Download Find the Planet Facts column for each of the planets: Mercury: Venus

Find the Planet Facts column for
each of the planets:
Mercury:
1. Mercury feels the greatest heat from the
Sun (over 6 times stronger than on earth)
__because it doesn’t have much mass
__because it travels really fast (48km/second)
__because it is the closest planet to the sun
2. Why is Mercury referred to as “outside like
the moon, inside like Earth?”
___Mercury doesn’t have an atmoshpere like
our moon, but still has reasonable similar
weather to our Earth.
___ Because on the surface, Mercury looks a
lot like Earth’s Moon. But inside, Mercury
might be more like Earth: a dense, iron core
surrounded by a mantle that may still be
partially molten.
___ Mercury has lots of craters and smooth
lava plains like our moon, and a huge ocean
under the surface like our Earth’s oceans.
Venus:
Jupiter:
Why do you think there isn’t much of a
temperature range on Venus?
___Greenhouse effect from all the clouds that
cover Venus. The heat from the sun can’t
escape.
___The people who live on Venus have the
whole planet under climate control so it never
varies more than 10oC
___It’s too close to the sun to be any colder
than 460 degrees C.
If you were looking for a place to visit in your
space-craft in the general area of Jupiter,
where might you want to visit? (It can even be
one of Jupiter’s moons!)
Earth:
How long is one solar day on Earth?
___365 days
___24 hours/one day
___1 hour
Why do you think earth is special?
Mars:
The warmest day on Mars is about –5oC
(which is about 23oF). Would you feel hot or
cold on Mars?
Asteroid Belt:
What are asteroids composed of?
___Chunks of rock and metal
___Planets that have fallen apart
What is one difference between planets and
asteroids?
What would happen if your space-craft was
pulled into the Great Red Spot?
Saturn:
What makes up Saturn’s Rings?
___ Dust and rock particles
___ Billions of icy particles
___mini-comets trapped by Saturn’s gravity
Uranus:
If you lived on one of the poles on Uranus
(like our North Pole), how long would your
day be?
___17.24 earth hours
___84 earth years
___42 earth years
How long would your day and night be if you
lived on the equator of Uranus?
___17.24 earth hours
___84 earth years
___42 earth years
Neptune:
In what way is “The Great Dark Spot” on
Neptune similar to the “Great Red Spot” on
Jupiter?
Pluto:
What evidence do some scientists use to
suggest that Charon isn’t Pluto’s moon, but
instead is a co-planet or twin planet?