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The Solar System Missions
planets not shown to scale >>
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Mean Distance from the Sun (AU)
0.3871
0.7233
1
1.524
5.203
9.539
19.19
30.06
39.48
Sidereal period of orbit (years)
0.24
0.62
1
1.88
11.86
29.46
84.01
164.79
248.54
Mean Orbital Velocity (km/sec)
47.89
35.04
29.79
24.14
13.06
9.64
6.81
5.43
4.74
Orbital Eccentricity
0.206
0.007
0.017
0.093
0.048
0.056
0.046
0.010
0.248
Inclination to ecliptic (degrees)
7.00
3.40
0
1.85
1.30
2.49
0.77
1.77
17.15
Equatorial Radius (km)
2439
6052
6378
3397
71490
60268
25559
25269
1160
Polar Radius (km)
same
same
6357
3380
66854
54360
24973
24340
same
Mass of planet (Earth=1)
0.06
0.82
1
0.11
317.89
95.18
14.53
17.14
0.002
Mean density (grams/centimeter³ )
5.43
5.25
5.52
3.95
1.33
0.69
1.29
1.64
2.03
Body rotation period (hours)
1408
5832
23.93
24.62
9.92
10.66
17.24
16.11
153.3
Tilt of equator to orbit (degrees)
2
177.3
23.45
25.19
3.12
26.73
97.86
29.6
122.46
Number of observed satellites
0
0
1
2
>28
30
24
8
4
http://www.nineplanets.org/earth.html
http://www.skyscopes.com/
Jupiter
Jupiter is larger than all the other planets combined. It gives off nearly twice as
much energy as it receives. Jupiter also has the strongest magnetic field of all the
planets. Jupiter is composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. It has no solid
surface, only layers of gaseous clouds. The diameter of Jupiter is 142,800
kilometers. It revolves around the Sun in 11.86 Earth years.
Jupiter
Lord of the Sky
Jupiter or Zeus in Greek, is considered the most
powerful god. He is the son of Cronus, a Titan, along
with his other brothers and sisters. After a long war with
his father, Jupiter and his brothers Neptune and Pluto
each rolled a dice to see what area of the earth they
shall rule. Jupiter got the heavens, Neptune, the sea,
and the unlucky Pluto, the underworld. Jupiter married
his sister Hera, who was always jealous of Jupiter and
his many wives. He is the god with the most wives.
Jupiter usually fell in love with nymphs, mortals and
sometimes, goddesses. He can transform himself into
animal he wishes to kidnap someone he loves. There
are other names for Jupiter, such as Lord of the Sky,
the Rain God, and the Cloud Gatherer. The bird sacred
to him is the eagle and the oak tree. In astrology,
Jupiter represents physical, intellectual, luck, success
and power.
Jupiter
Jupiter Facts Sheet:
Type: Jovian
Mass of planet (Earth=1) = 317.89
Mean density (grams/centimeter³ ) = 1.33
Interior: primarily that of simple molecules
such as hydrogen and helium, which are
liquids under the high pressure environments
found in the interiors of Jupiter.
Surface: None
Water:
Atmosphere: ammonia, methane, helium,
hydrogen, and sulfur.
Moons: > 28
Jupiter
The Giant planets do not have the
same layered structure that the
terrestrial planets do. Their
evolution was quite different than
that of the terrestrial planets, and
they have less solid material
inside.
Jupiter's interior composition is
primarily that of simple molecules
such as hydrogen and helium,
which are liquids under the high
pressure environments found in
the interiors of the outer planets,
and not solids.
Motions in the interior of Jupiter
contribute in a very special way to
the development of the powerful
and extensive magnetosphere of
Jupiter. Heat generated within
Jupiter contributes to the unusual
motions of the atmosphere.
Jupiter
The king of planets is aptly named because it not
only has the most dymanic atmospheric motion, but
also the most riveting cloud patterns and storms,
and the most majestic appearance of the giant
planets. The dramatic appearance of Jupiter stems
partially because the composition of Jupiter's
atmosphere includes complex molecules such as
ammonia and methane, as well as simple
molecules such as helium, hydrogen, and sulfur.
The atmosphere of Jupiter is only a narrow surface
layer, compared to the vast interior of the planet.
