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Bailey Weems
Terrestrial:
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Primarily of silicate rocks or metals
Closest to the Sun
Solid planetary surfaces
Can have canyons, craters, mountains, volcanoes, and other surface structures
Possess secondary atmosphere, generated through internal volcanism or comet impacts
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
Jovian
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Composed of hydrogen, helium, and water
Outer planets
Have rings and many moons
Much more massive
Similar to the composition of the Sun
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto
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Only slightly larger than Earth’s moon
Day side can reach 840 degrees F
Night side can drop hundreds of degrees bellow freezing
It has virtually no atmosphere to absorb meteor impacts
Lots of craters
Named after the Roman messenger god
88 Earth days orbit period
3,031 miles in diameter, making it the smallest planet
It’s surface is wrinkled
42% of its volume is made up of its core
38% the gravity of Earth
Mainly composed of heavy metals and rocks
The second densest planet
No moons
It’s close proximity to the sun makes it hard to see
Two spacecrafts have been to it’s surface
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Toxic atmosphere
Earth’s sister planet
The pressure on its surface would crush a human
Retrograde rotation, possibly due to a collision
Often the brightest object in the sky
Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty
225 Earth day orbit period
Runaway greenhouse effect(it’s atmosphere traps in heat)
Has a layer of opaque clouds made of sulfuric acid
7,521 miles in diameter
No moons
Surface temperature of 462 degrees C, making it the hottest planet
No seasons
96.5% carbon dioxide atmosphere
More than 1,000 volcanoes of volcanic craters have been found
The Soviet Union sent the first successful probe to Venus
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Two-thirds of the planet is covered in water
It’s atmosphere is mainly composed of nitrogen and oxygen
Rotates about 1,532 feet per second
365.24 Earth days orbital period
7,926 miles in diameter
One moon
Surface temperature of -88 to 56 degrees C.
Only planet not to be named after a Greek or Roman deity
Its nickel-iron core and rapid rotation create a powerful magnetic field
It’s protected from solar winds by its magnetic field
Highest density of any planet
Geologically active
It’s surface is shaped through impact craters, volcanism, tectonics, and erosion
It’s atmosphere protects it from solar radiation
The ozone protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays
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Cold and desert like
Iron oxide dust gives it a red color
Has a rocky and mountainous surface
Storm systems and dust storms
Could possibly have water ice and is believed to have once been warm and wet
Has an atmosphere too thin for water to exist
Named after the Roman god of war
4,217 miles in diameter
687 Earth day orbital period
Primarily composed of carbon dioxide
Two known moons
-87 to -5 degrees C surface temperature
18 successful missions to it’s surface
It’s orbital path around the Sun is more elongated than the other planets
Lack of core convection means no global magnetic fields
It’s weak magnetosphere has allowed solar winds to strip away most of the atmosphere
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The most massive planet
Primarily hydrogen and helium
Has swirling clouds of different colors due different trace gases
Mainly gaseous
Named after the ruler of the Roman gods
88,370 miles in diameter
11.9 Earth years orbital period
67 known moons
-108 C surface temperature
Bright enough to be visible to the naked eye
It’s atmosphere is divided into cloud belts and zones
Has layers of compressed hydrogen gas, liquid metallic hydrogen, and a core of ice, rock,
and metals bellow its atmosphere
Has a thin ring system primarily composed of dust particles
Eight spacecrafts have been to Jupiter
Shortest day of all the planets(9 hours and 55 minutes)
It’s giant red spot is a storm that has taken place over 350 years
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It’s rings are composed of rock and ice
The planet is primarily made of hydrogen and helium
Named after the Roman god of architecture
74,900 miles in diameter
29.5 Earth years orbital period
62 known moons
-139 degrees C surface temperature
Can be seen with the naked eye
The flattest planet due to its low density and fast rotation
Top layers of the atmosphere are ammonium ice, then layers of cold hydrogen and sulfur
ice mixtures
Deep inside its hydrogen becomes metallic
Its rings are only about 20 meters thick
Four spacecrafts have been to Saturn
All of its moons are ice worlds
Seven groups of rings
5th brightest object in the solar system
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It’s equator is at nearly right angles to its orbit
Its tilt causes extreme seasons
The atmosphere is primarily methane
Named after the personification of heaven from an ancient myth
31,765 miles in diameter
84 Earth years orbital period
27 known moons
-197 degrees C surface temperature
Retrograde rotation
Has two sets of thin rings
Seasons last 20+ years
The coldest planet
Rings were most likely made from one or more of its moons broken on impact
Only one spacecraft has flown by Uranus
Hydrogen upper layer and icy mantle
Upper atmosphere is made of water, ammonia, and methane ice crystals
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Has winds sometimes faster than the speed of sound
Rocky core
Named after the Roman god of water
30,775 miles in diameter
165 Earth years orbital period
14 known moons
5 rings
-201 degrees C surface temperature
Not a solid body
Composed of layers of hydrogen, helium, and methane gases
The methane absorbs red light making it appear blue
Has large and active storms
Only one spacecraft has flown by Neptune
One of its poles will get about 42 years of direct sunlight
Its rings are likely made of ice particles, dust grains, and carbon based substances
It’s most notable moon is Triton
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Orbit is carried inside the orbit of Neptune
Very ephemeral atmosphere
Named after the Roman god of the underworld
1,430 miles in diameter (smaller than our moon)
248 Earth years orbital period
5 known moons
-229 degrees C surface temperature
Has an inclined orbit
One spacecraft recently flew by Pluto (New Horizons)
Its atmosphere is frozen solid when it is not near the Sun
Sometimes its orbit actually brings Pluto closer to the Sun than Neptune
Bennett, J., Donahue, M., Schneider, N., & Voit, M. (n.d.). Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds. In
The Essential Cosmic Perspective (6th ed., pp. 190-234). Pearson.
Bennett, J., Donahue, M., Schneider, N., & Voit, M. (n.d.). Jovian Planet Systems. In The
Essential Cosmic Perspective (6th ed., pp. 234-260). Pearson.
Britt, R. (n.d.). Solar System Planets: Order of the 8 (or 9) Planets | Space.com. Retrieved
January 10, 2015, from http://www.space.com/16080-solar-system-planets.html
Jones, C. (n.d.). Space Facts. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
Interesting Facts About Pluto. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2015, from
http://www.universetoday.com/13872/interesting-facts-about-pluto/