Introduction
In 1930, the celestial body known as Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Although its existance had been hypothesized as early as 1890, it was not seen until 1930, when it was declared the ninth planet. Since its discovery, there has been controversy over whether it was actually a planet. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) created a set of criteria to define a planet, and Pluto did not meet that criteria. As a result, Pluto's status as a planet was removed.
Task
For this project, you will
1) Research the definitions of various celestial bodies, including planets, moons, and dwarf planets.
2) Research the charactieristics of various celestial bodies, such as the sun, Earth, and Luna (the moon).
3) Hold a class debate to determine whether Pluto meets the criteria to be classified as a planet.
Process
First, you need to download a worksheet that matches the questions below. Each question is a link to a page that has the answers. If you download the Word document, you can click on the links while working on the document, the same as on this website. If you download the PDF document, you will need to come back to this website to click on the links.
Use the websites listed below to complete the worksheet.
You do not need to search any pages other than the ones this webquest sends you to.
In order to have a debate, we need to make sure we are all talking about the same things. Use the websites below to define the following terms. Then, use the same websites to complete the Celestial Body Chart.
Science Kids: Click on each definition to learn more.
Nine Planets: Scroll down to the bottom to learn about each celestial body
Solar Views: Information on each celestial body
NASA Solar System Exploration: Information on each celestial body, plus some definitions
Has a page that specifically defines planet and dwarf planet
Dust Bunny: Has information on the planets and Pluto only
The IAU has some definitions. Scroll to the FAQ at the bottom of the page.
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Celestial Body |
Definition |
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1) Planet |
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2) Dwarf Planet |
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3) Small Solar System Body |
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4) Star |
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5) Asteroid |
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6) Meteor |
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7) Comet |
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8) Moon A moon in general, not Earth’s Moon |
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Celestial Bodies
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Celestial Body |
Distance from the Sun |
Length of day (Earth time) |
Length of year (Earth time) |
Average temperature |
Atmosphere |
Made of |
Number of rings |
Number of moons |
Diameter |
Other Facts |
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Sun |
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Mercury |
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Venus |
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Earth |
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Earth’s Moon |
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Mars |
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Jupiter |
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Ganymede |
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Io |
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Europa |
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Saturn |
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Titan |
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Uranus |
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Neptune |
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Triton |
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Pluto |
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Charon |
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Evaluation
This project is for a homeschool cooperative course that is not graded.
Educators are encouraged to review the requirements of the project to create their own rubric for their class. Some points to consider:
- Are all questions answered fully?
- Are questions answered in student's own words?
Conclusion
We will have our debate in class and our audience will determine the winner.
Credits
References
Science Kids: Click on each definition to learn more.
Nine Planets: Scroll down to the bottom to learn about each celestial body
Solar Views: Information on each celestial body
NASA Solar System Exploration: Information on each celestial body, plus some definitions
Has a page that specifically defines planet and dwarf planet
Dust Bunny: Has information on the planets and Pluto only
The IAU has some definitions. Scroll to the FAQ at the bottom of the page.