The three clouddecks of Jupiter are to be found at
different levels in the troposphere, while hazes of
smog can be found higher in the atmosphere.
Jupiter is not much changed from its early evolution
out of the primordial solar nebula, and in fact, may
still be evolving.
This is a three-color filter image of Jupiter and Io. It was taken on June 10,
1979 by Voyager 2. (Courtesy of NASA)
An image of Jupiter's Great Red Spot taken by the Galileo spacecraft.
(Courtesy of NASA)
This composite of the Galilean Satellites shows images of the moons
taken by the Galileo spacecraft, as well as details from the surfaces
of the moons.
This is an image of Io.
It is the innermost of
the Galilean moons
and the third largest.
(Courtesy of NASA)
(39K JPG
Io, taken by the Galileo
spacecraft. (Courtesy
of NASA)
This is a three-color image of the satellite Europa taken March 4,
1979 by Voyager 1. It is the size of Earth's moon. (Courtesy of
NASA)
This is a close-up image of the Europa taken by Voyager. (Courtesy of NASA)
This is a close-up image of Europa in false color taken by the
Galileo spacecraft. (Courtesy of NASA)
This is a naturalcolor image of
Ganymede,
Jupiter's largest
satellite and is
the third of the
Galilean moons.
(Courtesy of
NASA)
This is an image of Ganymede taken by Voyager showing the ancient
"dark terrain". (Courtesy of NASA)
This is a three-color filter image of Callisto, one of Jupiter's satellites taken by
Voyager 2. The bright spots here are meteorite impact craters. (Courtesy of NASA)
This is a close-up image of
Callisto taken by Voyager 1.
(Courtesy of NASA)
What’s New???
A new study has evidence that Jupiter's moon
Europa is full of salt water. Previous studies have
indicated that the surface of Europa is ice.
Scientists were wondering what was underneath
this ice. With the help of the Galileo spacecraft, we
may finally have the answer.
It all started when Galileo found a magnetic pole
on Europa. NASA sent the spacecraft back for
another look, and data shows that the pole moves
every few hours. Scientists say this movement is
most likely caused by salt water.
Scientists are hoping the Europa orbiter can finally
prove their theory when starts its journey in 2003.
Until then, we will still speculate that water exists
on this cold moon. If water does exist, then there is
a good chance that life is there as well.
"After Mars, (Europa is) the most attractive
extraterrestrial environment within our solar system
in which to seek evidence of past or present life,"
on scientist wrote.
What’s New???
The Galileo spacecraft
photographed volcanoes on the
surface of Io, one of Jupiter's
moons. Scientists believe there
are at least 300 volcanoes on the
moon. These volcanoes are
somewhat different than those on
Earth. The small ones can erupt
and then quickly turn dorment in
weeks. Other ones stay active for
many years at a time.
Last month, Galileo spotted large
clouds of sulfur gas in the
atmosphere and yellow snow that
precipitated down from them.
Galileo will continue to study
Jupiter and its satellites, turning
next to the moon Ganymede and
Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
This shows an active volcanic region on
Io. The yellow and orange area is newly
formed lava, and the dark areas show lava
that has cooled down.
Courtesy of NASA
Saturn
Saturn is very similar to Jupiter. It is composed of 97% hydrogen, 3%
helium and 0.5% methane. There is no solid. Saturn’s diameter in
kilometers is 120,660. Its rotation period takes about 10.2 Earth hours.
Saturn completes its revolution around then Sun for 29.46 Earth years.
Saturn
Saturn is also known Cronus; he is one of Titans to
overthrow father sky or Uranus with a scythe and throwing
his body parts into the sea, which created Venus, Furies,
and some giants and nymphs. Cronus and Rhea (Cronusís
sister) had six children. Cronus was afraid that his own
children would overthrow him just like his father, so he
decided to swallow them immediately, except the child
Jupiter. Rhea decided to wrap cloths around a stone for
Cronus to swallow, and put Jupiter with two nymphs and a
goat to take care of him. When he was old enough, he
thanked the two nymphs by taking the goatís horn and
turned it into a cornicopia, (named after the goat) with
fruits inside and putting the goatís image among the stars
as the constellation Capricorn. Later, his mother helped
Jupiter take out all the children that Cronus had eaten,
Jupiter, along with his sisters and brothers fought Cronus
and the other Titans and put them in the underworld to live
forever except his mother, Rhea as thanks. In astrology,
Neptune, is known as the grim reaper and symbolizes
responsibilities, restrictions and limitations. He also
represents peace and his symbol represents a scythe.
