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Tour of the Solar System
General Properties of the Solar System
• There are two classes of planets:
 The Terrestrial planets are small, solid bodies (rocks or
iron) in the inner part of the Solar System.
 The Jovian planets are hydrogen-rich gas giants in the
outer part of the Solar System.
• Each planet (except for Pluto) is in a roughly circular
(elliptical) orbit in the plane of the ecliptic, moving west-toeast in the sky.
General Properties of the Solar System
• There are two classes of planets:
 The Terrestrial planets are small, solid bodies (rocks or
iron) in the inner part of the Solar System.
 The Jovian planets are hydrogen-rich gas giants in the
outer part of the Solar System.
• Each planet (except for Pluto) is in a elliptical orbit in the
plane of the ecliptic, moving west-to-east in the sky.
• Between Mars and Jupiter there are large numbers of small
asteroids.
• Outside the orbit of Neptune is the Kuiper Belt of comets.
• Far past Pluto is the Oort Cloud of comets.
The Planets
Mercury
The Planets
Name
Mercury
Distance
Mass Density
Period
(A.U.)
(M) (water)
0.39
88 d
0.056
5.4
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
-170/+430
58d
7°
Mercury
Mercury notes: many impact craters (looks like the Moon);
very dense (mostly iron); rotation period exactly 2/3 of its
orbital period (a resonance); very large day/night temperature
difference; no atmosphere; no moon
Name
Distance
Mass Density
Period
(A.U.)
(M) (water)
The Planets
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88 d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d
7°
Venus
0.72
225 d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d
2°
Venus
optical
Venus notes: similar in size and mass to earth; extremely thick
CO2 atmosphere; sulfuric acid clouds; hottest planet in the Solar
System; little temperature variance; evidence of volcanos on
surface; rotates slowly (backwards); some impact craters; no moon
Venus and Jupiter
The Planets
Name
Distance
Mass Density
Period
(A.U.)
(M) (water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d
7°
Venus
0.72
225 d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d
2°
Earth
1.0
365 d
1.0
5.55
-50/+50
24h
23°
0.012
3.35
-170/+130
29d
6°
Moon
Earth and Moon
Earth/Moon notes: double planet (Moon similar in size to
earth); extremely different surface conditions; Moon keeps its
same side to the earth at all times
Earth
Earth notes: liquid water on surface; very dense (mostly iron);
atmosphere of N2 and O2 (with trace amounts of CO2); a few
impact craters; small difference in day/night temperature;
evidence of volcanos and tectonic activity; water vapor clouds
The Moon
Moon notes: many impact craters; less dense than Earth (mostly
rock); no atmosphere; large day/night temperature difference;
evidence of past lava flows (only on side facing Earth); no
present volcanos or tectonic activity
The Planets
Name
Distance Period Mass Density
(A.U.)
(yr) (M) (water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d
7°
Venus
0.72
225d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d
2°
Earth
1.0
365d
1.0
5.55
-50/+50
24h
23°
0.012
3.35
-170/+130
29d
6°
0.11
3.3
-140/+20
24h 37m
24°
Moon
Mars
1.5
687d
Mars
Mars notes: medium density (rocks); polar ice caps (H2O and
CO2); thin CO2 atmosphere; moderate daytime/night temperature
changes; some impact craters; large canyons and volcanos;
evidence for old river beds; dust storms; two small moons
Mars
Mars
Sand Dunes on Mars
Mars moons
Deimos and Phobos
The Planets
Name
Distance Period Mass Density
(A.U.)
(yr) (M) (water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d
7°
Venus
0.72
225d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d
2°
Earth
1.0
365d
1.0
5.55
-50/+50
24h
23°
0.012
3.35
-170/+130
29d
6°
Moon
Mars
1.5
687 d
0.11
3.3
-140/+20
24h 37m
24°
Jupiter
5.2
11.9
years
318
1.34
-130
9h 50m
1°
Jupiter
Jupiter notes: gas giant (mostly H and He, with CH4 and NH3);
strong winds; faint system of rings; rapid rotation (and slightly
flattened); 4 large, many smaller moons; emits more energy
than it receives from the Sun; contains more mass than all the
other planets put together, red spot = Giant hurricane lasting 300
years 2 times the size of Earth.
