Morning Starters: Spring 2 - Solar System
Clip Description
The small dot in the photograph below is the planet Mercury as seen from Earth as it orbits the Sun. Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest planet in our solar system. Interestingly, it is not the hottest (that title belongs to Venus), but it is the fastest. It takes just 88 Earth days to orbit the Sun. Like the Moon, Mercury is covered with craters.
Credit: BBC NEWS
Word Challenge
Which -est ending superlative adjectives could be used to describe the different planets in our solar system?
e.g. Jupiter – largest Mars – reddest
Hint: Some superlative adjectives appear in the clip description.
Grammar Challenge
Using inverted commas, write a sentence that captures the excitement of an astronomer, who has just witnessed Mercury passing infront of the sun.
e.g. “Look, Mercury is transiting across the sun right now!” exclaimed the astronomer.
Number Challenge
During the day, Mercury’s temperature was 355°C. At night, the temperature dropped by 475°C.
What was the night-time temperature?
Critical Thinking
Imagine that a new planet has just been discovered. A team of astronomers has named it ‘Perfect Planet.’
What do you think conditions on Perfect Planet are like?