Saturn
Saturn Facts Sheet:
Type: Jovian
Mass of planet (Earth=1) = 95.18
Mean density (grams/centimeter³ ) = 0.69
Interior: Saturn's interior composition is primarily
that of simple molecules such as hydrogen and
helium, which are liquids under the high pressure
environments found in the interiors of the outer
planets, and not solids.
Surface: None
Water:
Atmosphere: ammonia, methane, helium,
hydrogen, and sulfur.
Moons: 30
This is an image of a storm on Saturn taken by the Hubble Space
Telescope. (Courtesy of Reta Beebe (New Mexico State
This is an image of Saturn
taken by Voyager 2 on July
21, 1981. The moons, Rhea
and Dione, appear as blue
dots to the south and
southeast of Saturn
This is a color image of
Saturn's satellite Rhea
taken by Voyager 1 on
November 12, 1980.
This is a color
enhanced image of
Saturn's satellite
Enceladus taken by
Voyager 1 on
November 12, 1980.
This is a color image
of Saturn's satellite
Dione taken by
Voyager 1 on
November 12, 1980.
Some of the bright
streaks may actually
be factures in the
surface.
This is a color
image of Saturn's
satellite Mimas
taken by Voyager 1
on November 12,
1980. The circular
object is a massive
crater on Mimas.
Saturn's moon Mimas (left) compared to the fictional 1977 Star Wars 'Death
Star', (right) which used its large depression as a 'superlaser focus lens' to
exact planet-scale revenge. Image Credit: NASA/JPL
This is a color
image of Saturn's
satellite Tethys
taken by Voyager
1 on November
12, 1980. Its
surface is heavily
cratered.
What’s New???
Cassini's ability to remain precisely and steadily
pointed at targets, such as Saturn's moon Mimas
(seen here) yields sharp images despite the
relatively high speed at which the spacecraft
moves. Cassini was traveling at more than 13
kilometers per second when it acquired this view,
which shows crisp detail on Mimas (397
kilometers, 247 miles across) against the
backdrop of Saturn's northern hemisphere.
Shadows of the icy rings stretch across the
atmosphere and are blurred due to spacecraft
motion..
The part of Mimas visible here always faces away
from Saturn as the moon orbits the giant planet. In
scientific language, the moon is said to be "phaselocked."
The image has been rotated so that north on
Mimas (and Saturn) is up.
This view was obtained with the Cassini
spacecraft narrow angle camera on Jan. 18, 2005,
at a distance of approximately 1.25 million
kilometers (777,000 miles) from Mimas and at a
Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 114
degrees. The image was taken using a
combination of spectral filters sensitive to
wavelengths of infrared and polarized light.
Resolution in the image is 7 kilometers (4 miles)
per pixel. The image has been contrast-enhanced
to aid visibility.
What’s New???
Original Caption Released with Image:
This composite was produced from images returned yesterday, January 14, 2005, by the European Space Agency's Huygens probe during its
successful descent to land on Titan. It shows a full 360-degree view around Huygens. The left-hand side, behind Huygens, shows a boundary
between light and dark areas. The white streaks seen near this boundary could be ground 'fog,' as they were not immediately visible from higher
altitudes.
As the probe descended, it drifted over a plateau (center of image) and was heading towards its landing site in a dark area (right). From the drift
of the probe, the wind speed has been estimated at around 6-7 kilometers (about 4 miles) per hour.
These images were taken from an altitude of about 8 kilometers (about 5 miles) with a resolution of about 20 meters (about 65 feet) per pixel.
The images were taken by the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer, one of two NASA instruments on the probe.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission
Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The Descent
Imager/Spectral team is based at the University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm .
Uranus
Its denser than Jupiter and Saturn. Uranus is composed of hydrogen,
helium, substantial amounts of water, and some methane, ammonia,
rock and metal. The amounts of methane in its upper atmosphere give
the planet its blue-green color. The core of Uranus is mostly rock and
metal. It rotates clockwise every 17 hours. Uranus revolves around the
Sun in 84 Earth years.
