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THE SOLAR SYSTEM
MERCURY
• Closest to the sun
• Travels around the sun faster than any other
planet (88 days to completely orbit)
• Smallest planet (~continental US)
• Daytime temps can reach 840 F and nighttime
temps can get as low as -275 F
• No water but possible presence of ice
VENUS
• 2nd closest to the sun; closest planet to Earth
• Earth’s “twin”
• Clouds are made mostly of poisonous sulfuric
acid
• Due to greenhouse effect, temps can reach up
to 870 F
• Brightest planet
MARS
• 4th closest to the sun
• Has seasons but atmosphere is too thin for
liquid water to exist for long on the surface
• Two moons (Phobos and Deimos)
• Twice as big as the moon but half as big as
Earth
MARS’ RIVERBEDS
JUPITER
• 5th planet from the sun
• Largest planet in the solar system (2.5x more
massive than all of the other planets in the solar
system combined)
• Fastest spinning planet (10 hours)
• 67 moons
SATURN
• 6th planet from the sun
• Gas giant, but possible rocky core
• Roughly 0.9 billion miles from the sun
• 150 moons
URANUS
• 7th planet from the sun
• Rotates at a 90 degree angle (possibly
due to collision with some other body)
• Originally thought to be a star
• Bright blue-green due to methane gas
in its atmosphere
• 64 Earths could fit inside it
NEPTUNE
• 8th planet from the sun (2.8 billion
miles)
• Smallest of the gas giants
• Coldest planet in the solar system
• Existence was predicted before it was
ultimately found
• Considered an “ice giant” due to water,
ammonia and methane ices under its
atmosphere
THE SOLAR SYSTEM
• Name the 8 planets in order of distance from the sun.
• Which planets are outer/gas planets?
• Which planets are inner/terrestrial planets?
• Which planets have rings?
• Which planets do not have moons?