Format
1. This program begins with a tour of the current evening sky.
2. We then discuss the formation of the Solar System, 4.5 billion years ago.
3. Participants view high-resolution imagery of the planets and discover what makes each unique.
4. Time is allowed for questions and answers.
Objectives
- Name in order, from nearest to farthest from the Sun, the planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.
- List any five objects in the Solar System based upon decreasing size. (e.g. Sun, Jupiter, Earth, comet, meteor)
- Describe objects in the Solar System based upon their physical state – which is solid, liquid, or gas?)
- Discuss the question: How do we know what we know about the Solar System?
Standards Alignment
State Standards
OHIO'S LEARNING STANDARDS
Grade 3: Earth and Space Science – Matter and Forms of Energy
- All objects and substances in the natural world are composed of matter.
- Matter exists in different states, each of which has different properties.
Grade 4: Earth and Space Science – Earth’s Surface
- Earth’s surface has specific characteristics and landforms that can be identified.
Grade 5: Earth and Space Science – Cycles and Patterns in the Solar System
- The Solar System includes the Sun and all celestial bodies that orbit the Sun. Each planet in the Solar System has unique characteristics.
- The Sun is one of many stars that exist in the Universe.
- Most of the cycles and patterns of motion between the Earth and Sun are predictable.
Grade 6: Earth and Space Science – Matter and Motion
- There are two categories of energy: kinetic and potential.
- An object’s motion can be described by its speed and the direction in which it is moving.
Grade 7: Earth and Space Science – Cycles and Patterns of the Earth and the Moon
- The relative patterns of motion and positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun cause solar and lunar eclipses, tides, and phases of the Moon.
Grade 8: Earth and Space Science – Forces and Motion
- Forces have magnitude and direction.
- Forces between objects act when the objects are in direct contact or when they are not touching.
- There are different types of potential energy.