Uranus
Father Sky
Uranus is also known as Father Sky and the son of
Gaea. He and Gaea had many children including
Cyclops, the hundred-headed, and the Titans. Since
Uranus didnít like the way they looked, he treated
them very badly and locked them deep inside the
earth. Gaea was very mad and asked one of the
Titans to overthrow their father with a scythe.
Uranus is known as the father of the sky and
sometimes the universe. He symbolizes science,
media, computers and technology. Most of Uranusís
moons are named after mythology or
Shakespearean characters.
Uranus
Uranus Facts Sheet:
Type: Jovian
Mass of planet (Earth=1) = 14.53
Mean density (grams/centimeter³ ) = 1.29
Interior: Uranus's interior composition is primarily
that of methane ice.
Surface:
Water:
Atmosphere: The uniformity of the planet's
appearance confirms that the planet's
atmosphere is composed almost solely of one
element, methane gas.
Moons: 24
Uranus
The Giant planets do not have the same
kind of structure inside that the
terrestrial planets do. Their evolution
was quite different than that of the
terrestrial planets, and they have much
more gas and ice inside.
Uranus's interior composition is
primarily that of methane ice.
Motions in the interior of Uranus
contribute to the formation of the
magnetosphere of Uranus. Heat
generated within Uranus contributes to
the unusual motions of the atmosphere.
This is an image
of the Epsilon ring
on Uranus.
Miranda
This is an image of
Miranda's surface
called the chevron.
This is an image of Ariel. This
satellite has many craters.
This is another
image of Ariel,
showing a
complex array of
valleys and
impact craters.
This is a
mosaic of Ariel
created from
Voyager
images
Neptune
Like other gaseous planets, Neptune rotates rapidly once every 16.1
Earth hours. It takes 164.8 Earth years for Neptune to revolve around the
Sun. Neptune is composed of 74% hydrogen, 25% helium and 1%
methane at the depth of the planet. Its diameter is 49,528 kilometers.
Neptune
God of the Sea
Neptune is the god of the sea and his
Greek name is Poseidon. His symbol is a
trident or a fishing spear. He uses the
trident. He is the son of Cronus and Rhea
and brothers with Jupiter and Neptune.
Neptune ruled a beautiful palace under the
sea. Neptune had many children and
lovers, including the Cyclopes. He has a
throne on Mount Olympus. The trident he
carries can create terrible sea storms and
also was used in the battle against the
Titans and is often called the ìEarthShakerî. Neptune is believed to have
created the horse, and it is associated with
Neptune. In astrology, Neptune represents
spirituality, and imagination.
Neptune
Neptune Facts Sheet:
Type: Jovian
Mass of planet (Earth=1) = 17.14
Mean density (grams/centimeter³ ) = 1.64
Interior: Neptune's interior composition is
primarily that of methane ice, just as Uranus' is.
Surface:
Water:
Atmosphere: The composition of Neptune
clouds is thought to be methane crystals.
Moons: 8
Neptune
The Giant planets do not have the same kind of structure inside that the terrestrial
planets do. Their evolution was quite different than that of the terrestrial planets, and
they have much more gas and ice inside.
Neptune's interior composition is primarily that of methane ice, just as Uranus' is.
Motions in the interior of Neptune contribute to the formation of the magnetosphere
of Neptune. Heat generated within Neptune contributes to the unusual strength and
motions of the atmosphere.
This is an image
showing
crescents of
Neptune and its
moon Triton
taken by
Voyager 2 on
August 31,
1989.
This is an image showing the disappearance of the Great Dark Spot taken by
the Hubble Space Telescope. The second picture was taken about 9 hours
later showing the opposite hemisphere.
This is a closer
view of the Great
Dark Spot and the
Scooter. The
Scooter is small
and bright and to
the left of the dark
spot. This image
was taken on the
Voyager Mission in
August 1989.
This is
true-color
image of
clouds
east of the
Great
Dark Spot
taken by
the
Voyager 2.
This is a color image of Triton taken by Voyager 2 in August 1989.
Triton is Neptune's largest satellite.
This is an image of Proteus, the first of six new moons discovered
by Voyager 2.