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This picture book could be used as an introduction into the "Letters to an Alien" activity.

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Aliens in Underpants Save the World (Paperback) - Walmart.com

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Arrives by Fri, Dec 30 Buy Aliens in Underpants Save the World (Paperback) at Walmart.com

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This video is a song that could be used to remember the order of the planets. This could make the information map easier to make for the students.

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Planet Order Song | Solar System for Kids

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This website has TONS of information for kids. It could be great for students to use to research different planets to make their "Paper Plate Planets".

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Articles, games and activities about our planetary neighbors

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This website can be used for students to research different planet diameters for the "Diameter Rounding" activity.

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Source: NASA/Lunar and Planetary Institute

Published: October 24, 2003

The Solar System

Planet Sizes

Mercury - 1,516mi (2,440km) radius; about 1/3 the size of Earth

Venus - 3,760mi (6,052km) radius; only slightly smaller than Earth

Earth - 3,959mi (6,371km) radius

Mars - 2,106mi (3,390km) radius; about half the size of Earth

Jupiter - 43,441mi (69,911km) radius; 11x Earth's size

Saturn - 36,184mi (58,232km) radius; 9x larger than Earth

Uranus - 15,759mi (25,362km) radius; 4x Earth's size

Neptune - 15,299mi (24,622km) radius; only slightly smaller than Uranus

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Solar System Sizes | NASA Solar System Exploration

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Source: NASA/Lunar and Planetary Institute Published: October 24, 2003 The Solar System Mercury - 1,516mi (2,440km) radius; about 1/3 the size of Earth Venus - 3,760mi (6,052km) radius; only slightly smaller than Earth Earth - 3,959mi (6,371km) radius Mars - 2,106mi (3,390km) radius; about half the size of Earth Jupiter - 43,441mi (69,911km) radius; 11x Earth's size Saturn - 36,184mi (58,232km) radius; 9x larger than Earth Uranus - 15,759mi (25,362km) radius; 4x Earth's size Neptune - 15,299mi (24,622km) radius; only slightly smaller than Uranus

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This book can be used to introduce the math activity, "Division Fact Sun".

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The Sun Is Kind of a Big Deal [Seluk, Nick, Seluk, Nick] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Sun Is Kind of a Big Deal

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This video can be used to introduce the concept of gravity to the class before the "Gravity" (drop test) activity.

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This website can be used for the "Planet Weather Hazards" activity and the "Weather Report" activity for students to find their research.

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Each of the planets in our solar system experiences its own unique weather. But one thing is certain: Only Earth has weather we can live with.

Let's take a weather tour of the solar system to see what each planet has to offer.

Mercury

Because it is so close to the Sun, any vacation on Mercury would be ruined by extreme temperatures. During the daytime, the Sun would appear three times larger and more than 10 times brighter than it does here on Earth.

All of that sunlight can push temperatures as high as 800℉. That's even hotter than the oven can get in your kitchen at home! Then at night, because there is no atmosphere to trap the daytime heat, temperatures can drop as low as -300℉. Brrr!
Learn more about Mercury!

Venus

You might think that because Mercury is so close to the Sun, it would hold the record for hottest planet in the solar system. But that title actually belongs to Venus.

Venus is covered by a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide and clouds made of sulfuric acid. Together, these act like a greenhouse, trapping heat and warming the planet. Venus can reach a scorching-hot average temperature of 847℉! If Venus ever had any oceans, they dried up long ago.
Learn more about Venus!

Mars

Daytime temperatures on Mars can be close to winter temperatures on Earth, reaching as high as 32℉. But Mars' thin atmosphere cannot hold onto heat from the Sun. So at night, temperatures can be more like -200℉.

The many orbiters and rovers that have been studying Mars have found that there might have once been a lot of water on the Red Planet. But what's left is not enough to feed a water cycle like the one we have on Earth. So, Mars is mostly desert.

And on Mars, the desert comes with giant dust storms that can cover the planet in dust for weeks. Smaller wind patterns also kick up "dust devils," like desert tornados.

Curious what the weather is like on Mars right now? Check out today's weather report from the Insight lander on Mars!
Learn more about Mars!

Jupiter

You couldn't really spend time on Jupiter's surface to experience the weather there. Jupiter is a gas giant-meaning it doesn't have a solid surface to stand on. That aside, we can still look at its weather.

Jupiter is a stormy planet that is probably best known for its Great Red Spot. The spot is actually a giant, wild storm that has been raging for more than 300 years.

But the Great Red Spot is certainly not Jupiter's only storm. The entire planet is covered in bands of swirling clouds high in the atmosphere that are likely made mostly of ammonia.
Learn more about Jupiter!

Saturn

By the time you reach gas giant Saturn and its beautiful rings, you are really far from the Sun - about 900 million miles. That's almost twice as far out as Jupiter. That distance comes with a freezing average temperature of about -285℉.

The most familiar weather in the solar system is actually on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Scientists believe that Titan experiences seasons, has clouds that rain and has an atmosphere made largely of nitrogen, just like ours.

Unfortunately, rather than a water cycle, Titan cycles a chemical called methane. The rain that falls from the clouds is methane, and it falls into lakes, rivers and seas of methane. And Titan is far too cold for human tourists.
Learn more about Saturn!

Uranus

Uranus is known as an ice giant, and it lives up to that name. Its temperature is about -360℉.

Uranus is also tilted on its axis by 98 degrees. Scientists believe that it was knocked on its side by a large object long ago.

Since Uranus is so far away, it takes about 84 Earth years to make a single orbit. And each of its seasons is 21 Earth years long!

