Download The Outer Planets

Handout 27-4
The Outer Planets
Matching
1.
2.
3.
4.
outer planets
asteroid belt
gas giant
Pluto
a.
b.
c.
d.
a planet with a deep and
massive gaseous atmosphere
the planets farthest from the sun;
include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune, and Pluto
the smallest and usually most
distant planet; differs from other
outer planets
a ring of debris that separates
the inner planets from the outer
planets
5

How do the gas giants compare with the
terrestrial planets?

b. Gas giants are larger and less dense.
6

Compared with the terrestrial planets, the
gas giants

a. have more gravity, which helps them retain
gases.
7

The thick atmosphere of the gas giants is
made up of

c. hydrogen and helium.
8

The gas giants have ring systems that are
made up of

b. dust and icy debris.
9
Jupiter is the _________________ planet
from the sun.
 5th

10
Jupiter’s mass is more than
_________________ times that of Earth.
 300

11
How long is Jupiter’s orbital period?
 Almost 12 years

12

How often does Jupiter rotate on its axis?

9 hours 50 minutes- fastest of all planets
13

Jupiter has at least 60 ________, four of
which are the size of small planets.

moons
14
How much of Jupiter’s atmosphere is
composed of hydrogen and helium?
 92% (much like the sun)

15

Jupiter’s atmosphere is much like the
atmosphere of the
____________________________.

sun
16

Why didn’t Jupiter become a star?

It did not have enough mass to allow nuclear
fusion to begin.
...the Sun, Proxima Centauri (closest star)
and Jupiter.
17

How does Jupiter’s large mass affect its
interior temperature and pressure?

The temperature and pressure inside
Jupiter are much greater than inside Earth.
...the Sun, Proxima Centauri (closest star)
and Jupiter.
18

How far is Saturn from the sun?

B: It is the sixth planet from the sun.
19

How long is Saturn’s orbital period?

D: 29.5 years
20

How many moons does Saturn have?

a. at least 30
21

How large is Titan, Saturn’s largest moon?

a. half the size of Earth
22

Saturn, like the planet _______________,
is made up almost entirely of hydrogen
and helium and has a rocky, iron core.

Jupiter
23

Saturn is the least ___________ planet in
the solar system.

dense
24

Saturn is known for its _______________,
which are two times the planet’s diameter.

rings
25

Like Jupiter, Saturn has ______________
of colored clouds.

bands
26

Uranus is the ____________ planet from
the sun and the third largest planet in the
solar system.

seventh
27

Why is Uranus a difficult planet to study?

It is so far from the sun (3 billion km.)
28

Uranus has at least _________ moons
and at least 11 small rings.

24
29

The orbital period for Uranus is almost
_______________ years.

Almost 84 years
30

Although most planets rotate with their
axis perpendicular to their orbital planes,
Uranus’s axis is almost ________to the
plane of its orbit.

parallel
31
How often does Uranus rotate?
 About 17 hours

32

The planet’s blue-green color indicates
that the atmosphere may contain
significant amounts of _______________,
in addition to hydrogen and helium.

methane
33
Neptune is the ___________________
planet from the sun and is similar to
Uranus in size and mass.
 eighth

34

Neptune’s orbital period is nearly 164
years, and the planet rotates about every
________ h.

16
Planets and their Rings
Jupiter
Uranus
Saturn
Neptune
35

Neptune has at least ________________
moons and possibly four rings.

Eight
36

Pluto is the __________________ planet
from the sun.

ninth
37

Pluto’s orbit is an unusually elongated and
tilted _________.

ellipse
38
How does Pluto compare with the other
planets in terms of its size and distance
from the sun?
 It is the smallest and farthest planet from
the sun.

39

What is Pluto made of?

Frozen methane, rock, and ice.
Pluto
40

Describe the Kuiper belt.

A region of the solar system that is just
beyond the orbit of Neptune and that contains
small bodies made mostly of ice.
41
Name two objects that have been found
beyond Pluto.
 Quaoar and Sedna (ice/rock objects
similar to Pluto but smaller)

THE END