By, Ms. Vriksha
~for educational purposes only
Orbit
• Every object in the Solar system revolves
around the Sun in a path called an ORBIT
• Predictable path
• Orbits of planets have slightly elliptical shapelike oval
Planet
• Large round object that moves around a star,
like the Sun
• Cooler (temp) and smaller than stars
• Do not give off their own light-> reflects the
light of the star it orbits
• Stays in orbit because of gravity
Gravity and orbits
• In the solar system- sun and each of the
planets are attracted to each other because of
gravity
• Force of gravity between the Sun and a planer
moves the smaller mass of the planet
• Instead of moving in straight lines- gravity
causes them to move in an ellipse
Planets in our solar system
Inner Planets
Outer planets
1st four planets
Planets after the asteroid belt
Rocky- terrestrial
Gas giants
Few or no moons
Many moons
Satellite
• An object that orbits another object in space
• Our planet’s natural satellite is the Moon
• Moon moves in an elliptical orbit around the
Earth
• All planets except Mercury and Venus have at
least one moon
Why does the Earth’s gravity not cause
the Moon to crash into the Earth?
• Moon is always moving forward
• Forward movement balanced by the inward
pull of Earth’s gravity keeps it in orbit
Moon a satellite of the Sun?
• All the moons orbits the Sun along with their
planets
• If the Moon moved further from Earth and
closer to the Sun, how might its orbit
change??
Free Falling
• Is the experience of weightlessness
experienced by astronauts
• The spacecraft and the astronauts are falling
to the Earth at the same rate.
• Where have you experience weightlessness?
Vomit Comet
• NASA’s reduced gravity plane
• Training astronauts
• Side-effects: air sickness
Coming soon: The Inner Planets
• A presentation by Ms. Vriksha
~for educational purposes only