Uranus' tilt causes some unusual seasonal changes as it orbits the Sun. In summer and winter, large parts of the planet see nothing but daytime or nighttime for the whole season - 21 years. In spring and fall, Uranus goes through a full day-to-night cycle every 17 hours. Uranus sometimes has huge storms, and this unusual seasonal cycle might play a part in them.
Learn more about Uranus!

Neptune

Neptune is way out there - an average of 2.8 billion miles from the Sun. That means the ice giant is seriously cold. The average temperature on Neptune is about -360℉.

If that sounds familiar, it's because Uranus is about the same temperature. The reason why the two planets are the same temperature at such different distances from the Sun is still a mystery.

Neptune has a thick atmosphere and is covered by constantly changing clouds that whip around the planet. Wind is the name of the game on Neptune. Wind speeds there have been measured at near 1,200 miles per hour, making them the fastest in the solar system!
Learn more about Neptune!

Earth has some pretty wild weather. But after seeing the other options in our solar system, it seems like a pretty good place to live!

The best way to handle Earth's extreme weather is to be prepared and keep an eye on the weather forecast. Thankfully, NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R) series of weather satellites is always monitoring severe weather.

GOES-R satellites track hurricanes, tornadoes and other big storms. These satellites also keep an eye on weather caused by the Sun - called space weather. With this information, meteorologists can make forecasts that help people stay safe.

Earth may not be the only planet with weather, but it's got the only weather we can live with!

Related Resources for Educators

NASA's Eyes on Extreme Weather
SCaN Planetary Weather Activities

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What Is the Weather Like on Other Planets?

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Each of the planets in our solar system experiences its own unique weather.

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This book could be used as an introduction to the "Can It Be Recycled" activity.

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The Life of a Little Plastic Bottle: Padded Board Book

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Have you ever wondered what happens to a plastic bottle when you no longer need it? This lovely bedtime story helps children understand how and why we should recycle our plastic.

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This site contains multiple different Indigenous American folklore that the students can use for the "Solar Folklore" activity.

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For centuries, humans have attempted to explain the Sun in terms of their own worldviews. The Sun can be a god, a demon, a mischievous spirit, an omnipotent creator or a ruthless taker of life. Whatever role it plays, most cultures have recognized the significance of the Sun as prime controller of all life on Earth.

As you read these, remember they were not stories created to entertain, nor were they written for children. These myths, legends and accounts represent their culture's worldview, a peoples' attempt to explain, understand, and come to grips with nature's phenomena. To the people who tell them, these reports are as relevant and true, as deeply meaningful and spiritually important, as any scientific explanations.

Indigenous American · Indigenous Australian· Mesopotamia· Judeo-Christian ·Other Cultures · Ancient Observatories · Rock Art · Solar Symbolism · Great Quotes· Other Resources

Indigenous American

North American

For more Indigenous American starlore, see Starlore of Native America.

Mezo & South American

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Indigenous Australian / Aborigine

No one knows what the earliest humans thought about the sky, for no records exist. However, the cultures of the Australian Aborigines, which have been passed down via legends, songs, and dances for more than 40,000 years, give us a glimpse of how these earliest known astronomers may have interpreted the Sun and stars.

The Indigenous people of Australia, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, represent the world's oldest and most long-lived cultures, a heritage rich in wisdom and insight. Before European intrusion, indigenous peoples inhabited most areas of the Australian continent. With more than 700 separate languages, distinctive lifestyles, and religious and cultural traditions in different regions, these adaptable and creative peoples had complex social systems with highly developed traditions reflecting their deep connection with the land and environment. Their view of the cosmos is based on their concept of the Dreaming -- a distance past when the Spirit Ancestors created the world. Aboriginal songs, dances, and tales convey how, long ago, the Spirit Ancestors created the natural world and entwined the people into a close interrelationship with nature and the sky. For more information see the Australian Museum's website Indigenous Australia.

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Mesopotamia

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Judeo-Christian

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Other Cultures

Ancient Egypt

African Cultures

China

Classical Greece and Rome

Inuit (Greenland)

Japan

Norse

Polynesia/Hawaii

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about-arts.com
A directory of literature related websites and discussion groups. Our page is listed under the "culture" hot button.

"The Sun is a mass of fiery stone, a little larger than Greece." Great Quotes

--Anaxagoras 434 BC

"Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you."

--Maori proverb

"The Universe is populated by innumerable suns, innumerable earths,
and perhaps, innumerable forms of life. That thought expresses the
essence of the Copernican revolution. No revelation more striking has
ever come from the scientific mind." --Robert Jastrow 1989

"To the best of our knowledge, our Sun is the only star proven to grow
vegetables." --Philip Scherrer 1973

"The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the
heavens." --Anaxagoras 459 BC

"The cosmos is all there is, all there ever was, and all there ever
will be." --Carl Sagan

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The raven image on some of the Native American folklore pages is actually a head-dress. The body is leather (or some kind of fabric) and serves as a hat. The wings fold down over the wearer's ears, and the tail folds back over one's neck. The beak protrudes from one's forehead. The artifact was produced by the Haida tribe of the Pacific Northwest. It is owned by the Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institutes. Washington D.C. The photographer is Don Eiler. The source for this info is: "Native American Arts and Crafts." Colin F. Taylor Ph.D et al. Salamander Books Ltd. 1995. London, page 98.

Newgrange image from knowth.com, an authorized associate of amazon.com

Featured in the 31 January 2005 issue of whatsfordinner.net, a daily, online magazine that presents fun, educational topics for parents and children to discuss during their family dinner.

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For centuries, humans have attempted to explain the Sun in terms of their own worldviews. The Sun can be a god, a demon, a mischievous spirit, an omnipotent creator or a ruthless taker of life. Whatever role it plays, most cultures have recognized the significance of the Sun as prime controller of all life on Earth.