Solar System:Inner Planets

Rocky Planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars

Mercury• 1st Planet/ Smallest

• Heavily cratered surface

• 801°F / -279 ° F

• No moons

• Year = 88 Earth days

• 1 day= 58.6 Earth days

• Ice at North Pole of Mercury!

Photo Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins

University Applied Physics

Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Distance from

Sun:35,980,000 miles

(57,910,000 km)

Photo Credit:NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Photo Credit: NASA

Credit: Lunar and Planetary Institute

Venus• 2nd Planet/ 3rd Largest

• Thick, toxic atmosphere: Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen

• 880 °F or higher

• No moons

• Year = 225 Earth days

• 1 day= 117 Earth days

• Rocky surface created through volcanic activity

Credit: NASA/JPL

Distance from Sun:

67,240,000 miles

(108,200,000 km)

Credit: NASA/SDO, AIA

Credit: NASA/JPL/ESA

Credit: NASA

Earth

• 3rd Planet/ 4th largest

• Oceans cover 70% of planet’s surface

• 1 Moon = a natural satellite

• Year = 365 days

• 1 day= 24 hours

Distance from

Sun:92,960,000 miles

(149,600,000 km)

Credit: NASA

Credit: Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center

Credit: NASA

Credit: Lunar and Planetary Institute

Credit: ESA & NASA

Mars• 4th Planet/2nd largest

• Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen, Argon

• Reddish tint due to iron rich soil

• 2 moons= Phobos and Deimos

• Year = 687 Earth days

• 1 day= 1 day 40 minutes Distance from Sun:

141,600,000 miles

(227,900,000 km)

Credit: NASA

Credit: NASA

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Tanya Harrison

Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Credit: NASA/JPL/Texas A&M/Cornell

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/ASU/Texas A&M/Navigation camera