Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our

Solar System?

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

In Our Corner of Space

• A solar system is made up of a star and the
planets and other bodies that revolve around it.

• The sun is the star at the center of our solar

system.

• Our solar system contains eight planets: Mercury,

Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune.

• A planet is a large round body that revolves

around a star in a clear orbit.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

In Our Corner of Space

• Dwarf planets are nearly round bodies whose orbits
cross those of other bodies. Pluto is a dwarf planet.

• An asteroid is made of rock and metal. Most

asteroids are in the asteroid belt between Mars
and Jupiter.

• A comet is a ball of rock and frozen gases that orbit

the sun in the areas at the edge of the solar system.

• Distances are measured using the astronomical unit,

or AU. One AU is the distance between Earth and the
sun―about 150 million km.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

In Our Corner of Space

• The inner planets are those closest to the sun:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Earth is the largest
and the densest of the inner planets.

• The outer planets are those farthest from the sun:

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. These planets
are the largest in our solar system.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

Planets Near and Far

• The inner planets have small diameters and thin
atmospheres.

• The inner planets are the smallest and warmest

planets. They have hard surfaces made of rock.

• The inner planets revolve around the sun more

quickly than the outer planets do.

• The inner planets are the only planets where probes

from Earth have landed.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

Planets Near and Far

• The outer planets are larger and less dense than the
inner planets are.

• The outer planets are giant balls of gases with very

small, solid cores.

• The outer planets rotate quickly, which makes for a

short day; however, these planets take a long time
to revolve once around the sun. Therefore, they
have short days but long years.

• Unlike the inner planets, the outer planets have

rings.
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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

The Inside Track

• Mercury has a thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide with
a surface like our moon’s. It is the smallest planet in
our solar system.

• The Messenger space probe took pictures of the deep

craters on Mercury’s surface.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

The Inside Track

• Venus has a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere, which
makes it boiling hot. Drops of acid fall from from its
clouds.

• The Venus Express probe took pictures of Venus’s

surface, revealing more than 1,600 volcanoes.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

The Inside Track

• Mars is dry and freezing cold. Huge dust storms blow
across Mars’s surface.

• The Mars Rover Spirit has sent images of Mars’s

surface back to Earth. Mars has mountains, wide
plains, canyons, volcanoes, and iron-rich red soil.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

The Inside Track

• Only Earth has water, soil, and air to support life.
Satellite images of Earth show large green areas.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

The Outside Track

• The outer planets are also called gas giants, because
they are made mostly of gases. They all have rings
made of dust, ice, or rock.

• Jupiter has at least 63 moons. Astronomers think

that Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, has an icy
surface that covers a cold, slushy ocean.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

The Outside Track

• Jupiter’s atmosphere is in constant motion. Its Great
Red Spot is a swirling storm that has raged for more
than 300 years.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

The Outside Track

• Saturn has thousands of rings. Scientists think
these rings are leftover pieces of comets, asteroids,
or moons that broke up long ago.

• Saturn’s atmosphere has winds that can blow at

speeds of 1,800 km/hr, which is faster than the
strongest winds from hurricanes on Earth.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

The Outside Track

• Uranus tilts so far on its axis that it looks as if it
revolves around the sun on its side. Methane gas
in its atmosphere gives Uranus its blue color.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

The Outside Track

• Neptune is the farthest planet in the solar system.

• From space, Neptune’s atmosphere looks blue.

Sometimes, white clouds of methane ice crystals
blow high across this planet.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

The Right Spot

• Out of the eight planets in our solar system, only
Earth has life as we know it.

• Scientists think Earth is the only planet with a life

zone. The life zone is the region of space where the
temperature range allows life to thrive.

• Our solar system’s life zone begins just outside

Venus’s orbit and ends before the orbit of Mars.

• If Earth were outside this life zone, it would be either

too hot or too cold for life to exist on our planet.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

The Right Spot

• Our moon is within the life zone but does not have
life. It doesn’t have an atmosphere or liquid water.

• Earth’s atmosphere does many things to support

life, such as trapping solar energy to keep Earth’s
temperature comfortable.

• Earth’s atmosphere contains the gases most living

things need, and it protects living things from
harmful solar radiation.

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Unit 6 Lesson 4 What Are the Planets in Our Solar System?

The Right Spot

• Earth’s oceans store and distribute heat from the
sun. Ocean currents carry heat away from the
equator and release heat near the poles.

• Without the oceans to store and distribute heat from

the sun, some places on Earth would be extremely
cold or extremely hot.

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