The Planets in our solar system

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The Planets in our solar system
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What is an AU?

• An astronomical unit (AU) is the average distance
  of the Earth from the sun.

1 AU 93 million miles!
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INNER PLANETS
(Terrestrial Planets) Turn to page
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MERCURY

• SURFACE Rock Metal
• ATMOSPHERE Very thin atmosphere (nitrogen,
  oxygen)
• TEMPERATURE -297 F - 870 F
• LIQUID WATER? No
• MASS 0.06 Earths
• DISTANCE FROM SUN 0.39 mean AU
• REVOLUTION PERIOD 0.24 Earth years
• MOONS 0
• RINGS 0

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SUMMARIZE!

• WHY DO YOU THINK IT MIGHT BE DIFFICULT TO LEARN
  ABOUT MERCURY?

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Venus

• SURFACE Rock Metal
• ATMOSPHERE Thick carbon dioxide, nitrogen
• TEMPERATURE 864 F average
• LIQUID WATER? No
• MASS 0.82 Earths
• DISTANCE FROM SUN 0.72 mean AU
• REVOLUTION PERIOD 0.62 Earth years
• MOONS 0
• RINGS 0

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SUMMARIZE!

• THE SURFACE OF VENUS IS VERY HOT
• EXPLAIN WHY.

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Earth

• SURFACE Rock Metal
• ATMOSPHERE Fairly thick
• Nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, trace gases
• TEMPERATURE -126F - 136F (extremes)
• LIQUID WATER? Yes
• MASS 1 Earth 6,600,000,000,000,000,000,000 TONS
• DISTANCE FROM SUN 1 AU
• REVOLUTION PERIOD 1 Earth year (365 days)
• MOONS 1
• RINGS 0

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Mars

• SURFACE Rock Metal
• ATMOSPHERE Thin carbon dioxide, nitrogen, argon
• TEMPERATURE -125F - 23F
• LIQUID WATER? At one timenot now
• MASS 0.11 Earths
• DISTANCE FROM SUN 1.52 AU
• REVOLUTION PERIOD 1.9 years
• MOONS 2
• RINGS 0

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SUMMARIZE!

• WHAT FEATURES DO THE TERRESTRIAL PLANETS HAVE IN
  COMMON?

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QUESTION

• WHICH OF THE TERRESTRIAL PLANETS BESIDE EARTH MAY
  BE ABLE TO SUPPORT LIFE?

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outer PLANETS
(jovian gas giant Planets)
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jupiter

• SURFACE Frozen and liquid hydrogen, helium
• ATMOSPHERE Extremely thick hydrogen and helium
• TEMPERATURE -234F average
• LIQUID WATER? No
• MASS 318 Earths
• DISTANCE FROM SUN 5.20 AU
• REVOLUTION PERIOD 11.8 years
• MOONS 63
• RINGS 3 very faint rings

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Astronomers witnessed
a spectacular event in July 1994, when 21
fragments of a comet named Shoemaker-Levy 9
crashed into Jupiter's atmosphere. The impacts
caused tremendous explosions, some scattering
debris over areas larger than the diameter of
Earth. NASA Organization
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SUMMARIZE!
PRETEND YOU WERE GOING TO PARACHUTE DOWN TO THE
SURFACE OF JUPITER. HOW WOULD THE LANDING FEEL?
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saturn

• SURFACE Frozen and liquid hydrogen, helium
• ATMOSPHERE Extremely thick hydrogen and helium
• TEMPERATURE -288F average
• LIQUID WATER? No
• MASS 95.2 Earths
• DISTANCE FROM SUN 9.52 AU
• REVOLUTION PERIOD 29.5 years
• MOONS 60
• RINGS Thousands of rings made of ice and
  particles ranging from dust to the size of a
  house

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uranus

• SURFACE Frozen and liquid hydrogen, helium
• ATMOSPHERE Extremely thick hydrogen and helium
• TEMPERATURE -357F average
• LIQUID WATER? No
• MASS 14.4 Earths
• DISTANCE FROM SUN 19.2 AU
• REVOLUTION PERIOD 84 years
• MOONS 27
• RINGS About 13

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SUMMARIZE!
What is the relationship between a planets
distance from the sun and its orbital period?
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neptune

• SURFACE Frozen and liquid hydrogen, helium, and
  methane
• ATMOSPHERE Extremely thick hydrogen and helium
• TEMPERATURE -353F average
• LIQUID WATER? No
• MASS 17 Earths
• DISTANCE FROM SUN 30 AU
• REVOLUTION PERIOD 165 years
• MOONS 13
• RINGS 9 faint rings

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SUMMARIZE!
What features do the gas giants have in common?
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pluto

• SURFACE Ice and rock
• ATMOSPHERE Sort of has one
• TEMPERATURE -387F average
• LIQUID WATER? No
• MASS 0.002 Earths
• DISTANCE FROM SUN 39.5 AU
• REVOLUTION PERIOD 248 years
• MOONS 3 (Charon is an icy companion moon)
• RINGS None

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When Pluto is closer to the sun in its orbit, the
warmth from the sun heats up the frozen ices of
nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide on Pluto's
surface. These ices vaporize and form a temporary
atmosphere. When Pluto moves farther from the
sun, the atmosphere freezes and falls back onto
Pluto's surface. NASA Organization