The Planets Chapter 27

Mercury Closest Greatest temp. range.. Over 1000 F to -32 F Slow rotation causes the sun side to bake, dark side can cool Origin – escape moon of Venus Earth has a moon –Mercury is similar in size & composition to moon –Venus is similar in size & composition to Earth Looks like moon –Craters are bigger; faults are longer No atmosphere to erode craters (little or no change in 4 billions years) Similar size as moon but smaller.. Has more heavy elements … more gravity.. Its smaller

Unique Characteristics: Mercury Almost no atmosphere Highly catered surface Mariner 10 only craft that visited May have ice at north and south poles in craters

Venus Highest constant temp 1100 F “Greenhouse effect” – traps heat… Mercury – without an atmosphere loses heat Earth’s sister planet A lot of CO 2 Same amount of CO 2 as earth –Earth -- CO 2 is in the rock (limestone) –Venus -- CO 2 is in atmosphere 96% Sulfuric acid in the atmosphere too Planet is cloud covered. Winds blow 225 mph (around the planet once in 4 days) Crushing atmosphere; 3000 feet below sea level.. Squished like a grape 177 degree tilt.. Upside down.. Rotation is backwards.. Cool!

Unique Characteristics: Venus Earth’s “sister” planet- similar in size and composition Pressure on surface same as being 900meters under water Atmosphere of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid Retrograde revolution

Earth Third planet from the sun Orbit period is 365 days Completes one rotation on its axis every day Geologic records --- indicate continents were once connected Separated & drifted to their present positions

Unique Characteristics: Earth Only planet with water in all three phases “the blue planet” Life Thin atmosphere Tilted axis Large oceans Average temperature 14°C

Mars Half the size of earth Air pressure is 1/200 that of earth.. Your blood would boil. Temp range 99 F to -121 F Largest volcano.. Olympus Mons (mound of Gods) –13 miles tall Flowing water long ago –Water evaporated & was dissociated by UV energy (hydrogen & oxygen separated) –Hydrogen in the atmosphere.. Oxygen bonded with Iron to create rust.. The Red planet (rusty planet) Canal evidence all over mars.. Valles Marinaris.. Canyon as long as the U.S. Polar cap (north) water.. South is CO 2 Two moons.. Phobos & Diemos.. Captured asteroids form the nearby asteroid belt

Unique Characteristics: Mars Red appearance “the red planet” Polar ice caps Crisscrossed with large valleys Largest volcano: olympus mons

Jupiter Largest Planet Could have been a sun if it had more mass Atmosphere – Methane, Ammonia, helium Emits more energy than it receives No solid surface Belts –Dark regions cold –Light regions warm –Red spot- hurricane Has a ring Jupiter is shrinking.. Creates high temp Core temp is 70,000F Its moons –IO – geoligically active (Volcanoes) –Lightning from Jupiter strikes IO –Ganymede – largest of all moons –Callisto –Europa Ice covered with water under.. Life?

Unique Characteristics: Jupiter Failed star Fastest rotation Bands of swirling gases Great Red spot (storm) Releases energy

Saturn Density less than water.. It floats Brown spot … just like the Red Spot on Jupiter Saturn gives off more energy than it receives Prominent rings.. Moon that could not form Could be as many as 125 orbiting satellites

Unique Characteristics: Saturn Large ring system (visible from earth w/ telescope) Least dense of all planets…density less than water Volume = 755 earths

Uranus Tilt is 98 degrees.. Rotates on its side… like a barrel Below the surface atmosphere is liquid water Water is under pressure so it does not freeze Planet has rings Color is blue.. Due to refraction Has a moon, Miranda, which was hit by something, blew up, and the pieces come back together again Infrared view of Uranus, its Rings, and two moons

Unique Characteristics: Uranus First planet discovered since ancient times Rotates on its side Small ring system

Neptune Has a dark spot called the Great Dark Spot … another hurricane Another blue color.. More water Orbit takes Neptune out beyond Pluto to March of 1999

Unique Characteristics: Neptune Existence predicted before discovery Great dark spot Every 248 years it is the farthest planet from the sun for 20 years Very large moon Triton

Pluto Planet or whatever?? Composition.. Unknown. However, density is between 2.0 and 3.0 grams per mL (water is 1.0 and earth is 5.5 grams per mL) … too much ice to be a terrestrial planet. No gas body to be a gas giant. What is it?? Neptune moon?? No!! Its moon Charon is in geosynchronous orbit.. Stays in the same spot over Pluto. No way 2 object could be knocked out of Neptune's orbit and end up in geo- sync orbit.

Unique Characteristics: Pluto Discovered by American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh in 1930 Pluto takes 248 years to orbit the Sun. Pluto’s most recent close approach to the Sun was in Between 1979 and 1999, Pluto's highly elliptical orbit brought it closer to the Sun than Neptune