The Solar System

What the syllabus asks of you

• Describe the Solar System as containing: (a) one star, the Sun (b) the eight named planets and know their order from the Sun (c) minor planets that orbit the Sun, including dwarf planets such as Pluto and asteroids in the asteroid belt (d) moons, that orbit the planets (e) smaller Solar System bodies, including comets and natural satellites
• Analyse and interpret planetary data about orbital distance, orbital period, density, surface temperature and uniform gravitational field strength at the planet’s surface
• Know that the strength of the gravitational field: (a) at the surface of a planet depends on the mass of the planet (b) around a planet decreases as the distance from the planet increases
• Know that the Sun contains most of the mass of the Solar System and that the strength of the gravitational field at the surface of the Sun is greater than the strength of the gravitational field at the surface of the planets
• Know that the force that keeps an object in orbit around the Sun is the gravitational attraction of the Sun
• Know that the strength of the Sun’s gravitational field decreases and that the orbital speeds of the planets decrease as the distance from the Sun increases