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Reading Guide – Chapter 27 The Planets and the Solar System
Before you read each section, look over the questions that you are to answer.
Then, once you know what you are reading for, begin to read the section.
As you are reading, answer the questions.
27.1 The Inner Planets
1) List the two key main ideas for this section?
2) What are the inner planets?
3) What do all inner planets have?
4) What separates the inner and outer planets?
5) What are the outer planets?
6) Explain the Jovian planets?
Mercury
7) Where is Mercury located in the solar system?
8) What is Mercury’s surface like?
9) Give two reasons why Mercury does not have an atmosphere?
10) What causes the extreme temperature difference on Mercury’s surface?
Venus
11) What property does Venus have that is unlike any other planet?
12) Explain the length of one day and one year on Venus?
13) What do we know about Venus’s surface?
14) What do we know about Venus’s atmosphere and how did we get that information?
15) Why is Venus’s surface very hot?
Mars
16) How is Mars similar to Earth?
17) What makes up the polar ice caps on Mars?
18) Explain the terrain of Mars?
27.2 The Outer Planets
The Jovian Planets
19) What three reasons are given as to the difference between the Jovian planets and the terrestrial
planets?
20) What two things do all Jovian planets have?
21) What are the three common properties of the Jovian planets ring system?
Jupiter
22) How fast does Jupiter rotate?
23) List three facts about Jupiter?
Saturn
24) How is Saturn similar to Jupiter?
25) Write two facts about Saturn.
Uranus
26) What is the average temperature of Uranus?
27) Explain Uranus’s rotation.
28) For what reason do scientist think Uranus rotates this way?
29) What did the Voyager 2 discover about Uranus in 1986?
Neptune, Pluto, and Charon
30) How was Neptune’s presence first discovered?
31) Why is Neptune sometimes the 9th planet?
32) Does Pluto have a moon?
33) What might make up the ‘planet’ of Pluto?
27.3 Planetary Satellites
34) What is a satellite?
35) What are the names of Mars’s moons?
36) How many moons does Jupiter have?
37) Io is volcanically active. It shows no sign of impact craters. Why?
38) Explain the make up of Europa.
39) What is the largest moon in the solar system?
40) How many moons does Saturn have? What is the name of the largest?
41) Explain the make up of Titan.
27.4 Solar-System Debris
42) What is comet?
43) Where do most comets orbit?
44) What does TNO stand for?
45) What is a coma?
46) What are asteroids?
47) Why do scientist think asteroids are around today?
48) Where are most asteroids found?
49) What is a meteor?
50) How many meteoroids enter the atmosphere of Earth every day?
51) What is a meteorite?
52) What are the three main types of meteorites?
53) What is an impact crater?
54) Why are impact craters rare on the Earth’s surface?
55) What is one of the best known craters in the U.S.?