Download a closer look at the planets

A CLOSER
LOOK AT
THE
PLANETS
IN ORDER FROM THE SUN
1. MERCURY
2. VENUS
3. EARTH
4. MARS
5. JUPITER
6. SATURN
7. URANUS
8. NEPTUNE
My Very Energetic
Mother Just Served
Us Noodles!
MERCURY
• Smallest planet
• Heavily cratered
• No moons
• No atmosphere to trap
heat so temps can be
-180oC at night and
rise to 400oC during
the day!
MERCURY con’t
• It takes 88 days to
revolves around the
sun.
• It take 59 days to
spin once on its axis.
THE MESSENGER
• Launched in 2004 and
settled into orbit
around Mercury in
March 2011.
• Reached speeds of
225,300km/h.
• It was a 7.9 billion km
journey.
• It is taking photos
and measurements.
VENUS
• Brightest object in the sky
after the sun and moon.
• Thick poisonous CO2 and
sulfuric acid atmosphere.
• No moons
• Nearly the same size as
Earth (“sister” planets).
• Hottest planet.
VENUS con’t
• Takes 225 days to
revolve around the
sun.
• Takes 243 days to
spin once on its axis.
It spins backwards
compared to all other
planets.
• Has a volcano bigger
than Mt. Everest!
MAGELLAN
• Took many pictures and
measurements in the early
1990’s.
• Was purposely crash
landed on Venus and
became non-operational.
• There have been dozens
of other attempts to
reach and study Venus but
so far they have failed.
EARTH
• The only planet with
large amounts of water
on its surface (> 70%).
• The thick atmosphere
keeps temperatures in
a live-able range.
• Only known planet with
living things.
EARTH con’t
• Has one moon (Luna)
which is responsible
for our ocean tides.
• Takes 365.25 days to
revolve around the
sun.
• Takes 23.96 hours to
spin once on its axis.
MARS
• Called the RED PLANET.
• Named after the God of
War (Romans thought the
red must be bloodshed).
• Very cold and thin
atmosphere.
• 2 moons (Phobos &
Deimos)
• Ice covers the poles.
MARS con’t
• Signs that there were
once: volcanoes,
glaciers and floods.
• Takes 687 days to
revolve around the
sun.
• Takes 24.7 hours to
spin once on its axis.
MARS ROVER
• There have been 3
Mars Rovers that have
landed and travelled
terrain on the planet.
• “Curiosity” landed in
the summer of 2012.
• http://mars.jpl.nasa.go
v/msl/mission/overview
/
JUPITER
• The largest planet made
of mostly hydrogen and
helium up to 10,000 miles
deep.
• Known for its GREAT
RED SPOT, which is a
giant hurricane 3 times
the size of Earth! It has
existed for hundreds of
years and shows no signs
of slowing down.
JUPITER con’t
• At least 60 moons!
The four largest
moons are: Io, Europa,
Ganymede, and Calisto.
• Takes 12 years to
revolve around the
sun.
• Takes 9.8 hours to
spin once on its axis.
SATURN
• Made up of mostly
hydrogen and helium.
• Surrounded by thousands
of rings. There is debate
over how the rings
formed.
• Has more than 30 moons
(most are ice covered).
SATURN con’t
• Largest moon is TITAN. It
is the only moon in the solar
system to have an
atmosphere composed of
mostly nitrogen.
• Titan is bigger than
Mercury.
• Takes 29.5 years to revolve
around the sun.
• Takes 10.2 hours to spin
once on its axis.
URANUS
• Another ringed planet
made of many gases.
• 11 thin rings of some
unknown black material.
• Said to be “lying on its
side” because its axis
of rotation is in nearly
the same plane as its
orbit.
URANUS con’t
• At least 16 moons (5
large and 11 small).
• Takes 83.8 years to
revolve around the sun.
• Takes 17.9 hours to
spin once on its axis.
It also spins backwards
compared to the other
planets.
NEPTUNE
• Was mistaken for a star
for hundreds of years…
cannot be seen without a
telescope.
• Has 2 rings.
• Methane gives it a bluish
tint.
• Named after the Roman
God of the Sea.
NEPTUNE con’t
• Has 8 moons. Triton is
the largest and is the
coldest measured
object in our Solar
System.
• Takes 164 years to
revolve around the sun.
• Takes 19.1 hours to
spin once on its axis.
PLUTO – NOT A PLANET!
• Removed from
planets list in 2004
by NASA.
• Smaller than our
moon.
• Basically an ice ball
with some rock and
methane.
PLUTO con’t
• Has one moon named
Charon which is 40%
of the planets size!
• Takes 248 years to
revolve around the
sun.
• Takes 6.4 days to
spin once on its axis.