The learner will be able to :

define Solar System.

know about physical properties of planets.
describe about life on Earth.
distinguish between Asteroids and Comets.

The solar system consists of the SUN; the nine planets,

over 100 satellites of the planets, the comets and asteroids,
and the interplanetary medium.

The Sun is by far the largest object in the solar system. It

contains more than 99.8% of the total mass of the Solar
System
There are nine planets and a large number of smaller
objects orbiting the Sun .

2.Venus
1.

Mercury
6.Saturn

8.Neptune

5. Jupiter

9.Pluto

4.Mars

7.Uranus

3.

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the eighth

largest . In Roman mythology Mercury is the God of
commerce, travel and thievery. Mercury has no known
satellites.

Mass: 3.30e23 kg
Density: 4,880 km
Orbit: 57,910,000 km (0.38AU) from Sun

Venus is the second planet from the Sun, the sixth largest and the
brightest. It is also regarded as Earths sister planet.
Venus is called the Goddess of love and beauty. It rotates
from east to west.
Diameter: 12,103.6 km
Orbit: 108,200,000 km
Mass: 4.869e24 kg

Earth is the third planet from the Sun ,the fifth

largest: and
the densest major body in the Solar System
having life on it..
. In Roman Mythology, the Goddess of the Earth was
TELLUSs - the fertile soil. 71 Percent of the Earth's surface
is covered with water. Earth has only one natural
satellite, the Moon.

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the

seventh largest. Mars is the God of War. Mars has

permanent ice caps at both poles composed mostly

of solid carbon dioxide ("dry ice").

Orbit:227,940,000 km from Sun

Diameter :6,794 km
Mass:: 6.4219e23
kg

Jupiter is the fifth and the largest planet from the

Sun . Jupiter
is more than twice as massive as all the other
planets
combined . Jupiter was the King of the Gods, The Great Red
Spot has been seen by Earthly observers for more than 300 years .
Jupiter has rings like Saturn's, but much fainter and smaller .
Orbit: 778,330,000 km) from Sun Diameter :
142,984 km Mass:: 1.900e27 kg

POSITION:2nd largest ,least dense ,sixth planet of

the solar system with very bright and thin rings.
Known as God Of Agriculture in Roman Mythology.
Diameter:: 120,536 km.
Mass : 5.68e26kg.
Satellites: 18 named satellites.

Position:3rd largest ,seventh

planet of solar System.
Appears to be blue in
colour,has bands of clouds,has
rings and is a gas planet.
20 named moons and 1
recently discovered.
Diameter : 51,118km.
Mass: 8.683e25kg.

POSITION :4TH largest,eighth planet of the Solar

System.
Known as God Of The Sea
Diameter:

49532km.

Mass: 1.0247e26kg

Position:Smallest and farthest planet.Known as God

Of The Underworld in Roman Mythology.Discovered in
1930 and has one satellite,Charon.

Diameter:2274 km.

Mass:1.27e22kg.

Comets have more volatile and more elliptical orbits than

asteroids.Known as Dirty Snowballs or Icy
Mudballs.They develop a tail as they approach the Sun
pointing away from Sun.
Example. COMET
HALLEY.

Castalia
Eros
POSITION: Mostly between Mars and Jupiter.
Known as Minor Planets or Planetoids.
No. of Asteroids with diameter greater than
200km. = 26.
LARGEST ASTEROID: 1 Ceres ,933 km
.diameter.

Is
believed
to have
begun
about
3500
million
years ago
in the
salty
waters of
the sea.

Liquid Water is essential for life as we know it.71%

of earths surface is covered with water in the form
of oceans,,polar ice, glaciers ,rivers and lakes.

The distribution of Water on Earth:

97.308%- oceans,seas,salt lakes, 0.61%
underground reservoirs, 0.009% lakes, 0.005%
soil as moisture

Glaciers and Polar ice contains

2.02% , atmosphere as vapour 0.001%
and rivers 0.0001% of water on Earth.

Our job is to go on trying to know

more and more about the Universe.
This search can never end,though we
know,yet we must not give up.In the
words of Isaac Newton __
The true delight is in the finding out
rather than in the knowing.

Acknowledgements :
Sh.V.K.Sodhi (lecturer
SCERT)
Websites of National
geographic ,
Discovery
and Nasa Govt .
Microsoft Encarta and
Science Reporter.