Jupiter’s Rings
Jupiter and Io
Jupiter’s Galilean Moons
Io
Europa
Ganymede
Callisto
Io:
density of 3.5; many volcanos; no impact craters
Europa:
density of 3.0; smooth icy surface; few impact craters
Ganymede: density of 1.9; grooved surface; many impact craters
Callisto: density of 1.8; covered with craters
Europa
The Planets
Name
Distance Perio
(A.U.) d (yr)
Mass
(M)
Density
(water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d
7°
Venus
0.72
225d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d
2°
Earth
1.0
365d
1.0
5.55
-50/+50
24h
23°
0.012
3.35
-170/+130
29d
6°
Moon
Mars
1.5
687d
0.11
3.3
-140/+20
24h 37m
24°
Jupiter
5.2
11.9
years
318
1.34
-130
9h 50m
1°
Saturn
9.5
29.4
years
95
0.69
-180
10h 39m
2°
Saturn
Saturn notes: gas giant (mostly H and He, with CH4 and NH3);
strong winds; bright complex system of rings; rapid rotation
(and flattened); 1 large moon (Titan) with atmosphere plus
many smaller moons; density less than water (it floats)!
Saturn and Titan
Saturn’s Tethys
Saturn’s Moons
Titan: thick atmosphere of mostly CH4 and NH3; other moons
are mostly icy, but show a wide variety of properties
The Planets
Name
Distance Period Mass Density
(A.U.)
(yr) (M) (water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d
7°
Venus
0.72
225d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d
2°
Earth
1.0
365d
1.0
5.55
-50/+50
24h
23°
0.012
3.35
-170/+130
29d
6°
Moon
Mars
1.5
687d
0.11
3.3
-140/+20
24h 37m
24°
Jupiter
5.2
11.9y
318
1.34
-130
9h 50m
1°
Saturn
9.5
29.4y
95
0.69
-180
10h 39m
2°
-220
-17h
14m
98°
Uranus
19.2
84y
14.5
1.29
Uranus
Uranus notes: gas giant (mostly H and He, with CH4 and NH3);
discovered by Herschel (with telescope) in 1781; tipped 98°
from ecliptic plane; moderately complex ring system; many icy
moons with odd features
Uranus’ Tilt
Moons of Uranus include: Belinda,
Rosalind, Portia, Bianca, Cressida,
Juliet, Desdemona, Puck, and Miranda
Miranda
The Planets
Name
Distance Period Mass Density
(A.U.)
(yr) (M) (water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d
7°
Venus
0.72
225d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d
177°
Earth
1.0
365d
1.0
5.55
-50/+50
24h
23°
0.012
3.35
-170/+130
29d
6°
Moon
Mars
1.5
687d
0.11
3.3
-140/+20
24h 37m
24°
Jupiter
5.2
11.9y
318
1.34
-130
9h 50m
1°
Saturn
9.5
29.4y
95
0.69
-180
10h 39m
2°
98°
29°
Uranus
19.2
84y
14.5
1.29
-220
-17h
14m
Neptune
30.1
165y
17.2
1.66
-216
16h 03m
Neptune
Neptune notes: gas giant (mostly H and He, with CH4 and NH3);
existence and position predicted mathematically in 1843 by John
Couch Adams and Urbain LeVerrier; moderately complex ring
system; many icy moons
Name
Distance Period Mass Density
(A.U.)
(yr) (M) (water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d
7°
Venus
0.72
225d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d
2°
Earth
1.0
365d
1.0
5.55
-50/+50
24h
23°
0.012
3.35
-170/+130
29d
6°
Moon
Mars
1.5
687d
0.11
3.3
-140/+20
24h 37m
24°
Jupiter
5.2
11.9y
318
1.34
-130
9h 50m
1°
Saturn
9.5
29.4y
95
0.69
-180
10h 39m
2°
98°
Uranus
19.2
84y
14.5
1.29
-220
-17h
14m
Neptune
30.1
165y
17.2
1.66
-216
16h 03m
2°
Pluto
39.4
248y 0.002
2.0
-230
-6d 9h
122°
Pluto- the “ex-planet”
Pluto notes: double planet (with Charon); very small; discovered
in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh (if discovered today, would not be
called a planet); orbit around the Sun is very elliptical, and is
sometimes closer than Neptune); icy, similar to moons of outer
planets
Pluto
Asteroids
Asteroid notes: most asteroids are small iron bodies; most are
between Mars and Jupiter (where Bode’s Law predicts a planet); a
few (called Apollo asteroids) cross the Earth’s orbit; the total mass
is less than 0.0001 M
Comets
Comets notes: composition similar to dirty iceballs; many are in
the Kuiper belt, outside the orbit of Neptune; most are in the
Oort Cloud between 20,000 and 100,000 A.U. from the Sun; the
comets we see are in highly elliptical orbits
Message to outer space