Planets

Sun• Energy comes from

Nuclear Fusion: Hydrogen atoms join together to form Helium

• Three zones/layers of the Sun:

1. Convection Zone2. Radiation Zone3. Core

• Features of the Sun include:

1. Sunspots: areas of gas that are cooler than those around it

2. Prominences: huge reddish loops of gas

3. Solar Flares: super heated gas eruptions

4. Solar Wind: wind from the corona as a result of a solar flare

Mercury• DISTANCE FROM THE SUN : About 36,000,000 miles

• DIAMETER : About 3,000 miles

• DAYS TO ORBIT AROUND THE SUN : 88 Earth days

• ROTATION ON ITS AXIS: 59 Earth days

• ATMOSPHERE : Almost non existent-trace amounts of Hydrogen and Helium

• NUMBER OF MOONS: 0

• TEMPERATURE : 810° F, -279°F

*FASTEST ORBITING SPEED AROUND THE SUN: 30 mi./sec.

Venus • DISTANCE FROM THE SUN: About 68,000,000 miles

• DIAMETER: About 7,500 miles

• DAYS TO ORBIT AROUND THE SUN: 224.7 Earth days

• ROTATION ON ITS AXIS: 243Earth days

• ATMOSPHERE: Carbon Dioxide; Sulfuric Acid clouds- obscure views of the surface• NUMBER OF MOONS: 0

• TEMPERATURE: 867°F *hottest of any planet

Earth • DISTANCE FROM THE SUN: About 93,000,000 miles

• DIAMETER: About 8,000 miles

• ORBIT THE SUN: 365.26 days

• ROTATION ON ITS AXIS: 23hr/56min.

• ATMOSPHERE: 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 1% Argon,

Carbon Dioxide and trace gases

• NUMBER OF MOONS: 1

• TEMPERATURE: -129°F to 136°F

Mars • DISTANCE FROM THE SUN: About 142,000,000 miles

• Diameter: About 4,000 miles

• ORBIT THE SUN: 1.88 Earth years

• ROTATION ON ITS AXIS: 24hr, 37 min

• ATMOSPHERE: Primarily Carbon Dioxide

• MOONS: 2

• TEMPERATURE: 185° to 50 ° F

Jupiter • DISTANCE FROM THE SUN: About 483,700,000 miles

• DIAMETER: About 89,000 miles

• ORBIT THE SUN IN EARTH YEARS: 11.86 years

• ROTATION ON ITS AXIS: 9 hrs, 51 minutes

• ATMOSPHERE: 90% Hydrogen and 10% Helium

• NUMBER OF MOONS: 60

• AVERAGE CLOUD TEMPERATURE: -186°F

Saturn • DISTANCE FROM THE SUN: About 888,000,000 miles

• DIAMETER: About 75,000 miles

• ORBIT THE SUN IN EARTH YEARS: 29.42 Earth years

• ROTATION ON ITS AXIS: 10 hours, 39 minutes

• ATMOSPHERE: 97% Hydrogen and 3% Helium

• NUMBER OF MOONS: 33

• AVERAGE CLOUD TEMPERATURE: -193°F

Uranus • DISTANCE FROM THE SUN: About 1,800,000,000 miles

• DIAMETER: About 32,000 miles

• ORBIT THE SUN IN EARTH YEARS: 83.75 Earth years

• ROTATION OF ITS AXIS: 17 hours, 14 minutes

• ATMOSPHERE: 83% Hydrogen, 15% Helium and 2% Methane

• NUMBER OF MOONS: 21

• AVERAGE CLOUD TEMPERATURE: 193°F

Neptune • DISTANCE FROM THE SUN: About 2,800,000,000 miles

• DIAMETER: About 31,000 miles

• ORBIT THE SUN IN EARTH: 164 Earth Years

• ROTATION ON ITS AXIS: 16 hours, 7 minutes

• ATMOSPHERE: 74% Hydrogen, 25% Helium and 1% Methane

• NUMBER OF MOONS: 11

• AVERAGE CLOUD TEMPERATURE: -315°F

COMET• COMET: meaning “long haired star” in Greek• Loose collection of ice, dust and small rocky

particles and possibly a rocky core whose orbits are usually very long, narrow ellipses

• Originates from: Kuiper belt and Oort cloud

Haley’s comet 1986

Meteors• METEOROID: chunk of rock or dust in space; come from comets or asteroids.

• METEOR: when a meteoroid enters the

Earth’s atmosphere

• METEORITE: meteoroid that passes through the Earth’s atmosphere and hit Earth’s surface