P6.

1 The Solar System Wednesday 14 May 2025

Lesson objective(s): Key word(s):

-I will be able to name the planets in the correct order
-I will be able to identify the additional planets that orbit the Sun
-I will be able to state that gravity is what holds everything
together in the solar system

Starter:
Starter

What is the difference between a star and Where does the Sun get its energy
a planet
Stars are more massive. Stars (thermo) nuclear fusion
shine (emit light), planets reflect
light.
What colour are stars What is a galaxy and what is the name of
our galaxy
This depends on the temperature A galaxy is a group of stars held
of the star. together by gravity. Our galaxy is the
Milky Way.
List what you know about our universe
 SC1
I can name the different objects
Recall which orbit the Sun

The Solar System My Very Educated Mother

Just Served Us Nachos
Our Solar System: The Sun (our star) and all the objects which orbit it
This includes:

The ……… planets

Minor planets, such as Eris

and ………….

….……………….that orbit
planets and dwarf planets

Millions of …………………,
which are rocky objects
smaller than planets

Most asteroids are found

 Planet / Minor planet / Asteroid
Key Term: …………………………………..
An object which orbits the Sun but is not large enough or far enough from
another object defined as a planet

Key Term: …………………………………..

A lump of rock that orbits the Sun

Key Term: …………………………………..

Large spherical object that orbits the Sun without another similar object
close by
An object that orbits another object is known as a natural satellite

Moon orbits the Earth. Moon is the natural satellite.

Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos. The two moons are natural
satellites.
All the planets are natural satellites that orbit the Sun
It is the gravitational field between the planets & Sun that holds
everything in place.
Terrestrial planets (Earth sized and smaller) are rocky
worlds, composed of rock, silicate, water &/or carbon.
Jovial planets do not have solid surfaces. Instead, they are
composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, with traces of
methane, ammonia, water, and other gases in their
atmospheres.
Name all the plants in correct order starting from the Sun

Mercury - roman god who serves as messenger to the other gods

Venus - Roman goddess of love and beauty
Earth – Terra Mater (Mother Earth)
Mars – roman god of war
Jupiter - Roman god of the sky and of thunder
Saturn – roman god of agriculture
Uranus – represents the sky & heaven
Neptune – Roman God of the sea
 Other objects that orbit the Sun

1) Dwarf planets such as Pluto & Eris

2) Moons that orbit planets & dwarf planets
3) Asteroids between Mars & Jupiter
4) Kuiper belt outside Neptune
[Link]

This is how we perceive distant galaxies & stars in space

 P6.2.1 The Sun as a Star Wednesday 14 May 2025

Lesson objective(s): Key word(s):

- I will be able to say that the Sun is a star in the Solar system
- Light travels as an electromagnetic wave

Starter:
The speed of light = 3,000,000,000 m/s or 300,000 km/s

One light Year is the distance the light travels in one year.

speed x time

3,000,000,000 m/s x 365.25 days x 24 h x 3600s = 9.5 x 1015m OR

9,500,000,000,000,000m
The distance between the Sun & the Earth is 1,510,000 km

How long will it take for the light to reach the Earth?

Light = 300,000,000 m/s

Distance = 151,000,000,000 m
Time = 151,000,000,000 m ÷ 300,000,000 m/s = 503 seconds
1) The Sun has a mass of 99.86% of the mass of the solar system.

2) This is why the Sun has a huge gravitational force on the other planets.

3) The Sun causes the planets to follow their orbital planes.

Extended
Orbital speed v = 2πr
T
v = velocity
T = orbital period
r = radius of the orbit

Orbital period – the time taken for the planet to make one full orbit
around the Sun

Velocity – speed & direction

Calculate the orbital speed of the Earth around the Sun.

1) r = 150,000,000km
T = 1 year

2) Convert T to seconds
1 year = 365.25 days
365.25 days x 24 hours = 8766 hours
8766 hours = 8766 x 60 x 60
= 31,557,600 seconds

3) v = 2πr → 2 x π x 150,000,000 km = 29.85 km/s

T 31,557,600 s
You do: Calculate the orbital speed of Mercury around the Sun.

1) r = 58,000,000km
T = 88 days

2) Convert T to seconds
88 days x 24 hours = 2112 hours
2112 hours = 2112 x 60 x 60
= 7,603,200 seconds

3) v = 2πr → 2 x π x 58,000,000 km = 47.93 km/s

T 7,603,200 s
You do: Calculate the orbital speed of Jupiter around the Sun.

