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The Planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune, (Pluto?)
How far away are the planets?
Astronomical Unit
We use AU’s to measure the distance between planets.
1AU is the distance from the Sun to the Earth.
1AU = 150 million kilometers or 93 million miles
Mercury is .5 AU from the Sun and Pluto is 50 AU from the sun
Mercury
Mercury is the closest planet to the sun.
It is very hot = 800°F It is very cold = -280°F It has many craters and
very rocky It has the longest day and
night cycle – 3 months of daylight and 3 months of darkness
No Moons
Venus
Venus is called Earth’s sister planet as it is similar in size.
Venus is 850° F in the day and at night.
Its surface is covered with lava
It is covered by thick white clouds made of carbon dioxide
No Moons
Mars
Mars has a very rocky surface Temperature: -80◦ F to
70 ◦ F These are actual photos from
Mars! What do you think the face is? We have found evidence of
water It is about ½ the diameter of
Earth 2 moons
Jupiter Jupiter is the largest planet. It is 10X the size of Earth. It is a “gas giant.”
Temperature: -234◦F It spins very fast on its
axis: once every 10 hours. The fast rotation causes
many storms and high winds.
It is known for its “great red spot” which is thought to be a large storm.
62 moons
Saturn
Saturn is known for its thick rings.
The rings are made of chunks of water and ice.
Temperature: -288◦F It is just slightly smaller
than Jupiter Also known as one of the
“gas giants.” 47 moons
Uranus
Also a gas giant It turns on its side and in the
opposite direction as Earth and the other planets.This is called retrograde rotation.
It is made up of “heavy” gases: methane, ammonia and water.
It takes 84 Earth years to travel around the Sun once!
Temperature: -274◦F 27 Moons
Neptune
Very similar in size to Uranus
Temperature: -346◦F Neptune is very cold Methane ice crystals are
visible in the atmosphere. It also has a dark spot
like Jupiter which is also a storm.
13 Moons
Pluto: “Dwarf Planet”
Made of ice and rock It is smaller than our
moon. It has 3 moons. Since they orbit each
other, they are known as a double planet.
It takes 248 Earth years to orbit the Sun once!
Two Classifications of Planets
The terrestrial planets are those closest to the Sun, they have layers and are rocky: Mercury Venus Earth Mars
The four gas giants are:
Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune
They are made of mostly helium and hydrogen
What is the difference between a comet, asteroid and meteor?
Comet Asteroid Meteor
Made of rock and ice
Made of rock Made of bits of ice and rock from either Comets or Asteroids
Small objects with gas tail
Irregular shape Many different shapes
Orbits the Sun Orbits the Sun and has hit Earth
Has hit Earth
When it hits Earth it is called a Meteorite