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The Solar System
There are two broad categories of planets:
Earthlike and Jupiter like
All of the planets orbit
the Sun in the same
direction and in
almost the same
plane
Most of the planets
have nearly circular
orbits
The Solar System
Density
m
D
V
The average density of any substance depends in
part on its composition
An object sinks in a fluid if its average density is
greater than that of the fluid, but rises if its
average density is less than that of the fluid
The terrestrial (inner) planets are made of rocky
materials and have dense iron cores, which gives
these planets high average densities
The Jovian (outer) planets are composed
primarily of light elements such as hydrogen and
helium, which gives these planets low average
densities
The Solar System - The Inner Planets
The Inner Planets
The inner planets take up only a small part of the solar
system. Note that sizes and distances are not drawn to scale.
The Solar System
Earth is the third
planet from the sun
and the fifth
largest. Earth has
only one moon.
The earth is 4.5
billion years old.
The Solar System - The Inner Planets
Earth’s Layers
Earth has three main layers—a crust, a mantle, and a core.
The Solar System
•Mercury is the closest
planet to the sun and the
eighth largest.
•Mercury has no moons.
•Mercury has extreme
temperature fluctuations
from 430 to -170 degrees
celsius (day and night).
The Solar System - The Inner Planets
Mercury
Mercury is the smallest terrestrial planet and the planet
closest to the sun.
The Solar System
•Venus is called Earth’s twin
•Venus’s surface is 460
degrees (could melt metal!).
•Venus is covered with swirling
clouds (thick atmosphere of
CO2 and Sulfuric Acid and
always cloudy).
•It is the hottest planet
(greenhouse effect).
The Solar System - The Inner Planets
Venus
Venus’s density and internal structure are similar to Earth’s.
But, in other ways, Venus and Earth are very different.
The Solar System - The Inner Planets
Venus
This figure combines images of Venus taken from space with a
camera (left) and radar (right). The camera image shows
Venus’s thick atmosphere. Radar is able to penetrate Venus’s
clouds to reveal the surface. Both images are false color.
The Solar System
•Mars is the seventh largest
planet in the solar system.
•Thin atmosphere is ~95%
CO2 (H20 gas or polar ice
caps)
•Mars temperature ranges
between -140 and 20
degrees C.
•Mars used to be warm with
lots of water long ago.
The Solar System - The Inner Planets
Mars
Mars is called the “red planet.” When you see it in the sky, it
has a slightly reddish tinge. This reddish color is due to the
breakdown of iron-rich rocks, which creates a rusty dust that
covers much of Mars’s surface.
The Solar System - The Inner Planets
Mars
Mares has ice caps at both poles. Scientists think that a large
amount of liquid water flowed on Mars's surface in the distant
past.
The Solar System - The Inner Planets
Using Prior Knowledge
Look at the section headings and visuals to see what this
section is about. Then write what you know about the inner
planets in a graphic organizer like the one below. As you
read, write what you learn.
What You Know
1.
2.
3.
4.
Most of Earth is covered with water.
Mercury is closest to the sun.
Venus is very hot.
Mars is called the “red planet.”
What You Learned
1.
2.
3.
4.
Earth is unique in our solar system for having liquid water at its surface.
Mercury has a greater temperature range than any of the other planets.
A day on Venus is longer than its year.
The reddish tinge on Mars is caused by the breakdown of iron-rich
rocks.
The Solar System
End of Section:
The Inner Planets
The Solar System
Seven large satellites are almost as big as
the terrestrial planets
Comparable in size to the planet Mercury
The remaining satellites of the solar system are much smaller
The Solar System - The Outer Planets
Gas Giants and Pluto
The first four outer planets–Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune–are much larger and more massive than Earth, and
they do not have solid surfaces. Pluto is small and rocky.
The Solar System
The Solar System
Jupiter’s Red Spot is a 350 year old hurricane!
Nighttime image showing
lightning in Jupiter’s
atmosphere
The Solar System - The Outer Planets
Jupiter’s Structure (no solid surface!)
Jupiter is composed mainly of the elements hydrogen and
helium.
The Solar System - The Outer Planets
Jupiter’s Moons
•The astronomer Galileo
discovered Jupiter’s four largest
moons. They are named Io,
Europa, Ganymede, and
Callisto.
•Dozens of additional Jupiter
moons have been discovered
since Galileo’s time
•Jupiter is the most massive
planet by far (1,300 Earths and
2.5 times that of all other
planets combined!
The Solar System - The Outer Planets
Saturn
Saturn has the most spectacular rings of any planet.
The Solar System
Saturn
•Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system
•Saturn has an atmosphere of thick clouds and is composed
of hydrogen and helium (similar to Jupiter)
•Saturn’s rings are composed of ice and rock chunks orbiting
together in different layers
•Saturn has many moons (the largest is Titan)
The Solar System - The Outer Planets
Uranus
Although the gas giant Uranus is about four times the
diameter of Earth, it is still much smaller than Jupiter and
Saturn.
The Solar System - The Outer Planets
Uranus
Uranus’s axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of about 90
degrees from the vertical.
The Solar System - The Outer Planets
Neptune
Neptune is a cold, blue planet (similar color and size to
Uranus). Its atmosphere contains visible clouds.
Discovered by math equation in 1846 (orbital pattern)
*Scientists think Neptune is shrinking in size…and heating
up!
The Solar System - The Outer Planets
Circumference
To calculate the circumference of a circle, use this formula:
C = 2πr
In the formula, π ≈ 3.14, and r is the circle’s radius, which is
the distance from the center of the circle to its edge. The
same formula can be used to calculate the circumference of
planets, which are nearly spherical.
Neptune’s radius at its equator is about 24,800 km.
Calculate its circumference.
C = 2πr
= 2.00 X 3.14 X 24,800 km
= 156,000 km
The Solar System - The Outer Planets
Circumference
Practice Problem
Saturn’s radius is 60,250 km. What is its circumference?
2 X 3.14 X 60,250 km = about 378,800 km
The Solar System - The Outer Planets
Pluto
Pluto has a solid surface and is much smaller and denser
than the other outer planets.
The Solar System
Pluto
Pluto is a special
case
Smaller than any of the
terrestrial planets
Intermediate average
density of about 1900
kg/m3
Density suggests it is
composed of a mixture
of ice and rock
The Solar System - The Outer Planets
Identifying Main Ideas
As you read the section “Gas Giants and Pluto,” write the
main idea–the biggest or most important idea–in a graphic
organizer like the one below. Then write supporting details
that further explain the main idea.
Main Idea
The four gas giants are similar in…
Detail
Structure–
they do not
have a solid
surface.
Detail
Detail
Detail
Atmosphere–
thick and made
up mainly of
hydrogen and
helium.
Rings–
each is
surrounded by
a set of rings.
Size and mass–
each is very
large and
massive.
The Solar System
End of Section:
The Outer
Planets