Download Earth Compared to Other Planets and Moons

Earth
Earth: the third planet from the sun
 Atmosphere:

 78% Nitrogen 21% Oxygen 1% other gases
 Ozone layer to protects it from harmful UV
radiation
 Greenhouse gases hold in heat and protect
Earth from meteor impacts
Earth
Lithosphere: liquid iron in the outer core
creates a protective magnetic field
 Hydrosphere

 Liquid water is abundant

Temperature
 -126 °F to 126 °F
The Moon
The Moon: Earth’s only satellite
 Atmosphere

 Very Thin; hydrogen and helium
 No protection from meteors

Lithosphere
 No liquid metal = No magnetic field

Hydrosphere
 No water

Temperature
 -280 °F to 260 °F
Mercury
Mercury: closest planet to the sun
 Atmosphere:

 Very thin; Hydrogen and helium
 No protection from meteors

Lithosphere
 Little magnetic field (1% of Earth’s)

Hydrosphere
 No water

Temperature
 -290 °F to 800 °F
Venus
2nd planet from the sun
 Atmosphere

 93 times thicker than Earth’s
 96% Carbon Dioxide

Lithosphere
 Little magnetic field (1% of Earth’s)
 Volcanoes and mountains

Hydrosphere
 Traces of water vapor

Temperature
 870 °F
Mars
4th planet from the sun
 Atmosphere

 100x thinner than earth’s
 96% Carbon Dioxide
 0.1% Oxygen

Lithosphere
 Past volcanoes
 Solid core: no magnetic field

Hydrosphere
 Evidence of seasonal water

Temperature
 -195 °F to 70 °F
Jupiter
5th planet from the sun
 Atmosphere

 10x thicker than earth’s
 90% Hydrogen, 10% Helium

Lithosphere
 Magnetic field 14x stronger than earth’s

Hydrosphere
 Water vapor in the atmosphere

Temperature
 -230 to 70 °F
Io
The closest of Jupiter’s moons
 Atmosphere

 Made up of mostly Sulfur dioxide SO₂

Lithosphere
 Covered in volcanoes
 Liquid core = magnetic field

Hydrosphere
 No water

Temperature
 -290 to 2240 °F
Europa
The 16th closest moon to Jupiter
 Atmosphere

 Very thin and made up of mostly Oxygen Gas

Lithosphere
 Small magnetic field
 Surface is covered in water ice

Hydrosphere
 Ocean under the ice??

Temperature
 -275 °F Water
Ganymede

Atmosphere
 Very thin and mostly oxygen gas

Lithosphere
 Magnetic field
 Surface is rocky with frozen water ice

Hydrosphere
 Frozen water on the surface

Temperature
 -290 to -170 °F
Saturn
The 6th planet from the sun
 Atmosphere

 Thick with 75% hydrogen and 25% helium

Lithosphere
 Magnetic field slightly weaker than Earth’s

Hydrosphere
 No water

Temperature
 -270 ⁰F
Enceladus

Atmosphere
 Thin and mostly water vapor

Lithosphere
 Magnetic field
 Frozen water on surface with geysers

Hydrosphere
 Liquid and frozen water

Temperature
 -400°F to -200 °F
Titan

Atmosphere
 1.5x earth’s atmosphere in thickness
 98% nitrogen 2% methane

Lithosphere
 Magnetic field
 Liquid nitrogen and methane on the surface

Hydrosphere
 No water

Temperature
 -290 °F
Uranus
7th planet from the Sun
 Atmosphere

 10x thicker than earth’s
 Hydrogen, Helium and Methane

Lithosphere
 Magnetic field
 Small rocky core with a liquid surface

Temperature
 -35 °F

Hydrosphere
 No water
Neptune
8th planet from the sun
 Atmosphere

 Hydrogen, Helium and Methane

Lithosphere
 Magnetic field
 Small rocky core with a liquid surface

Temperature
 -390 °F

Hydrosphere
 No water
Dwarf Planet

Dwarf Planet: an object that orbits the sun,
is not a satellite and has not cleared the
space around its orbit
Pluto
A dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt
 Atmosphere

 Thin with Methane and nitrogen gases

Lithosphere
 Rocky with frozen methane and nitrogen on the
surface

Temperature
 -375 °F

Hydrosphere
 No water
Comparative Planetary Data
Planet
Au
Km
“1 year”
“1 day”
(once around
the sun)
(spins on its
axis)
Earth
masses
Density
Satellites
(moons)
Mercury
0.39
58
88 days
59 days
0.06
5.4
0
Venus
0.72
108
225 days 244 days
0.82
5.2
0
Earth
1
150
365 days
24 hours
1
5.5
1
Mars
1.52
228
687 days
24 hours
0.11
3.9
2
Jupiter
5.20
778
12 years
10 hours
317.87
1.3
63
Saturn
9.54
1427
29.5 years
10 hours
95.14
0.7
62
Uranus
19.18
2870
84 years
17 hours
14.56
1.2
27
Neptune
30.06
4497
165 years
16 hours
17.21
1.7
13
Pluto
39.44
5900
248 years
6.4 days
1.8
1.8
1
Which planet or moon would be
most habitable?
Choose one of the moons or
planets we just talked about.
 In your packet, write a
paragraph (4-6 sentences)
explaining why you picked that
planet or moon and what life
forms would need to survive
there.
