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Year 11
AQA
Foundation

The solar system

I can describe the main features of the solar system.

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New
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Year 11
AQA
Foundation

The solar system

I can describe the main features of the solar system.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The solar system includes the Sun, eight planets, dwarf planets and bands of smaller rocks.
  2. The planets, dwarf planets and bands of smaller rocks all move the same way around the Sun as they orbit it.
  3. Most planets in the solar system are orbited by one or more moons.
  4. Each moon orbits a planet because of the gravitational attraction between it and the planet.
  5. Each planet in the solar system orbits the Sun because of the gravitational attraction between it and the Sun.

Keywords

  • Solar system - the Sun and the collection of objects in orbit around it

  • Planet - a very large, spherical object in orbit around a star that has cleared the path of its orbit of other objects

  • Dwarf planet - a large object in orbit around a star that has not cleared the path of its orbit of other objects

  • Moon - a natural object in orbit around a planet

Common misconception

Gravity only acts close to the surface of a planet.

Provide examples of motions caused by gravitational forces acting over huge distances of space, such as the orbits of planets.


To help you plan your year 11 physics lesson on: The solar system, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Rather than discovering gravity, Isaac Newton realised that gravity was universal and acted between all bodies that had a mass. The relationship he derived that connects the mass and separation of objects to the force of gravity between them is covered in A-level physics.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
How many planets orbit the Sun?
none
one
Correct answer: eight
nine
thirteen
Q2.
What is the Asteroid Belt?
the name of the rings around Saturn
a group of moons that orbit Jupiter
Correct answer: a large number of rocks that orbit the Sun, between Mars and Jupiter
a large number of rocks that orbit the Sun beyond Pluto
Q3.
Put these planets in order of their distance from the Sun, starting with the planet closest to it.
1 - Mercury
2 - Venus
3 - Earth
4 - Mars
5 - Jupiter
6 - Saturn
7 - Uranus
Q4.
How long does it take Earth to orbit the Sun?
one day
28 days
one month
Correct answer: one year
Q5.
How long does it take the Moon to orbit Earth?
about one day
about one week
Correct answer: about one month
about one year
Q6.
How do the planets orbit the sun?
between the stars
in a line
Correct answer: at different distances
in a ring
Q6 image 3 UYSEG Q6 image 4 UYSEG

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these are dwarf planets?
Correct answer: Makemake
Mars
Mercury
Neptune
Correct answer: Pluto
Q2.
Which of these are regions in the Solar System that contain millions of rocks of all different sizes.
Correct answer: the Asteroid Belt
Correct answer: the Kuiper Belt
Neptune's Belt
Correct answer: the Oort Cloud
the Pluto Cloud
Q3.
Which of these planets has a moon called 'the Moon'?
no planets
Correct answer: just Earth
only Earth and Mars
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
Q4.
Why are moons that are bigger than the planet Mercury called moons rather than planets?
they are not part of the Solar System
they do not travel around the Sun
Correct answer: they orbit a planet
they orbit a star
Q5.
What best describes where gravitational force acts?
near to the surface of a planet
near to the surface of a planet with an atmosphere
within the Solar System
Correct answer: everywhere
Q6.
In which direction does the gravitational force of the Sun act on the planet Mars to make it orbit the Sun?
in a straight line in the direction in which Mars is moving
in a circle in the direction in which Mars is moving
Correct answer: in a straight line towards the centre of the Sun
in a straight line away from the centre of the Sun