Cross curricular project: 2009 International Year of Astronomy
Aquest any es celebra l’Any Internacional de l’Astronomia, és per aquest motiu que el nostre centre, aquest curs, ha iniciat un projecte multidisciplinar sobre aquesta temàtica. Des de l’àrea de llengües estrangeres també s’han introduït continguts en llengua anglesa sobre el sistema solar. A continuació us mostrem el que han treballat els alumnes de 6è.
All About Our Solar System
Our solar system consists of the sun, planets, dwarf planets (or plutoids), moons, an asteroid belt, comets, meteors, and other objects. The sun is the centre of our solar system; the planets, over 61 moons, the asteroids, comets, meteoroids and other rocks and gas all orbit the Sun.
The Planets
The nine planets that orbit the sun are (in order from the Sun): Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter (the biggest planet in our Solar System), Saturn (with large, orbiting rings), Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (a dwarf planet or plutoid). A belt of asteroids (minor planets made of rock and metal) orbits between Mars and Jupiter. These objects all orbit the sun in roughly circular orbits that lie in the same plane, the ecliptic (Pluto is an exception; it has an elliptical orbit tilted over 17° from the ecliptic).
The inner planets (those planets that orbit close to the Sun) are quite different from the outer planets (those planets that orbit far from the Sun).
- The inner planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. They are relatively small, composed mostly of rock, and have few or no moons.
- The outer planets include: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. They are mostly huge, mostly gaseous, ringed, and have many moons (again, the exception is Pluto which is small, rocky, has one large moon and two small moons, and is considered to be a dwarf planet or plutoid).
Small Bodies
There are other smaller object that orbit the Sun, including asteroids, comets, meteoroids and dwarf planets.
- Asteroids (also called minor planets) are rocky or metallic objects, most of which orbit the Sun in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
- Comets are small, icy bodies that orbit the sun. They have very long tails.
- Meteoroids are small bodies that travel through space. They are stony and/or metallic and are smaller than asteroids. Most are very tiny.
Posa a prova els teus coneixements amb aquestes preguntes!!
Answer each of the questions below:1. How many planets and dwarf planets are in our Solar System?
6 - 9
2. Which planet (or dwarf planet) is closest to the Sun?
Venus - Mercury
3. Which planet (or dwarf planet) is now farthest from the Sun?
Neptune - Pluto
4. Which planet has prominent, beautiful rings?
Saturn - Mars
5. Do all the planets have moons?
No - Yes
6. Which planet has the shortest year?
Mercury - Earth
7. Which planet is the largest?
Jupiter - Uranus
8. Which planet is the hottest?
Venus - Mercury
9. What are asteroids made of?
rock and metals ice - ice
10. What star is closest to us?
Sun - Alpha Centauri