Download Eight Planets

Eight Planets
A Write On Activity
In this activity you will:
 Learn
about the solar system.
 Practice your knowledge in an
interactive game.
 Select one planet and write a
paragraph containing four facts
you learned.
Mercury
Mercury is the closest planet to
the Sun and the eighth largest
planet.
 It has been visited by only one
spacecraft, Mariner 10.
 Temperatures vary greatly on
Mercury from 90 K to 700 K.

Mercury
Mercury is similar to the Moon in
that its surface is heavily cratered
and very old.
 Mercury actually has a very thin
atmosphere consisting of atoms
blasted off its surface by the solar
wind.

Mercury

Mercury has no known satellites.
Venus



Venus is the second planet from the
Sun and the sixth largest.
Venus has been known since
prehistoric times. It is the brightest
object in the sky except for the Sun
and the Moon.
Its surface is actually hotter than
Mercury's despite being nearly twice
as far from the Sun.
Venus
 Venus
is sometimes
regarded as Earth's sister
planet.
–Venus is only slightly
smaller than Earth
– Both have few craters.
Venus
Venus’
core is similar to
that of Earth, an iron
core.
It has no satellites.
It is called the "morning
star" or the "evening
star.”
Venus
Earth
The Earth is the third planet from
the Sun and the fifth largest
planet.
 The Earth is divided into 3 main
layers:
–The Crust
–The Mantle
–The Core

Earth

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The crust is thinner under the oceans,
but thicker under the continents.
Most of the mass of the Earth is in the
mantle.
The core is probably composed mostly
of iron.
71 Percent of the Earth's surface is
covered with water. It is the only
planet on which water can exist in
liquid form on the surface.
Earth

Earth has only one natural
satellite, the Moon.
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the
Sun and the seventh largest.
 Mars has been known since
prehistoric times.
 The first spacecraft to visit Mars
was Mariner 4 in 1965, but several
others followed.

Mars
 Mars
has the most highly
varied and interesting terrain
of any of the planets.
 There is evidence of erosion in
many places on Mars including
large floods and small river
systems (right).
Mars
 Mars
has permanent ice caps
at both poles.
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the
Sun and the largest.
 It was first visited by the Pioneer
10 spacecraft in 1973.
 Jupiter is a gas planets and does
not have a solid surface.
 Its core is composed of rocky
material.

Jupiter
The main bulk of the planet is in the
form of liquid metallic hydrogen.
 The outermost layer is composed of
ordinary molecular hydrogen and
helium.
 The vivid colors seen in Jupiter's
clouds are probably the result of
chemical reactions in Jupiter's
atmosphere.

Jupiter

The Great Red Spot is caused by a
high-pressure region whose cloud
tops are significantly higher and
colder than the surrounding
regions.
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the
Sun and the second largest.
 Galileo was the first to observe it
with a telescope in 1610.
 Like Jupiter, Saturn is a gas
planet, about 75% hydrogen and
25% helium.
 Saturn's rings, unlike the rings of
the other planets, are very bright.

Saturn
The rings are actually composed
of small particles each in an
independent orbit.
 The thin ring particles seem to be
composed primarily of water ice.
 Saturn has 18 named satellites
plus 13 recently discovered.

Saturn
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from
the Sun and the third largest (by
diameter).
 Uranus, the first planet discovered
in modern times on March 13,
1781.
 Uranus has been visited by only
one spacecraft, Voyager 2 on Jan
24 1986.

Uranus
 Uranus
is composed primarily
of rock and various ices.
 Like the other gas planets,
Uranus has bands of clouds
that blow around rapidly.
 Uranus has rings composed of
fairly large particles.
Uranus
 Voyager
2 discovered 10 small
moons in addition to the 5
large ones already known.
Neptune
 Neptune
is the eighth planet
from the Sun and the fourth
largest (by diameter).
 Neptune has been visited by
only one spacecraft, Voyager 2
on Aug 25 1989.
 Neptune's composition is
probably various "ices" and rock.
Neptune
 Being
a gas planet, Neptune has
rapid winds and large storms.
 Neptune has an internal heat
source, radiating more than twice
as much energy as it receives
from the Sun.
 Neptune's most prominent
feature is the Great Dark Spot.
Neptune
 Neptune
has dark rings of an
unknown composition.
 It has 11 known moons.
Pluto
 Pluto
was once considered a
planet, but is no longer. It is
now one of the dwarf planets.

In the new solar system, there are
eight planets, at least three dwarf
planets and tens of thousands of socalled “smaller solar system bodies,”
like comets and asteroids.
Pluto
 Little
is known about Pluto's
atmosphere.
Can you match the facts?



No longer
considered
a planet





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Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Can you match the facts?
Mercury
 Venus
 Earth
 Mars
 Jupiter
 Saturn
 Uranus
 Neptune
 Pluto

Has 3
main
layers
Can you match the facts?
Mercury
 Venus
 Earth
 Mars
 Jupiter
 Saturn
 Uranus
 Neptune
 Pluto

Closest to
the sun
Can you match the facts?
Mercury
 Venus
 Earth
 Mars
 Jupiter
 Saturn
 Uranus
 Neptune
 Pluto

Brightest
planet
in the
sky
Can you match the facts?
Mercury
 Venus
 Earth
 Mars
 Jupiter
 Saturn
 Uranus
 Neptune
 Pluto

Was first
observed
by Galileo
Can you match the facts?
Mercury
 Venus
 Earth
 Mars
 Jupiter
 Saturn
 Uranus
 Neptune
 Pluto

The first
planet
discovered
in modern
times
Can you match the facts?
Mercury
 Venus
 Earth
 Mars
 Jupiter
 Saturn
 Uranus
 Neptune
 Pluto

Has a Great
Dark Spot
Can you match the facts?
Mercury
 Venus
 Earth
 Mars
 Jupiter
 Saturn
 Uranus
 Neptune
 Pluto

Has
permanent
ice caps at
both poles
Can you match the facts?
Mercury
 Venus
 Earth
 Mars
 Jupiter
 Saturn
 Uranus
 Neptune
 Pluto

The
largest
planet
Writing Activity


Choose one planet
and create a
paragraph about it
using 4 facts you
learned.
Review the planets
by clicking the name
on the right.

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Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune