The Solar System and Friends… well, sometimes

David Serpa

Cohort 21 Tech 290

17 September 2008

Standards

• The solar system consists of planets and other bodies that orbit the Sun in predictable paths. As a basis for understanding this concept:

• 1.Students know the Sun, an average star, is the central and largest body in the solar system and is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium.

• 2.Students know the solar system includes the planet Earth, the Moon, the Sun, eight other planets and their satellites, and smaller objects, such as asteroids and comets.

• 3.Students know the path of a planet around the Sun is due to the gravitational attraction between the Sun and the planet.

Launch Screen

Topic 1 Topic 2 Topic 3

Topic 4

Topic 1

• The solar system consists of planets and other bodies that orbit the Sun in predictable paths. As a basis for understanding this concept:

The Beginnings

• Geocentric Thinking• The Greeks• Their Proof… Look

Up, Duh!• The Church Approves

!!!

The Ideas, Oh How They Change

• A Change from Geocentric Thinking

• Heliocentrism • Nicolas Copernicus • Uh-Oh, Someone’s

Not Happy

Modern Thinking

• Galileo Galilei• A New Invention, The

Telescope!!• Newton and His Laws• The Hubble

Telescope

Topic 2

• Students know the Sun, an average star, is the central and largest body in the solar system and is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium.

Basic Facts About the Sun

• Our Sun is actually… well, average

• The sun is the largest object in our solar system

• It contains approximately 98% of the total solar system mass

What is the Sun Made of?

• Materials we find here on Earth

• These materials are called elements

The Hydrogen and Helium of the Sun

• hydrogen & helium make up 99.9% of the sun’s elements.

• Wow! There is a lot of conversion going on up there.

Topic 3

• 2.Students know the solar system includes the planet Earth, the Moon, the Sun, eight other planets and their satellites, and smaller objects, such as asteroids and comets.

Our Galaxy

• The Big Bang Theory• Spinning and Heating• Shrinking and Heating• A Star is Born

Our Solar System

• Terrestrial Planets• Gas Giants• Pluto & Eris• Satellites

The Smaller Objects

• The Asteroid Belt• The Kuiper Belt• Comets

Topic 4

• 3.Students know the path of a planet around the Sun is due to the gravitational attraction between the Sun and the planet.Hey Earth,

How You Doin’?

Lookin’ Good Sun!

Gravity

• Objects don’t change direction unless…

• A Force of Attraction• Mass… Whatd Ya

Call My Momma?

Darn, I hate gravity!!

An Easy Explanation

• Ball and String Demo• Hand = Sun• Ball = Earth• String = You Guessed

it, Gravity

Common Misconceptions

• That’s an Orbit!• The Fall of the Space

Shuttle• So, Do Astronauts

really float?

Man, that’s a long ways

to fall!!!

References

• http://www.cde.ca.gov

• http://solarsystem.nasa.gov

• http://www.solarrings.com

• http://en.wikipedia.org

• http://www.astro.ufl.edu

• http://www.aerospaceweb.org

• http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov