1.35 recall that the solar system is part of the Milky Way galaxy

What is a GALAXY?
Which galaxy are we in?
What type of galaxy are we in?
How many galaxies are there is the Universe?

1.34 Describe how the orbit of a comet differs from that of a planet

Three differences between planets and comets are:
Comets are usually made from _________
Comets have highly elliptical _______  compared to planets
Comets usually travel _________ than ________
Comets usually have long _______ , made when the heat from the Sun which vaporises the comet

 

1.33 Use the relationship between orbital speed, orbital radius and time period:

This is a graph showing the relationship between orbital speed and distance of planets from the sun.

1.32 Gravitational force

1.32- Explain that gravitational force:

• Causes the planets to orbit the sun
• Causes the moon and artificial satellites to orbit the Earth
• Causes comets to orbit the sun

Questions (roll mouse over to reveal answer)
What does small 'g' stand for in the equation W = mg
What is approximate value of 'g' on Earth?
What is approximate value of 'g' on the Moon?
What are the units for 'g'?
Why is this equation useful?
Why is 'g' different on different planets?
Which object in our solar system has the largest 'g'?
Explain why this object has the largest 'g'
Where on a planet is 'g' the greatest?
What happens to the value of 'g' as you go further away from a planet?
How does this affect your weight?
Find your mass on the bathroom scales and then find your weight on different planets (click this link: http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/), take a screen shot and upload the image to your blog

1.30 recall that the moon orbits the Earth and that some planets also have moons

How was the Moon formed?
The Giant Impactor Theory (sometimes called The Ejected Ring Theory): This theory proposes that a planetesimal (or small planet) the size of Mars struck the Earth just after the formation of the solar system, ejecting large volumes of heated material from the outer layers of both objects. A disk of orbiting material was formed, and this matter eventually stuck together to form the Moon in orbit around the Earth. This theory can explain why the Moon is made mostly of rock and how the rock was excessively heated. Furthermore, we see evidence in many places in the solar system that such collisions were common late in the formative stages of the solar system.
How old is the Moon?
About 4.5 billion years old
Why does the Moon only show one side to us all of the time?
The moon is also rotating on its own axis, causing us to only see one side of the moon
The Moon is slowly drifting away from us, by how much per year?
About 3.8 centimeters each year 
Explain what will eventually happen to it
It could become a planet of its own, orbiting around the sun
How much larger is the Sun than the Moon?
 416 times larger in terms of diameter
What natural phenomenon does this ratio help to observe?
Solar Eclipse
Insert a video (and source) of the answer to the question above

How far away is the Moon?
The distance fluctuates between 363,104 kilometers and 405,696 kilometers, as the moon is constantly orbiting around the earth
What was significant about the 19th March 2011 (regarding the Moon)?
The Moon would have been closest to the Earth (known as the Super Moon)
Why is there no atmosphere on the Moon?
The moon is not big enough and does not have enough gravitational force to hold a layer of atmosphere.
Why is the gravity on the Moon 1/6th than of Earth?
The moon is much smaller than the Earth, causing a weaker gravitational pull
How many people have stepped on the Moon? Who was the last?
12, Harrison Schmidt
Why does the Moon orbit the Earth?
The Earth has a gravitational pull on the Moon
How many days does it take to orbit?
About 28 days
What effect does the Moon have on the Earth?
It creates tides
Insert a video (and source) of the answer to the question above


Other planets have moons, find images if those moons
How many moons are there in our solar system?
There are a total of 166 moons in our solar system

The moon orbiting Jupiter, Europa

The moon orbiting Saturn, Titan

Phases of the Moon