Warm-Up 152
Inner Planet Facts
Name: Directions: Read and study the information below. Answer the questions.
• Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun. It is the smallest planet in the solar system. It takes
almost 59 Earth days to make one day on Mercury. The planet Mercury is not tilted on its
axis and the Sun is always directly over the equator.
Unit 18—Earth and Space Science: Inner Planets
• The second closest planet to the Sun is Venus. The planet Venus is just a little smaller than
the Earth. Venus has an average surface temperature of over 900 degrees F. It takes 225
Earth days for Venus to completely orbit the Sun. The surface pressure on Venus is 90 times
greater than on Earth. An astronaut would be both burned up and crushed on Venus. There
are no seasonal changes on the planets Mercury and Venus.
• Earth is the only planet able to support life. It has living plants and animals. Earth is the only
planet with both water and breathable air. It is the only planet with a great deal of water.
• Mars is a hard, rocky planet with many volcanoes. Mars is farther from the Sun than Earth.
Mars is the farthest inner planet from the Sun. Mars is the closest planet to Earth. The “Red
Planet” is another name for Mars. It is the coldest of the four inner planets. It takes 687 Earth
days for Mars to orbit the sun.
Questions
1.Which of the four planets described above would be the hardest planet for humans to live
on? Why?
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2.Which inner planet would you choose to live on other than Earth? Why?
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#3968 Daily Warm-Ups: Science
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Warm-Up 159
Outer Planet Facts
Name: Directions: Study the information about the outer planets. Answer the questions below.
• Saturn is famous for its ring system, which is very detailed. Saturn is so light that it would
float on water if there were a tank or a lake large enough to hold it. Saturn is the second
largest planet. Two planets have more than 60 moons in orbit around them. They are Jupiter
and Saturn.
• The axis of Uranus is at right angles to the Sun and the upright planets, so it seems to spin on
its side. Uranus is the third largest planet in the solar system. There are at least 11 main
rings around this planet.
• Neptune has some of the fastest winds in the solar system moving over 1,400 miles per hour at
times. Triton is the largest moon of Neptune. There are about nine faint rings around Neptune.
Questions
1.Which planet seems to spin on its side? ����������������������������������������������
2.Which planet has the fastest winds in the solar system? ��������������������������������
3.Which two planets each have over 60 moons?
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4.Which planet has a storm that has lasted for hundreds of years or longer?
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5.What is the largest moon in the solar system? ����������������������������������������
6.Which planet has the largest moon in the solar system? ��������������������������������
7.Which planet has as series of very faint rings? ����������������������������������������
8.Which planet could float on a lake—if a large enough lake could be found?
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9.Which is the second largest planet in the solar system? ��������������������������������
10. Which planet has 11 main rings? ����������������������������������������������������
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#3968 Daily Warm-Ups: Science
Unit 19—Earth and Space Science: Outer Planets
• Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. Jupiter is so large that it could hold all of the
other planets in the solar system, not just once, but three times. Jupiter is the fastest spinning
planet in the solar system. A famous storm system called the Great Red Spot travels around
Jupiter every six days. It has been going on for centuries or longer. The largest Moon in the
solar system is called “Ganymede.” It orbits around Jupiter.
Answer Key
Page 149—Sun Crossword
1.
3.
F
S
S O L
U
U
A
6.
W I N D
N
R
S
E
8.
P H O T O S
O
9.
T
H Y D R
S
E
A
10.
L I G H T
4.
5.
2.
H E L I U M
N
E
A R S Y S T E M
G
7.
Y
C O R E
O
P H E R E
O
O G E N
A
Page 150—Word Study
Accept appropriate responses.
Unit 17
Page 151—The Moon: Earth’s Traveling Companion
1.
C
2.
B
3.
B
4.
A
What Am I?: astronaut footprint
Page 152—Moon Terms
1.
waning
5.
diameter
9.
gibbous
2.
waxing
6.
surface
10.meteors
3.
crescent
7.
terminator
4.
weathering
8.
eclipse
Page 153—Moon Facts
1.
The Moon’s gravitational pull pulls on the Earth, creating
high tide on the water areas facing the Moon and low tides
on the opposite sides of the Earth.
2.
Weathering, seasons, climate, and changes to the surface
of the Moon don’t happen on the Moon.
3.
The Moon would need air, water, and enough gravity to hold
them on the surface of the Moon.
4.
Signs of life would show in fossils or remnants of living things.
Page 154—Phases of the Moon
Accept appropriate responses.
Page 155—Moon Terms
1.
gravity
3.
equator
6.
erosion
2.
climate
4.
atmosphere 7.
astronaut
climates
5.
features
8.
phases
Page 156—Word Study
Accept appropriate responses.
#3968 Daily Warm-Ups: Science
Unit 18
Page 157—The Inner Planets
1.
B
2.
C
3.
A
4.
B
Who Am I?: Venus
Page 158—Inner Planet Facts
1.
Accept appropriate responses. Many students might pick
Venus because of the heat but only Earth can sustain life.
2.
Accept appropriate responses.
Page 159—Inner Planet Terms
1.
inner planets 6.
seasons
11.atmosphere
2.
poles
7.
gravity
12.craters
3.
Mars
8.
Venus
13.moons
4.
temperature 9.
Mercury
14.orbit
5.
volcanoes
10.Earth
Questions:
1.
craters; volcanoes
2.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Page 160—Organizing the Planets
Mercury: 1, 5, 8, 9, 13
Venus: 2, 6, 7, 14
Earth: 4, 7, 10, 11
Mars: 3, 7, 12, 14, 15, 19
Page 161—Planets by the Numbers
1.
Mars
2.
Earth
3.
Venus
4.
Mercury
Page 162—Word Study
Accept appropriate responses.
Unit 19
Page 163—The Outer Planets
1.
B
2.
B
3.
A
4.
A
Who Am I?: Jupiter
Page 164—Outer Planets and Moons
1.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
2.
Ganymede
3.
Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, Io
4.
Jupiter: any of the four moons named above
Neptune: Triton
Saturn: Tethys, Titan
Uranus: Miranda
Page 165—Outer Planet Facts
1.
Uranus
4.
Jupiter
8.
Saturn
2.
Neptune
5.
Ganymede
9.
Saturn
3.
Jupiter,
6.
Jupiter
10. Uranus
Saturn
7.
Neptune
Page 166—Word Study
Accept appropriate responses.
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