Download Outer Planets

Outer Planets
Expert Group
Characteristics, Size, and Appearance:
There are four outer planets, which include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune. All of the outer planets are made of liquid and gasses, so there are no
hard surfaces.
In addition, the outer planets are much colder than the inner planets
because they are farther from the sun.
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is so large that all the
other planets and moons could easily fit inside it.
Saturn is the second largest planet and it is so light it could float on water.
It has many flat rings. Uranus is faint blue color and has rings too. Neptune also
has blue rings.
Composition:
The outer planets are made of gas. Jupiter is a gaseous planet with a solid
core. Saturn is made of ice and rock. The planet Uranus is a huge blue green ball of
burning gas. Neptune is blue in color and is composed of methane gases.
Location:
In our solar system the outer planets are farthest from the sun.
Jupiter is the fifth planet in our solar system and is 483.7 million miles from
the sun.
The planet Saturn is the sixth planet in our solar system and is 840.4 million
miles from the sun.
The seventh planet in our solar system is Uranus. Its location is 1.7 billion
miles from the sun.
Neptune is the eighth planet in our solar system and is 2.7 billion miles from
the sun.
Movement:
Each of the outer planets has a unique movement pattern, or revolution. The
outer planets orbit the Sun. Orbit means go around, such as a planet going around
the Sun.
Jupiter rotates in 10 hours and orbits the sun in 12 earth years. Saturn
rotates in 10 hours and takes 29 years to orbit the Sun. Uranus rotates in 10 hours
and 45 minutes. It orbits the Sun in 84 years. Neptune rotates in about 19 hours
and takes about 165 earth years to orbit the Sun once.
Extra:
The outer planets are also called gas giants because they are composed
entirely of gas and are very large.
Jupiter is very colorful and has active volcanoes. It has a great red spot
which is a giant storm. It also has 16 moons.
The planet Saturn has more than 60 moons. Uranus’ winter will last 21 years
and its summer lasts 21 years.
The planet Neptune is the windiest planet in the solar system. Each season
on Neptune lasts about 40 years. If Neptune were hollow, it could hold about 60
Earths!