Before we begin…• A.U. = Astronomical Unit

• 1 AU = the distance from Earth to the Sun

• This is how we measure distances from the planets to

the Sun

Each planet has unique and identifiable features.

-mass -gravity -composition

-atmosphere -length of rotation

-length of revolution –temperature

-number of satellites (moons)

THE INNER PLANETS

• Called the “terrestrial” planets.

• This comes from the Latin word “terra” which means

Earth.

• Known for being Earth-like

• Made of dense, rocky materials

MERCURY

Mercury• COMPOSITION

•Iron and nickel•Iron core•Very rocky with craters•Its largest surface feature is the Caloris Basin•Lots of cliffs

• ATMOSPHERE •NONE because of its low gravity- it is unable to keep gases in its atmosphere

• TEMPERATURE Greatest temperature range in our Solar System. 425 C during the day to -170 C at night (-274 F to 797 F)

• MASS 5.5% of Earth’s mass

• LENGTH OF YEAR 88 Earth days

• LENGTH OF DAY 59 Earth days

• A.U.s FROM SUN .38

• MOONS NONE

Mercury

Mercury Pictures

South Pole of Mercury

First image taken from Mariner 10 in

1974

The crater we see is 140 km in diameter

Mariner 10

VENUS

Venus• COMPOSITION •Often called “Earth’s Twin” as it is similar in size and mass

•surface is covered with volcanoes and oozing lava OR solidified lava;

•ATMOSPHERE •Very thick and made mostly of carbon dioxide (CO2)

•extreme greenhouse effect

•clouds are made of sulfuric acid

• TEMPERATURE •450 C to 475 C (873 F)

• MASS 80% of Earth’s mass

• LENGTH OF YEAR 226 Earth days

• LENGTH OF DAY 243 Earth days (rotates in the opposite direction = retrograde rotation)

• A.U.s FROM SUN .72

• MOONS NONE

Venus

Venus Pictures

N. Hemisphere of Venus from Magellan spacecraft

Maat Mons is displayed in this 3-dimensional perspective view of the

surface of Venus taken by NASA Magellan. The viewpoint is located

north of Maat Mons

EARTH

Earth• COMPOSITION Sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic rocks; iron and nickel make up the inner and outer core; various elements, minerals, and other rocks; 70% water!!!; very active moving tectonic plates

• ATMOSPHERE 5 layers; Nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide, among other gases make up the troposphere; is unique in our Solar System (as far as we know) for being able to support life; causes meteors to burn up and protects life from the Sun’s intense radiation

• TEMPERATURE Able to support life; allows water to exist at solid, liquid, and gaseous states of matter

• MASS 6 X 1021 metric tons

• LENGTH OF YEAR 365.24 Earth days

• LENGTH OF DAY 23.9 hours

• A.U.s FROM SUN one = 150,000,000 km

• MOONS 1; Luna

Earth

MARS

Mars• COMPOSITION

•Iron oxide gives this planet its red color;

•ice caps are made of frozen carbon dioxide and water;

•the largest volcano in our solar system is on Mars (Olympus Mons)

• ATMOSPHERE thin; mostly carbon dioxide with some nitrogen and argon

• TEMPERATURE from -125 C to 35 C (-168 F to 50 F); this large temperature difference results in strong winds, which create dust storms

• MASS 10% of Earth’s

• LENGTH OF YEAR 687 Earth days

• LENGTH OF DAY 24.6 hours

• A.U.s FROM SUN 1.52

• MOONS 2 small moons; Phobos and Deimos

Mars

Mars Pictures

The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars

Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of spider-shaped features on Mars, carved by vaporizing dry ice.

A towering dust devil casts a serpentine shadow over the Martian surface in this image

from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The

scene is a late-spring afternoon in the Amazonis Planitia region of

northern Mars.

CURIOSITY ROVER

Two spacecraft engineers stand with three generations of Mars rovers developed at NASA's JPL, Pasadena, Ca. Front and center is a

flight spare of Sojourner, left is a working sibling to Spirit and Opportunity, right is test rover Curiosity.

THE OUTER PLANETS

• Known as the “Gas Giants”

• Have deep, massive atmospheres rather than hard, rocky surfaces

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

JUPITER

Jupiter• COMPOSITION •hydrogen and helium in the atmosphere become liquid in the middle of the planet

•rocky core at the planet’s center.

• ATMOSPHERE •Hydrogen, helium, methane, ammonia, water vapor

•very colorful clouds and continuous storms of high-pressure gases (“Great Red Spot”)

•clouds are made of ammonia ice crystals

• TEMPERATURE •-145 to 21 C/-230 to 70 F at surface and 43,000 F/24,000 C at its core (hotter than the surface of the Sun!)

• MASS 318 times Earth’s mass

• LENGTH OF YEAR 11.9 years

• LENGTH OF DAY 9.9 hours

• A.U.s FROM SUN 5.20

• MOONS as many as 63; 16 that are more than 6 miles in diameter, according to NASA; 4 largest = Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto

•Jet Stream on Jupiter Video

Jupiter

Jupiter Pictures

SATURN

Saturn• COMPOSITION •below the atmosphere, there’s a liquid layer of H (hydrogen) and He (helium)

•small, rocky core

• ATMOSPHERE •thick outer atmosphere of H and He, ammonia, methane, and water vapor

•broad rings, each composed of thousands of smaller rings, which are made of ice, dust, and rock particles

•has bands of clouds and storms like Jupiter

• TEMPERATURE -140 C/-220 F

• MASS 95 times Earth’s mass

• LENGTH OF YEAR 29.5 years

• LENGTH OF DAY 10.7 hours

• A.U.s FROM SUN 9.54

• MOONS approximately 62; NASA recognizes 25 with diameters of at least 6 miles; Titan is the largest, Mimas, Iapetus, Enceladus

•Taking on Titan Video

Saturn

URANUS

Uranus• COMPOSITION •has a mantle of liquid and solid water, methane, and ammonia surrounding a rocky core

•its axis of rotation is tilted on its side (goes up and down, not side to side)

• ATMOSPHERE •dark, thin rings

•made up of hydrogen, helium, and some methane, which is what gives the planet a blue-green color

•very thick and hazy

• TEMPERATURE •-319 F/-195 C in atmosphere and up to 12, 632 F/7,000C at rocky core

• MASS 14.5 times Earth’s mass

• LENGTH OF YEAR 84 years

• LENGTH OF DAY 17.2 hours

• A.U.s FROM SUN 19.18

• MOONS approximately 27; Cordelia and Ophelia

Uranus

NEPTUNE

Neptune• COMPOSITION •liquid water, methane, and ammonia that might change to solid ice

• probably has a rocky core

• ATMOSPHERE •Similar to the atmosphere on Uranus with methane also giving Neptune its blue-green color

•dark-colored storms similar to the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, but they disappear quickly because the atmosphere is very active and changes rapidly

• TEMPERATURE •Surface temperatures are -391 F/-235 C

• MASS 17.1 times Earth’s mass

• LENGTH OF YEAR 165 years

• LENGTH OF DAY 16.1 hours

• A.U.s FROM SUN 30.06

• MOONS NASA says 13 (8-13 is what I have read); Triton is the largest

• Kuiper Belt Dust Video

Neptune