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Planet Cards Activity Worksheet

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Planet Cards Activity Worksheet

You are helping a space agency check a set of planet information cards. Use the fact file to solve the challenges, then create a scientifically sensible planet card of your own.

Planet fact file

Mean distance is measured from the Sun. Orbital period is the time taken to complete one orbit. The figures are rounded.

Mercury Mean distance: 58 million km Orbital period: 88 Earth days

Earth Mean distance: 150 million km Orbital period: 365 days (1 year)

Jupiter Mean distance: 778 million km Orbital period: 11.9 Earth years

Saturn Mean distance: 1,434 million km Orbital period: 29.5 Earth years

Neptune Mean distance: 4,495 million km Orbital period: 165 Earth years

Uranus Mean distance: 2,871 million km Orbital period: 84 Earth years

Venus Mean distance: 108 million km Orbital period: 225 Earth days

Mars Mean distance: 228 million km Orbital period: 687 Earth days

Decode the cards

Use the planet data cards to answer each challenge.

1.A card has gone missing its name. It says: mean distance 58 million km and orbital period 88 Earth days. Which planet belongs on it?

2.Which planet takes the longest to complete one orbit of the Sun? Choose the best answer.

Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Jupiter

3.Put these planets in order from closest to farthest from the Sun: Earth, Mercury, Mars, Venus.

4.True or false: Jupiter is farther from the Sun than Saturn.

TrueFalse

5.Fact note: Planetary orbits are curved paths, and their motion follows a regular pattern that can be predicted. Complete the sentence using the word bank: Planets usually travel around the Sun in paths.

6.Use the fact note and word bank to complete the sentence: Planetary motion is . Word bank: predictable, irregular, straight, curved.

7.Match each planet to its characteristic.

Earth
Jupiter
Saturn
Mercury

Smallest planet and closest to the Sun
Completes one orbit in about 365 days
Largest planet in the Solar System
Famous for its prominent rings

8.A planet’s year lasts 84 Earth years. Identify it, then compare its year with Earth’s: how many times as long is it?

9.Explain why a planet farther from the Sun generally takes longer to complete an orbit. Include what its path is around and how distance affects the journey.

Create a planet card

Invent a planet that could fit into the Solar System data set. Give it a position and an orbital period that make sense together. Add a labelled drawing and explain your reasoning.

10.Design an imaginary planet card. Include a planet name, a mean distance from the Sun in million kilometres, an estimated orbital period, and two labelled features. For a planet beyond Neptune, choose a period longer than 165 Earth years; for one between Earth and Mars, choose a period between 1 and 1.9 Earth years.

Draw your imaginary planet and label two visible features.

11.Compare your invented planet’s year with Earth’s year. Is it longer or shorter? Explain how its position relative to the Sun supports your answer.