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The Solar System — Reading Comprehension

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MS-ESS1-2
MS-ESS1-3

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This middle school science passage introduces students to the solar system, aligning with NGSS standards MS-ESS1-2 and MS-ESS1-3. The passage explains the formation of the solar system, the roles of the Sun, planets, moons, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. Students will learn about the structure and interactions within the solar system, including the differences between inner and outer planets, and the regions such as the asteroid belt, Kuiper Belt, and Oort Cloud. The text integrates scientific thinking, real-world implications, and connections to larger scientific principles. Activities include a quiz, writing prompts, classification and compare/contrast graphic organizers, and are designed for audio integration. This resource builds vocabulary and comprehension while fostering scientific inquiry and analysis.

CONTENT PREVIEW

The solar system is the collection of the Sun and all the objects that orbit around it, bound together by gravity. Scientists observe that planets move in regular paths around the Sun, which led to the discovery that the Sun contains over 99.8% of the system’s mass and acts as its center. Understanding the solar system is important because it helps us learn about the origins of Earth and the possible conditions for life elsewhere in the universe. This passage explores the structure, formation, and interactions of the solar system’s components.

Formation and Structure
The solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago from a nebula, which is a cloud of gas and dust in space. Due to gravity, this cloud collapsed, causing most of its material to gather at the center and form the Sun through a process called nuclear fusion. The remaining material spun around the Sun as a flat disk, gradually clumping together to create planets, moons, asteroids, and other bodies. The eight major planets are divided into two groups: the inner rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) and the outer giants (Jupiter and Saturn as gas giants; Uranus and Neptune as ice giants). The asteroid belt lies between Mars and Jupiter, containing rocky debris. Beyond Neptune, the Kuiper Belt holds icy bodies and dwarf planets like Pluto and Eris. Farther out, the Oort Cloud is a spherical shell of icy objects that may be the source of long-period comets.

Systems and Interactions
All bodies in the solar system interact through gravity and motion. The Sun’s gravity keeps planets in orbit, while planets’ gravity shapes the paths of their own moons and affects asteroids and comets. For example, Jupiter’s strong gravity influences the asteroid belt and helps shield inner planets from incoming comets. Moons orbit planets, and some, like Earth’s Moon, affect tides and even stabilize the planet’s axis. Scientists use telescopes, space probes, and mathematical models to study how these interactions occur and change over time. The scale of the solar system is enormous: Neptune is about 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth, and the Oort Cloud may extend up to 100,000 times farther than Earth’s distance from the Sun.

Real-World Implications and Connections
Studying the solar system provides evidence for how planetary systems form around other stars, which is key to searching for life beyond Earth. Understanding impacts from asteroids and comets helps us protect our planet. Technology developed for exploring space has led to advances in materials, robotics, and communication on Earth. The solar system is also a laboratory for understanding physical laws, such as gravity and motion, that apply throughout the universe.

The solar system’s components work as a system, with each part influencing the others. This interconnectedness demonstrates core scientific principles and helps answer big questions about our place in the universe.

Interesting Fact:
Jupiter is so massive that it could hold all the other planets combined and still have room left over!

What holds the solar system together?

GravityMagnetismElectricityAir pressure

Which object contains most of the mass in the solar system?

JupiterThe asteroid beltThe SunNeptune

What is the asteroid belt?

A region of icy bodies beyond NeptuneA ring of rocks between Mars and JupiterA layer of gas around the SunThe path comets follow

Which planets are called gas giants?

Earth and MarsJupiter and SaturnMercury and VenusUranus and Neptune

What does 'nuclear fusion' mean as used in the passage?

When atoms split to release energyWhen asteroids collideWhen atoms combine and release energyWhen planets form rings

What is a nebula in the context of solar system formation?