Lesson 11 of 12
🌏 The Solar System & Space
What You'll Learn
- planets and their properties
- scale of the solar system
- gravity and orbits
- stars and the life cycle
Key Concepts
Our solar system has 8 planets orbiting the Sun. Inner rocky planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars. Outer gas giants: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
Gravity keeps planets in orbit. The Sun contains 99.8% of the solar system's mass. Light from the Sun takes ~8 minutes to reach Earth.
Stars like our Sun fuse hydrogen into helium. A star's lifecycle depends on mass. Massive stars end as supernovae and black holes; medium stars like our Sun become red giants then white dwarfs.
🔬 Virtual Lab
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Quick Check
What holds planets in their orbits around the Sun?
How long does light from the Sun take to reach Earth?