Download Earth - Fort Bend ISD

Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Characteristics
Small
 Rocky surface
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Mercury
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The size of Earth’s moon
Has no moons of it’s own
Because it is so close to sun, it is hard to
see
Only half of the planet has been
photographed, the rest is a mystery
Surface is flat and rocky
Small amounts of gas in atmosphere
During day:
430 degrees C
During night: - 170 degrees C
Mercury Questions…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is Mercury’s surface like?
When is Mercury hot?
When is it cold?
Why is Mercury hard to study?
What do you think the other side of
Mercury looks like? (3 sentences)
Mercury Activities…
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Do Mercury mini-mural
Do Mercury word search-page 13
Venus
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Venus shines like a star in the sky- it reflects
light from the sun
Called Earth’s twin because they are the
same in size
Venus rotates backwards, east to westretrograde rotation- may have been struck
by a large object
We could not breath on Venus- it’s full of
carbon dioxide
Venus continued…
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There is NEVER a sunny day on Venus, the
clouds are too thick!
The clouds trap the heat near Venus’
surface –greenhouse effect
The temperature is around 900 degrees F
everyday!
20 spacecraft have visited Venus
The surface is full of volcanoes with lava
flow, craters, and strange domes not seen
before.
Venus Questions…
1.
2.
3.
4.
Is Venus star? How does it shine in
the night sky?
Why can’t astronomers see what
Venus looks like?
Why is Venus moving backwards?
What is one thing that Earth and
Venus have in common?
Venus activities…
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Do Venus mini-mural
Earth
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Atmosphere made from oxygen, nitrogen, and
clouds of water droplets
70% of Earth is covered in water
We are the ONLY planet with oceans!
3 main layers- crust, mantle, and core
Earth Questions…
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is in our atmosphere that we
need to breath?
How much of our planet is covered
with land?
What are the 3 layers of the Earth?
Which layer is on the outside?
Compare and Contrast
Earth and Venus:
Earth
Venus
Mars
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Called the “red planet”
Atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide
Mars is very cold
It has ice caps on both poles.
Mars continued…
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Water used to flow like ours millions of
years ago
It has seasons like Earth
Used to have active volcanoes
Two small moons covered in craters
Inner Planets Review
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What characteristics do all inner planets
have in common?
Why is it hard to learn about Mercury?
Why could Earth be called the “water
planet”?
Why can astronomers see the surface of
Mars clearly, but not Venus?
Why is the surface of Venus so hot?
Name two features that Mars and Earth
both have.