The Inner Planets are Terrestrial Terrestrial Planets with
rocky surfaces High temperatures Closer to the Sun Closer to each
other Terrestrial planets share features: tectonics volcanism
weathering and erosion impact catering
Slide 3
Mercury Closest to the Sun Only 88 days to orbit Bombarded with
impact craters Temperature extremes 800 F during day, -280 F at
night Basically no atmosphere Your weight: If you weigh 100 pounds
on Earth, you would weigh 38 pounds on Mercury.
Slide 4
Venus Thick atmosphere of CO2 and Sulfuric acid Your weight: If
you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 88 pounds on Venus.
Sulfur Dioxide rain (acid rain) Active volcanoes Longer day than
year Spins opposite than other planets (Retrograde Motion) Over 870
F all the time
Slide 5
Earth Home sweet home Only planet with sustained life
Hydrosphere (water) Atmosphere made up of N, O, CO2 Comfortable
temps
Slide 6
Mars Frozen polar CO2 caps Smaller than Earth Slightly longer
day and year Very cold (60 F to -130 F) Largest mountain in solar
system Olympus Mons Thin atmosphere of CO2 Air pressure 1% that of
Earth Rust gives Mars its color (iron and oxygen reaction) Your
weight: If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 38 pounds
on Mars.
Slide 7
Asteroid Belt Separates the inner and outer planets Possibly an
annihilated planet Most asteroids hang out here
Slide 8
Outer Planets are Gas giants Gas giants No solid surface, just
thick atmosphere All very large Very far apart from each other All
have rings
Slide 9
Jupiter Could hold 1300 Earths Almost big enough to be a star
Temperature is -234 F on average 12 Earth years = 1 Jovian year 1
Jovian day = 10 Earth Hours Jupiters enormous gravitational pull
allows it to have 63 moons! Weight: If you weigh 100 pounds on
Earth, you would weigh 265 pounds on Jupiter. Huge storms Great red
spot hurricane larger than Earth
Slide 10
Saturn 30 years to orbit Rotates in 11 hours Large rings made
of ice and dust Extremely low density Saturn's density is lighter
than water (0.7) which means if you had a body of water big enough
to hold it, it would float! Your weight: If you weigh 100 pounds on
Earth, you would weigh 107 pounds on Saturn.
Slide 11
Uranus Blue in color due to methane gas 84 years to orbit It is
the only planet to rotate on its side. Scientists are unsure why it
rotates that way It has approximately 20 years of daytime and 20
years of nighttime because one pole faces the sun for a couple of
decades and then the other for a couple. Temperature -353 F
average
Slide 12
Neptune Methane atmosphere 164 years to orbit -250c temps 30
times farther from the sun than Earth Neptunes winds are the
fastest of any planets in the Solar System and can reach more than
1,200 miles per hour