Outer Solar System Outer Solar System

Information The atmosphere of a gas giant is deep, with many clouds Gas giant rings are made from chunks of ice All orbits of planets, asteroids, and comets are ellipses. Gas makes up most of their atmosphere Atmosphere is denser and hotter as you go deeper

Jupiter Largest planet in solar system Clouds look white because they’re made of ice crystals…frozen ammonia not frozen water Lower clouds are brown or red and made of different chemicals Great Red Spot- large storm which is twice as wide as Earth and over 100 yrs old (no land to slow down storms)

Saturn Saturn’s rings are zones of ice that orbit the planet Many storms; striped clouds deeper in atmosphere Most well known for rings (wide, flat zone of small particles that orbit planet) Rings have bright and dark stripes that change over time Orbits Sun once every 30 years

Uranus Twice Saturn’s distance from the Sun Moves slowly along it’s orbit---84 years to travel once around Sun Rings and moons around Uranus – a lot of methane too    Seems to spin on its side (possible large collision?)

Neptune Same outside temperature as Uranus because it’s hotter inside the planet Clouds of methane ice crystals Dark colors=storm systems (Just imagine a huge methane storm that never ends )

What is in the rings that surround many of the planets What is in the rings that surround many of the planets? Frozen ice, dust, small rocks, and gas. This planet’s axis is tilted so severely it looks like it must have once been hit by another planet sized object? Uranus

Overview of Info Planet Size in Earth’s Diameter Surface and/or Atmosphere Average Distance from the Sun (AU) Jupiter 11 times Hydrogen clouds, Great Red Spot 5.20 AU Saturn 9 times Hydrogen, rings of ice 9.50 AU Uranus 4 times Hydrogen, helium, methane, icy clouds 19.00 AU Neptune Hydrogen, helium, methane, fast winds, Great Dark Spot 30.00 AU

Can you name all of the planets in order? Mercury is right here… http://www.nineplanets.org/overview.html

The Outer Planets

Saturn Jupiter Distance from sun 1.3 light-hours Period of rotation 10 hours, 39 minutes Period of revolution 29 years, 155 days Diameter 120,536 km Density 0.69 g/cm3 Temperature –185°C Gravity 92% of Earth’s Jupiter Distance from sun 43.3 light-minutes Period of rotation 9 hours, 56 minutes Period of revolution 11 years, 313 days Diameter 142,984 km Density 1.33 g/cm3 Temperature –153°C Gravity 236% of Earth’s Uranus Statistics Distance from sun 2.7 light-hours Period of rotation 17 hours, 14 minutes Period of revolution 83 years, 274 days Diameter 51,118 km Density 1.27 g/cm3 Temperature –214°C Gravity 89% of Earth’s Neptune Statistics Distance from sun 4.2 light-hours Period of rotation 16 hours, 7 minutes Period of revolution 163 years, 265 days Diameter 49,528 km Density 1.64 g/cm3 Temperature –225°C Gravity 112% of Earth’s

Terrestrial Planets (Inner planets, small, dense, and rocky. No rings Terrestrial Planets (Inner planets, small, dense, and rocky. No rings. Few or no moons.) Mercury – smallest planet Venus Earth Mars Asteroid belt lies mainly between orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Jovian Gas Giant Planets (Outer planets, large, low density, and gaseous (H, He, CH4). All have rings. All have many moons) Jupiter - largest planet Saturn Uranus Neptune The Planets

Review What planet has the Great Red Spot? Jupiter Rings of gas giants are made from ______ Chunks of ice, dust, and gas The atmosphere is more _______ and more ________ the farther you travel into a Gas Giant’s atmosphere. Dense Hot What does AU mean? Average distance from the Sun (93,000,000 miles)

Drawf Planets Dwarf planets: Pluto (small, icy, low density, one moon, its orbit crosses that of Neptune) Pluto was demoted from a planet to a dwarf planet in August 2006. Ceres (the largest known asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter) is also considered a dwarf planet. Xena (2003 UB313) - a body larger and farther away than Pluto There are a number of other potential candidates for dwarf planets.

Terrestrial Planets            Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jovian Planets Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Dwarf planet Pluto

Largest Planet? Jupiter

Smallest Planet? Mercury!