Let's Explore The Planets                                                         Name________________________
Worksheet                                                                                  Date____________ Per._______
Solar System Information Chart
Locate the following information about each planet using whatever Internet and other sources are necessary.
Planet/
 Dimension
* Radius
(km.)
* Diameter 
(km.)
Average Distance 
From the Sun (km.)
Distance 
in  (A.U.)
Rotational 
Period
Period of 
Revolution
Mercury            
Venus            
Earth
           
Mars
           
Jupiter
           
Saturn
           
Uranus
           
Neptune
           
Pluto
           
*If you find the radius at you site, multiply by 2 to get the diameter, if you find the diameter,
divide by 2 to get the radius.
        Take the values you found for the diameters and change them into scientific notation using one digit in front of the decimal point and labeling each with the correct unit and power of 10 writing them under the number on the chart above.
        How take the values you found for the average distance in kilometers and do the same thing changing them into scientific notation and writing them below the other number in the blank.
        Now on the back list the planets in order from smallest to largest by diameter; then from shortest to longest rotation period; and finally from shortest to longest revolutionary period -  Which of these lists correlates directly with the distance from the sun?
        Using the formula Distance (D) = Rate (r) X Time (t), determine the length of time in seconds it would take the sunlight to reach Pluto traveling at the speed of light which is 300,000 kilometers per second.(Hint:  You can change the speed of light into scientific notation also ----> 3.0 X 105 km. per sec.)
        Some good sites to use for this are:
Nine Planets (Solar System Extrema)      Sun Planet and Satellite Data     NASA Planetary Data
Views of the Solar System    Orbits and Physical Characteristics of the Planets