The Outer Planets

Question: What characteristics are common to all the outer planets?

Jupiter Mass: 1.90 x 1027 kg (1,900,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg) Diameter: 142,800 km Avg. distance from sun: 5.203 AU or 778,412,020 km

Jupiter Rotation (day): 9.8 Earth hours Revolution (year): 11.86 Earth years Structure: no solid crust, gas swirling around a liquid layer, solid core

Jupiter Atmosphere: 80% hydrogen 19.3% helium 0.7% methane (CH4) Colorful bands Red spot is a giant storm that has been going for hundreds of years

Jupiter 300 times bigger than Earth At least 63 moons One, Europa, is covered by water ice May support life

Video: Jupiter write and be prepared to discuss three things you did not know before watching the video

Saturn Mass: 5.69 x 1026 kg Diameter: 120,660 km Avg. distance from sun: 9.537 AU

Saturn Rotation: 10.2 Earth hours Revolution: 29.46 Earth years Atmosphere: 90% hydrogen 9.95% helium .05% methane

Saturn Saturn is less dense than water and would float At least 60 moons Outer gas layer, a thick liquid layer surrounding a solid core.

Saturn Rings are most prominent feature 270,000 km in diameter Only a few hundred meters thick Particles range from dust-sized to chunks as large as a house.

Video: Saturn write and be prepared to discuss three things you did not know before watching the video

Uranus Mass: 8.68 x 1025 kg Diameter: 51,118 km Avg. distance from sun: 19.19 AU or 2,870,972,200 km

Uranus Rotation: 17.9 Earth hours it spins on its side; moves around the sun like a rolling ball. Possibly because it was hit by a large object Revolution: 84 Earth years

Uranus Atmosphere: 83% hydrogen 15% helium 2% methane Makes planet appear blue Beneath atmosphere is a thick, slushy layer of water and ammonia

Uranus Rings are narrow with a vertical alignment at least 27 moons - One named Titania has an icy cracked surface once thought to be an ocean.

Neptune Mass: 1.02 x 1026 kg Diameter: 49,528 km Avg. distance from sun: 30.07 AU or 4,498,252,900 km

Neptune Rotation: 19.1 Earth hours Revolution: 164.8 Earth years

Neptune Atmosphere: 74% hydrogen 25% helium 1% methane Has visible clouds that come and go

Neptune Faint, dark ring system At least 13 moons Largest moon, Triton, has geysers that erupt nitrogen.

Neptune Discovered first by mathematics. Uranus’ orbit was not mathematically possible unless there was another planet pulling on it. Winds sometimes exceed 1,000 km/hour.

Video: Uranus and Neptune write and be prepared to discuss three things you did not know before watching the video

Question: What are the similarities and differences between the inner and outer planets?