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Mercury
- Does not have a atmosphere.
- Surface is cratered and very old
- Much denser than the Moon
- It rotates three times in two of its years
- Has a small magnetic field whose strength is about 1% of Earth's.
- The flatlands are thought to be similar to marias, on the moon.
- Second densest major body in the SS.
- Core is composed of iron whose radius is 1900 km.
Venus
- Brightest planet in the SS except Sun.
- Is slightly smaller than Earth.
- Has an iron core about 3000 km in radius.
- Has no magnetic field.
- The oldest terrains are about 800 million years old.
- Rotates reverse.
- Surface is made up of volcanic rock.
- Has Sulfuric Acid Rain.
- Has a dense atmosphere, made up of mostly carbon dioxide.
- Probably had large amounts of water, but it all boiled away.
Earth
- Only planet with known life.
- The core is mostly iron, or nickel.
- 71% of the surface is water.
- The Earth has plates.
- Earth’s atmosphere uses green house effect.
- Atmosphere is composed of oxygen, nitrogen, water, argon, and carbon dioxide.
- 4.5 to 4.6 billion years old
- Densest major body in SS.
Mars
- Referred as the red planet.
- Thin atmosphere, composed of carbon dioxide, argon, nitrogen, water, and oxygen.
- Appears to have dry ice on poles.
- May contain life.
- Red color is probably due to water reacting with iron in the soil, and making everything
go rusty red.
- Largest volcano in SS is Olympus Mons.
- Olympus Mons is 26,400 meters high
- Olympus Mons is 3 times as big as Mt. Everest!
- Surface area is about the same as Earth’s land surface area.
- Water erosion used to occur.
- Has powerful dust storms.
- Average pressure on the surface is about 7 millibars
Jupiter
- Largest planet in the solar system
- If all planets were combined in to one big one, then they would still be smaller than half
Jupiter’s mass.
- Has the great red spot is oval about 12,000 by 25,000 km
- Composed of hydrogen helium, methane, water, ammonia and, rock
- Atmosphere has bands of color
- Has over 60 moons
- Has thin rings.
- Core is 13 Earth masses.
- Would have to be 80 times bigger to become a star.
- 64 + moons
Saturn
- Second biggest planet in SS.
- Has biggest planet rings in SS.
- Rings are over 250,000 km in diameter.
- Least dense of the planets.
- Less dense than water.
- Can float in water.
- Core is 12000 °K.
- Visibly flattened at the poles
- Atmosphere is composed of hydrogen helium and methane.
- Near equator winds can reach 1,100 mph.
Uranus
- Axis is vertical planet.
- Thin rings and they are dark.
- Composed of rock and various ices
- The atmosphere is composed of hydrogen and helium.
- Has bands of clouds that blow around rapidly.
- Atmosphere is composed of hydrogen, helium, and methane.
- Has bands of clouds that blow around is rapidly.
- Magnetic field is tiled at 60°
- Absorption of red light by methane in the atmosphere causes the blue color.
Neptune
- Used to have a great dark spot in its southern hemisphere.
- Spot used to be ½ the size of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.
- Now, The great dark spot has disappeared.
- Atmosphere changes rapidly.
- Composed of various ices, rocks, hydrogen, and helium.
- The blue color is the result of the absorption of red light by methane in the atmosphere.
- Has rapid winds confined to bands of latitude and large storms or vortices.