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Inner Planets
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Inner Solar System Orbit
The Path of Orbit
The Sun
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The sun is the
biggest, brightest, and
hottest object in the
solar system.
The sun is an
ordinary star.
The sun is made of
about 70% hydrogen
and 28% helium.
The Sun
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A sun-centered solar
system is called
heliocentric
The planets orbit in
an ellipse – an
elongated circle
Sunspots are areas of
gas that are cooler
than surrounding
gases
Solar flares are
explosions of
hydrogen gas
 Nuclear fusion is
what powers the
sun
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Inner Planets
Mercury
 Venus
 Earth
 Mars
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Terrestrial planets
 made up of small
rocks
 smaller & denser
than the other
planets
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Mercury
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Mercury is solid and is
covered with craters.
Mercury has almost no
atmosphere.
Mercury is the smallest
planet.
Mercury has no moons.
Has the shortest path
(revolutuion) around the
earth.
-173 to 427° C
70% metal, 30% silicates
Mariner 10 & Messenger
space probes
Venus
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Venus rotation is retrograde,
it’s rotation is east to west.
The atmosphere is always
cloudy and Hot, and the CO2
completely hides the surface
and traps the heat.
92x greater pressure than
Earth (same as deep ocean)
Has no moons.
More than 20 space probes
from USA & USSR
The surface is rocky and very
hot.
.815 x size Earth
Average temp of 462°C
Earth
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The Earth has one moon.
Atmosphere is primarily nitrogen & oxygen
A.K.A. (Also Known As) the Goldilocks Planet, because
everything is “Just Right” for life.
12,756 km in diameter
Average temp of 61°F or 16°C
Composed of Iron & Nickel
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Liquid covers 71 percent of the Earth’s surface.
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Moon
Mars
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Mars looks red because it
has iron oxide (rust)
Has seasons because its
axis is also tilted like the
Earth.
Has two moons.
Mars has a thin
atmosphere that contains
mostly carbon dioxide.
Mars is .107 x size of
Earth
Average temp is -86 to 5°C
16 space probes
Moons of Mars
Phobos
Moons of Mars
Deimos