Download The Solar System

The Solar
System
Kayli White &
Anne Riley
The inner planets vs. the outer planets
• The inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and
Mars.
They are relatively small, composed mostly of rock, and
have few or no moons.
• The outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune,
and Pluto.
They are huge, mostly gaseous, ringed, and have many
moons
The exception is Pluto, the dwarf planet, which is small,
rocky, and has one large moon plus two tiny ones.
Temperatures of the Planets
• Generally, the farther
from the Sun, the cooler
the planet. Differences
occur when the
greenhouse effect
warms a planet (like
Venus) surrounded by a
thick atmosphere.
Density of the Planets
• The outer, gaseous planets
are much less dense than the
inner, rocky planets.
• The Earth is the densest
planet.
• Saturn is the least dense
planet; it would float on
water.
A day on the Planets Compared to Earth
• A day is the length of time that it
takes a planet to rotate on its axis
(360°). A day on Earth takes
almost 24 hours.
The planet with the longest day is
Venus. A day on Venus takes 243
Earth days. (A day on Venus is
longer than its year; a year on
Venus takes only 224.7 Earth
days)
The planet with the shortest day
is Jupiter. A day on Jupiter only
takes 9.8 Earth hours.
Mercury
• Planet closest to the Sun
• Has no moons
• Dry, nearly airless, and full
of craters
• Much like our moon
• Mercury's core is 75% of
Mercury by volume and 80%
of it by mass
Venus
• Second planet closest to
the Sun
• Has no moons
• Atmosphere is 97%
carbon dioxide
• It’s surface temperature
is 480 °C (896 °F)
Earth
• Third planet from the Sun
• Has one moon
• Only planet capable of
sustaining life
• Three distinct layers. The
core is the central part
made up of molten nickel
and iron.
• The next layer is the mantle
consisting of solid, hot rock.
• The crust upon which we
walk and live is the uppermost layer, consisting of
soil, clay, and fine rock.
Mars
• Fourth planet from the
Sun
• Has 2 moons
• Has a reddish color due
to the iron oxide (rust)
that is in the soil
• Has the largest volcano
• Most Earth-like planet
and may one day
habitat humans
Jupiter
• Fifth planet from the
Sun
• Has 18 large moons and
many small ones
• About 1,320 Earths
could fit inside of it
• Has faint ring system
• Great Red Spot: gigantic
storm on Jupiter’s
surface
Saturn
• Sixth planet from the
Sun
• Has 18 large moons and
many small ones
• Gas giant composed of
hydrogen, with small
proportions of helium.
• Has rings consisting
mostly of ice particles
• Least dense planet
Uranus
• Seventh planet from the
Sun
• Has 15 moons
• First planet to be
discovered
• Has a system of about
11 rings
• Atmosphere composed
of hydrogen, helium,
methane, and ammonia
Neptune
• Eighth planet from the
sun
• Has 2 moons
• Atmosphere composed of
hydrogen, helium,
methane, and ammonia
• Uranus’ twin
• Great Dark Spot: (left)
a depression in the
atmosphere surrounded
by high cirrus clouds
Pluto
• Farthest planet from
the Sun
• Has 1 large and 2 small
moons
• Considered a dwarf
planet
• Small, rocky
Space Probes
• A space vehicle carrying
sophisticated
instrumentation but no
crew
• Goes around planets
collecting information
and pictures to help
scientist understand the
weather and changes that
planets go through
• Unlike an artificial
satellite, which is placed
in a permanent orbit
around the earth, a space
probe is launched with
enough energy to escape
the gravitational field of
the earth and navigate
among the planets.
• Many do not return back
to Earth