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Section 3-1 (Part 3)
The Outer Planets (Gas Giants)
Objectives
• Name the outer planets
• Identify what they are made of
• Decide how the outer planets are
different than the inner planets
Gas Giants (Outer Planets)
• Jupiter and Saturn = Gas Giants
• Uranus and Neptune = Ice Giants
Taken by
Voyager 1
Spacecraft
From
25 million
Miles away
Jupiter:
5th planet
From the
Sun
Jupiter
• Distance from Sun: 5.2
AU’s
• Period of Rotation:
about 10 hours
• Period of Revolution: 11
years, 313 days
• Diameter: 143,000 km
• Gravity: 236% of Earth’s
gravity
Jupiter
• Has a very thick
atmosphere
– Made of hydrogen,
helium, methane,
ammonia and water
vapor
• The bands on
Jupiter are where
there are high winds
Jupiter
• Great Red Spot:
hurricane-like storm
that has lasted 350
years!
– Red Spot Jr. has
been seen recently
Jupiter
• Jupiter has a thin
ring system
Jupiter’s moons
• Jupiter has a total of
63 moons
• Galilean Moons
– Discovered by
Galileo in 1620
– Callisto, Ganymede,
Europa and Io
Jupiter
• Jupiter is the
largest planet
in the solar
system
Saturn
• 6th planet from the
Sun
• Distance from Sun =
9.5 AU’s
• Period of Rotation:
10 hours, 30 mins.
• Period of
Revolution: 29
years, 155 days
• Gravity: 91% of
Earth’s gravity
Saturn’s Rings
• Saturn has
the largest
ring system
of any planet
Saturn’s Rings
• Millions of small
pieces of rock, ice
and dust make up
the rings
Saturn’s moons
• Saturn has a total of
68 moons
• Titan is the name of
the biggest moon
– A probe has been
landed on Titan very
recently
– Scientists think Titan
may have liquid
water on it
Saturn
• Saturn is the
2nd largest
planet in the
Solar
System
Uranus
• 7th planet from the
Sun
• Distance from Sun: 19
AU’s
• Period of Rotation:
17 hours, 14 mins
• Period of Revolution:
84 years, 274 days
• Gravity: 82% of
Earth’s gravity
Uranus
• Thick atmosphere
– Contains methane and
hydrogen gas, which
creates a turquoise
color
– Very similar to
Neptune
– Some call Uranus and
Neptune the “ice
giants)
Uranus
• Uranus is different from
other planets, because
it is tipped on its side
– Possibly from being hit
by a huge comet
• Has a retrograde
(clockwise) rotation like
Venus
Uranus’ moons
• Uranus has a total
of 27 moons
Uranus
• Uranus is
the 3rd
largest
planet in the
solar system
Neptune
• 8th planet from the
Sun
• Distance from Sun:
30 AU’s
• Period of Rotation:
16 hours, 7 mins
• Period of
Revolution: about
164 days
• Gravity: 112% of
Earth’s gravity
Neptune
• Neptune’s
atmosphere is similar
to Uranus’s
– Hydrogen,
helium,methane &
nitrogen
– The core/center of
Neptune is probably
ice and rock
– Called an “ice giant
like Uranus
Neptune
• Neptune is the
furthest actual
planet from the Sun
• It is also the 4th
largest planet
How are the Outer Gas Giants
different than the Inner
Planets?
Outer Planets vs. Inner
Planets
• The outer planets are mostly made of gas
– They couldn’t be close to the Sun, because heat
makes gas spread out
• The distance between these gas giants is
much greater than the distance between the
inner, terrestrial planets
• The gas giants are Much, Much bigger than
the inner, terrestrial planets