Solar System

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/solar-system

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How heavy is the Solar System?The Sun contains over 99.86% of the Solar System's total mass
2. What is the formation epoch?Approximately 4.6 billion years ago
3. What is the inner solar system composition?Terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) are primarily rocky and metallic

Protoplanetary Disk: A rotating disk of dense gas and dust surrounding a newly formed star, from which planets form.
Frost Line: The distance from a star beyond which volatile compounds like water and methane can condense into ice.
Accretion: The process by which small particles clump together to form larger bodies.
Heliosphere: The vast bubble of charged particles emitted by the Sun that surrounds the Solar System.