Section 3-1 (Part 3)

The Outer Planets (Gas Giants)

Objectives

• Name the outer planets

• Identify what they are made of

• Decide how the outer planets are different than the inner planets

Gas Giants (Outer Planets)

• Jupiter and Saturn = Gas Giants

• Uranus and Neptune = Ice Giants

Taken byVoyager 1SpacecraftFrom 25 millionMiles away

Jupiter:

5th planetFrom theSun

Jupiter• Distance from Sun: 5.2 AU’s

• Period of Rotation: about 10 hours

• Period of Revolution: 11 years, 313 days

• Diameter: 143,000 km

• Gravity: 236% of Earth’s gravity

Jupiter• Has a very thick

atmosphere– Made of hydrogen,

helium, methane, ammonia and water vapor

• The bands on Jupiter are where there are high winds

Jupiter

• Great Red Spot: hurricane-like storm that has lasted 350 years!– Red Spot Jr. has

been seen recently

Jupiter

• Jupiter has a thin ring system

Jupiter’s moons

• Jupiter has a total of 63 moons

• Galilean Moons– Discovered by

Galileo in 1620– Callisto, Ganymede,

Europa and Io

Jupiter• Jupiter is the

largest planet in the solar system

Saturn• 6th planet from the

Sun• Distance from Sun =

9.5 AU’s• Period of Rotation:

10 hours, 30 mins.• Period of

Revolution: 29 years, 155 days

• Gravity: 91% of Earth’s gravity

Saturn’s Rings

• Saturn has the largest ring system of any planet

Saturn’s Rings• Millions of small

pieces of rock, ice and dust make up the rings

Saturn’s moons• Saturn has a total of

68 moons• Titan is the name of

the biggest moon– A probe has been

landed on Titan very recently

– Scientists think Titan may have liquid water on it

Saturn• Saturn is the

2nd largest planet in the Solar System

Uranus

• 7th planet from the Sun

• Distance from Sun: 19 AU’s

• Period of Rotation: 17 hours, 14 mins

• Period of Revolution: 84 years, 274 days

• Gravity: 82% of Earth’s gravity

Uranus• Thick atmosphere

– Contains methane and hydrogen gas, which creates a turquoise color

– Very similar to Neptune

– Some call Uranus and Neptune the “ice giants)

Uranus

• Uranus is different from other planets, because it is tipped on its side– Possibly from being hit

by a huge comet

• Has a retrograde (clockwise) rotation like Venus

Uranus’ moons

• Uranus has a total of 27 moons

Uranus• Uranus is

the 3rd largest planet in the solar system

Neptune• 8th planet from the

Sun• Distance from Sun:

30 AU’s• Period of Rotation:

16 hours, 7 mins• Period of

Revolution: about 164 days

• Gravity: 112% of Earth’s gravity

Neptune

• Neptune’s atmosphere is similar to Uranus’s– Hydrogen,

helium,methane & nitrogen

– The core/center of Neptune is probably ice and rock

– Called an “ice giant like Uranus

Neptune

• Neptune is the furthest actual planet from the Sun

• It is also the 4th largest planet

How are the Outer Gas Giants different than the Inner

Planets?

Outer Planets vs. Inner Planets

• The outer planets are mostly made of gas– They couldn’t be close to the Sun, because heat

makes gas spread out

• The distance between these gas giants is much greater than the distance between the inner, terrestrial planets

• The gas giants are Much, Much bigger than the inner, terrestrial planets