Planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune Lunar and Solar Eclipses

Planets

Planet Groups The Outer Planets Planets far from the Sun  Jupiter  Saturn  Uranus  Neptune The Inner Planets –Planets closest to the Sun Mercury Venus Earth Mars Pluto???

Mercury Planet closest to the Sun Smallest Terrestrial Planet Has no moons of its own Why would it have extreme temperatures ? 1) ____________________________ 2) ________________________ It is very close to the Sun It has NO atmosphere

Venus Can be seen in the west just after sunset or in the morning sometimes. Is also called the “evening or morning star” even though it is not a star. Similar to Earth in size and mass and is called the Earth’s twin Has the hottest surface of all the planets because of the greenhouse effect

Mars Called the “Red planet” due to the iron rich rock (Rusty) Mars is quite cold due to –1) Its thin atmosphere –2) Its distance from the Sun

Planets

Outer Planets – The gas giants All the gas giants have thick atmospheres Outer layers of the gas giants are extremely cold due to the distance from the Sun All the gas giants have moons They also have RINGS – thin disks of small particles of ice and rock.

Jupiter and Saturn Jupiter The largest and most massive planet Has 4 moons Saturn The 2 nd largest planet Has the most spectacular rings around it

Uranus, Neptune & Pluto??? Uranus Looks blue-green in color because of the methane in the atmosphere Neptune Is a cold, blue planet Its atmosphere contains visible clouds. Pluto – A Dwarf Planet Because it has not cleared out the neighborhood around its orbit. Has a solid surface Is smaller & denser than the outer planets

Eclipses – Where R U ? Eclipses occur when the shadow of an object in the sky (ex. Moon, Earth) falls on another object Two types of Total Eclipses: –Lunar Eclipse – Moon is hidden –Solar Eclipse – Sun is hidden

Lunar Eclipse – Moon is hidden –Occurs when the Moon passes through a part of the Earth’s shadow. –The shadow caused by an eclipse is an UMBRA –The moon appears red as it receives some light reflected off the Earth. –Happens at night

Next Lunar eclipse in US April th in 2014

Solar Eclipse – Sun is hidden Occurs at New moon, when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth Happens during the day. Next in US on August 17 th, 2017

Corona The outer atmosphere of the Sun is called the Corona. It is the only part of the Sun seen during a total eclipse. Solar eclipses can cause serious damage to the eyes if observed directly.

Answer these questions 1) Which planets make up the inner planets? 2) Which planets make up the outer planets? 3) Name 4 characteristics of the outer planets? 4) Give two differences between rotation and revolution. 5) Name the different phases of the moon and write a sentence on each. 6) What is the order of planets? 7) Come up with an acronym for YOU to remember the order of the planets. Astronomy Test next class