1) r = 778,000,000km
T = 4,333 days

2) Convert T to seconds
4,333 days x 24 hours = 103,992 hours
103,992 hours = 103,992 x 60 x 60
= 374,371,200 seconds

3) v = 2πr → 2 x π x 778,000,000 km = 13.06 km/s

T 374,371,200 s
Any object in orbit round the Sun is due to the gravitational attraction to
the Sun

Gravitational attraction is a non-contact force. E.g. electricity, magnetism,

gravity

As the radial distance between the Sun & the planet

1) The gravitational attraction decreases
2) The orbital speed decreases
 P6.2.1 The contents for a star Wednesday 14 May 2025

Lesson objective(s): Key word(s):

I will be able to state the elements that makes up the Sun

I will be able to name the main sources of radiation emitted by
the Sun

Starter:
The Sun in our solar system
The Sun in our solar system is of a medium mass. It is made up of

75% Hydrogen
24% Helium
1% Oxygen & Carbon

The glowing Hydrogen on the surface of the Sun radiates the following
energy found in the EMS

40% visible light

50% Infrared radiation
10% Ultraviolet radiation
 ThermoNuclear Fusion

Small nuclei can react to release energy in a process called nuclear fusion

Nuclear fusion: When two light nuclei join to form a heavier nucleus

Stars, including the Sun, use nuclear fusion to produce energy

Therefore, fusion reactions are very important to life on Earth

In most stars, hydrogen atoms are fused together to form helium and
produce lots of energy
Differences between fusion & fission
 P6.2.2 Life Cycle of Stars Wednesday 14 May 2025

Lesson objective(s): Key word(s):

- I will be able to describe the sequence for the life cycle of a

star

Starter:
Birth of a Star
Reference point: The Sun in the solar system is a MAIN SEQUENCE STAR , it
has a mass of 1.989 × 1030 kg.

Solar mass = 1.989 x 1030 kg.

 All stars form from a giant
cloud of hydrogen
gas and dust

Gravity within a nebula pulls the

particles closer together until it forms
a hot ball of gas, a protostar

As the particles are pulled closer

together the density of the protostar
will increase
 Main Sequence Star – similar to our Sun (<8 x 1.989 x 1030 kg)

Main Sequence Red giant Planetary nebula White Dwarf

Hydrogen Fuel has run A cloud of gas and The Helium fuel has
Star out. dust formed from fun out.
Hydrogen nuclei are Star fuses Helium the outer layers of The gravitational
fused together to form Nuclei to release a dying star field forces it to
Helium. energy. collapse in on itself.
This releases energy as It becomes smaller.
heat & light. Black Dwarf The temperature
All Fuel has run increases & emits
out, it cools down white light.
completely. Does
not emit thermal or
light energy.
Planetary Nebula:

White dwarf: <8 solar masses which has run out of fuel. Its own
gravitational field forces it to collapse & the hot core which now emits
white light as its surface temperature has increased. The final stage of its
cycle.

Black Dwarf: : <8 solar masses which has run out of fuel. No longer emits
light & thermal energy. (After the white dwarf)

Neutron star: >8 solar masses which ran out of fuel. A collapsed star
composed entirely of Neutrons
 Massive Sequence Star – similar to our Sun (>8 x 1.989 x 1030 kg)

Super Red giant Supernova Neutron Star

Massive stars Hydrogen Fuel has run the core of the
The star has to be
Hydrogen nuclei are out. star will collapse
8-15 solar mass
fused together to Star fuses Helium suddenly causing
form Helium. Nuclei to release a gigantic
This releases energy. explosion
energy as heat &
light.
Blackhole
The star has to be >15
solar mass
Supernova: >8 solar masses which ran out of fuel. The star exploded.

i) A supernova in 1054 in the Crab Nebula ii) A neutron star somewhere in it

 Tycho Supernova

[Link]
g/image/chandra/797
 Black hole: >8 solar masses. The final stage in its life cycle. After the
exploding Supernova, it had enough mass to collapse to a point where
gravity is so strong that light cannot escape. MAY 2024

[Link]
nd-educators
Star Life Cycle: From Birth To Death
Main sequence star cycle
Star <8 solar masses → red giant → white dwarf → black dwarf

a large mass star

Star > 8 solar masses → red supergiant → supernova → neutron star

a very large mass star

Star > 8 solar masses → red supergiant → supernova → black hole
 P6.2.3 Galaxies & the Universe Wednesday 14 May 2025

Lesson objective(s): Key word(s):

-I will be able to

Starter:
It is the gravitational force of the stars that holds each other in place
that makes up the galaxies. There are billions of stars that make many
galaxies.

The Sun is a star in the galaxy known as the Milky Way (our galaxy). There
may be 200,000,000,000 (200 billion) stars in the Milky Way.

Other stars that make up the Milky Way are much further away from the
Earth than the Sun is from the Earth.
The Andromeda Galaxy is our closest spiral neighbour, Infra red image
Solar system → Galaxies → Universe
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
The Big Bang Theory: the Universe expanded from a single point of high
density and temperature

Around 13.8 billion years ago, the Universe began from a very small
region that was extremely hot and dense
•Then there was a giant explosion, which is known as the Big Bang
•This caused the universe to expand from a single point, cooling as it does
so, to form the universe today
The Big Bang Theory: the Universe expanded from a single point of high
density and temperature

•Redshift in the light from distant galaxies is evidence that the Universe is
expanding and supports the Big Bang Theory
Blue shift Red shift
The galaxies are close together The galaxies are far away