4th Grade
Agnes Scott Observatory Tour: Follow-Up Worksheet!
1. Write the name of each planet in the blanks provided. (NOT drawn to scale.)
2. All of the planets listed below share a common quality except one. Which
one is different?
a. Jupiter
b. Venus
c. Saturn
d. Neptune
3. What is different about that planet?
This work was supported by a grant from the Georgia Space Grant Consortium.
4th Grade
4. Organize these qualities inside the Venn Diagram. Things that are only true
for stars go on the left and planets on the right. If something is true for both of
them put it in the middle.
Explain how three of the traits occur.
● Are various colors
● Give off light
● Are really, really hot
● Appear to change position in the sky
● Are really, really big
● Can have multiple of them in a solar system
● Can live on them
● Produce energy
Stars Only Both
Planets
Only
This work was supported by a grant from the Georgia Space Grant Consortium.
4th Grade
5. Match each planet with its description.
A. This planet is known for its massive a) Earth
size and violent storms. One storm
is so huge three Earths could fit
inside it—and it has been raging for
at least 400 years!
b) Saturn
B. This one is small and rocky; it is
scorching hot on the side that faces
the sun but freezing cold on its dark
side.
C. Known for its giant rings, this c) Neptune
planet is a beautiful gas giant.
D. The hottest planet in the solar d) Venus
system, this planet is covered in
lava flows. Scientists think it
became hot because of a ‘runaway
greenhouse effect’—meaning carbon
dioxide in its atmosphere trapped
heat over time, preventing it from
cooling down.
E. This planet is the only one capable e) Mars
of sustaining life as we know it in
our solar system.
F. This gas giant is tilted from the f) Mercury
typical axis so that it rotates almost
on its side. This was likely due to a
collision (or many collisions) with a
giant object like an asteroid.
G. Known as “the red planet,” this g) Uranus
planet is cold and barren, though it
may have once had liquid water on
This work was supported by a grant from the Georgia Space Grant Consortium.
4th Grade
its surface.
h) Jupiter
H. This blue planet is named for the
Roman god of the sea.
Answers
1.
This questions aligns with standard(s) S4E2d
2. b: Venus
This questions aligns with standard(s) The Earth from 3-5th Grade Benchmarks
3. Venus is a terrestrial planet while the others are Jovian. A terrestrial planet is small and
made primarily of rock while Jovians are large and mostly composed of gas. Mercury,
Venus, Mars and Earth are terrestrial planets. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are
jovian planets or gas giants.
This questions aligns with standard(s) The Earth from 3-5th Grade Benchmarks
4.
This work was supported by a grant from the Georgia Space Grant Consortium.
4th Grade
Stars Bo
Planets
Only th
Give off Can live on Only
light them
Are
various
Produce Appear to
colors
energy Can have change
Are really, multiple position in
really hot in a solar the sky
Are really, system (excluding
really big the sun)
Give off light: Stars are the only natural thing that can produce light (excluding some
cool
plants and animals). They do this through a process called fusion, turning one
element into another. This is the same process that creates energy and heat.
Produce energy: Stars are the only natural thing that can produce energy (in the sense we
are speaking of). They do this through a process called fusion, turning one
element into another. This is the the same process that creates light and heat.
Are really, really hot: Stars are the hottest things in the universe. The fusion process
creates this heat. Other hot things (like supernovae) are caused by stars.
Are really, really big: Stars are typically larger than planets. Although this is not always
the case (white dwarfs), this is a good distinction especially considering how
much larger the sun is than our planets and that our sun is average in size.
Are various colors: Stars can be various colors due to their temperature, blue is hot and
red is cold. The colors in the middle follow rainbow order. Planets are different
color due to their composition.
This work was supported by a grant from the Georgia Space Grant Consortium.
4th Grade
Can have multiple in a solar system: We have
multiple planets in our solar system. Most
solar system actually have more than one star. This is called a binary star system.
This means that the stars are orbiting around each other.
Can life on them: To our knowledge, no type of life could survive the extreme conditions
(hot burning gas) that occurs on stars.
Appear to change position in the sky: Since the planets are inside our solar system they
move across the night sky, they orbit and we do too.
This questions aligns with standard(s) S4E1abc, The Universe from 3-5th Grade Benchmark,
The Earth from 3-5th Grade Benchmark
5.
a. h: Jupiter
b. f: Mercury
c. b: Saturn
d. d: Venus
e. a: Earth
f. g: Uranus
g. e: Mars
h. c: Neptune
This questions aligns with standard(s) The Universe from 3-5th Grade Benchmark
During the tour, your guide might have also covered standard(s) S4P2, S4P3, S4CS4b,
S4CS8cd, S4E2 Motion and Forces from 3-5th Grade Benchmark, Flow of Matter and Energy
from 3-5th Grade Benchmark as well as the ones above.
This work was supported by a grant from the Georgia Space Grant Consortium.
