of solar system
R · Outer or gas giants system
(4)
S Size (or radius) Small Large
· Dwarf planets (5)
Y · Meteoroids- Mass Non-massive Massive
S Meteors-meteorites Density Dense Not dense
T · Asteroids Structure Solid, with iron cores Mostly gaseous with solid
E · Comets cores
M Chemical composition Heavy elements Primarily hydrogen and
helium
O Atmosphere Thin Deep and thick
B Exterior Warm Cold temperature
J Rotation Slow Fast
E Satellites Few Many
C Ring system No Yes
T
I
V
The dwarf planets from largest to smallest are:
E
, Eris, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Ceres.
1 Eris is the largest dwarf planet, and lives in the Kuiper Belt.
Pluto used to be considered the ninth planet, but was later removed, a topic that is still debated
T upon today. Pluto does not have enough mass to clear its orbit of dust and rocks. It is the second
O largest dwarf planet and lives in the Kuiper Belt.
While Haumea takes 285 years to orbit the Sun, it rotates incredibly fast – every 4 hours. It is the third
7 largest dwarf planet and is found in the Kuiper Belt.
Makemake has no atmosphere. It is found in the Kuiper Belt, and is the second smallest dwarf
planet.
Ceres is the smallest dwarf planet, and is the closest to the Sun. It has mysterious white spots, and
is found in the asteroid belt.
Meteoroids are rocky or metallic objects found in outer space. They range in size from a grain of
dust to a small asteroid.
When meteoroids enter the Earth’s (or any object with an atmosphere) atmosphere, they begin
burning up and are called meteors.
When a meteoroid survives the trip through the atmosphere and touches the ground, it is called a
meteorite.
Asteroids are bodies made primarily out of rock and are found in large groups called belts. Namely,
they are mostly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and the Kuiper Belt. However,
they can still be found in other places.
Comets are bodies of ice and frozen gases. When a comet comes close to the Sun, it often develops
one or more tails, which always point away from the Sun. Comets have very elliptical orbits. Comets
are usually found in the regions beyond Neptune, the Kuiper Belt, and Oort Cloud.
Things in brackets are (less important), and may not be necessary to say
The Objective Notes
T Recall the components The planets in order from closest to furthest to the Sun. Inner/terrestrial planets are in blue, outer
H of our solar system and or gas giants are in red:-
E describe their relative Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
sizes and distances from
the sun.
S · Sun (Star)
O · Planets: The following table highlights the differences between terrestrial planets and gas planets:
L · Inner or terrestrial Property Terrestrial Planets Gas-Giant Planets
A planets (4) Location in the solar Nearest the Sun Outer part of solar system
R · Outer or gas giants system
(4)
S Size (or radius) Small Large
· Dwarf planets (5)
Y · Meteoroids- Mass Non-massive Massive
S Meteors-meteorites Density Dense Not dense
T · Asteroids Structure Solid, with iron cores Mostly gaseous with solid
E · Comets cores
M Chemical composition Heavy elements Primarily hydrogen and
helium
O Atmosphere Thin Deep and thick
B Exterior Warm Cold temperature
J Rotation Slow Fast
E Satellites Few Many
C Ring system No Yes
T
I
V
The dwarf planets from largest to smallest are:
E
, Eris, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Ceres.
1 Eris is the largest dwarf planet, and lives in the Kuiper Belt.
Pluto used to be considered the ninth planet, but was later removed, a topic that is still debated
T upon today. Pluto does not have enough mass to clear its orbit of dust and rocks. It is the second
O largest dwarf planet and lives in the Kuiper Belt.
While Haumea takes 285 years to orbit the Sun, it rotates incredibly fast – every 4 hours. It is the third
7 largest dwarf planet and is found in the Kuiper Belt.
Makemake has no atmosphere. It is found in the Kuiper Belt, and is the second smallest dwarf
planet.
Ceres is the smallest dwarf planet, and is the closest to the Sun. It has mysterious white spots, and
is found in the asteroid belt.
Meteoroids are rocky or metallic objects found in outer space. They range in size from a grain of
dust to a small asteroid.
When meteoroids enter the Earth’s (or any object with an atmosphere) atmosphere, they begin
burning up and are called meteors.
When a meteoroid survives the trip through the atmosphere and touches the ground, it is called a
meteorite.
Asteroids are bodies made primarily out of rock and are found in large groups called belts. Namely,
they are mostly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and the Kuiper Belt. However,
they can still be found in other places.
Comets are bodies of ice and frozen gases. When a comet comes close to the Sun, it often develops
one or more tails, which always point away from the Sun. Comets have very elliptical orbits. Comets
are usually found in the regions beyond Neptune, the Kuiper Belt, and Oort Cloud.
