Astronomy Outer Planets

Objectives Explain how gas giants are different from terrestrial planets Describe the individual characteristics of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune Describe the characteristics of a Dwarf Planet

Did You Know??? The moons of Saturn are called Sheppard moons because they help keep Saturn’s rings in place, like a Sheppard does with sheep Source - http://www.factscollection.com/Cosmic%20Space-1.html

The Inner Planets Gas Giants – A larger planet composed entirely of gas The gas giants are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune  

The difference between terrestrial planets and gas giants

Jupiter

Jupiter

Jupiter Jupiter is the 5th planet from the sun It is also the largest planet in our solar system Jupiter is made of Hydrogen and Helium, the same gases as our sun The Temp in the clouds is -230o F Below it is 70oF Jupiter Size 142,984 km Moons 63 Rings Yes - 3 Symbol Rotation (Day) 10 EH Revolution (Year) 11 EY 313 ED

Jupiter Jupiter’s axis is at an angle of 3o Jupiter has hardly and seasons because of its tilt on its axis

Jupiter vs Earth 1000 Earths could fit inside of Jupiter

Jupiter’s Moons Jupiter has 63 moons Below are its 4th largest moons that were discovered by Galileo along with Jupiter Io Europa Ganymede Callysto

Shoemaker-Levy 9 Comet Impact On July 1994, an asteroid named Shoemaker-Levy 9 broke into 21 pieces and slammed into Jupiter

The Great Red Spot The Great Red Spot is a hurricane type storm on Jupiter It is over 400 years old and 1 ½ times larger than Earth

Jupiter’s Atmosphere and The Great Red Spot This image shows the bands of winds on Jupiters atmosphere

Jupiter’s Ring Jupiter has a small ring system made up of rock material (unlike Saturn’s rings system which is made of ice)

A volcanoe erupts on the moon of Io A volcanoe erupts on the moon of Io. The smoke shoots 201 miles in the air

Saturn

Saturn

Saturn Saturn is the 6th planet farthest from the sun It is also the second largest planet in our solar system Just like Jupiter, Saturn gives off more energy than it receives from the sun Saturn Size 120,536 km Moons 61 Rings Yes Symbol Rotation (Day) 11 EH Revolution (Year) 29 EY 155ED

Saturn Saturn’s axis is at an angle of 27o Saturn sees' big changes in its seasons due to its tilt

Saturn’s Moons

Saturn’s Moons Titan is the second largest moon on our solar system It is bigger than Mercury It has a very thick atmosphere which makes it a candidate for life

Saturn’s Moons Hyperion has a spongy-looking surface that is thought to result from thermal erosion, a process through which dark materials accumulating on crater floors are warmed by sunlight and melt deeper into the surface

Saturn’s Moons Enceladus is the shinest object in the solar system, and scientists have long though that it was a cold still place. Recently they learned that it is geologically active, has an atmosphere and has a warm south pole This makes is a candidate for supporting life

Saturn’s Moons Rhea is heavily cratered, has faults in many orientations and shows evidence of volcanism

Saturn’s Moons Dione is also heavily cratered. Scientists speculate that the whispy appearance is caused by material of high albedo that is thin enough to allow surface features to be unobscured. This material might have been ejected from fractures in Dione's surface and fell back to the surface as snow or ash.

Saturn’s Moons Mimis has a nickname the “Death Star” because it looks like the Death Star from Star Wars Its large crater is named Herschel

Saturn’s Moons

Saturns Rings All of the gas giants have rings, however Saturn’s rings are the largest. They are made of ice particles that can be from a few centimeters small to a few meters wide

Saturn Saturn is also made out of helium and hydrogen. The upper atmosphere is made up of methane, ammonia and ethane Because the helium is still falling towards the core, Saturn is still forming

Saturn’s Hexagonal Storm Scientists have recently discovered a strange hexagonal shaped storm at the north pole of Saturn

Uranus

Uranus Uranus is the 7th planet from the sun It was discovered by William Herschel in 1781 Uranus is the brightest and coldest planet Uranus Size 51,118 km Moons 21 Rings Yes - 9 Symbol Rotation (Day) 17 EH Revolution (Year) 83 EY 273 ED

Uranus Uranus axis is at an angle of 98o Uranus spins on its side which means that its poles receive more energy for the sun that its equator

Uranus Uranus spins very fast and because of this winds on Uranus can reach speeds of up to 600 miles per hour However, because Uranus spins on its side, the winds go in the opposite direction they would travel on Earth

Neptune

Neptune Neptune is the 8th planet in our solar system Although it is bright blue, it is not a water world it is made of hydrogen and helium Neptune Size 49,528 km Moons 13 Rings Yes Symbol Rotation (Day) 16 EH Revolution (Year) 163 EY 263ED

Neptune Neptune’s axis is at an angle of 30o Neptune has seasons similar to ours

Neptune’s Winds Neptune’s winds are the fastest in the Solar System and can reach speeds of up to 1,200 miles per hour

Neptune’s Winds Neptune’s winds are the fastest in the Solar System and can reach speeds of up to 1,200 miles per hour

Neptune’s Spots Just like Jupiter, Neptune has a Great Dark Spot It also has a smaller spot named “Scooter” which travels around the planet once every 16 days

Dwarf Planets A Dwarf Planet has the following characteristics - 1) Large enough to have a strong enough gravitational pull that gives it a round shape 2) However it is not large enough to clear other objects out of its area 3) Large enough to have moons of their own, however will not become moons to other planets 4) Orbits around the sun Dwarf Planets

Pluto

Pluto Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde W. Tombaugh From 1930 until 2005 Pluto was the 9th planet of our solar system In 2006 Pluto was redefined as a dwarf planet Pluto Size 2.390 km Moons 3 Rings No Symbol Rotation (Day) EH Revolution (Year) 248 EY 4ED

Pluto Because of its strange orbit, Pluto is sometimes closer to us than Neptune

Dwarf Planets Ceres – The closest dwarf planet to the sun. It has water which makes it a candidate for life

Dwarf Planets Eris – The discovery of Eris is what led to Pluto and other small “planets” being labeled as dwarf planets

Dwarf Planets Quaoar – Takes about 287 years to orbit the sun

Dwarf Planets Sedna – Takes abot 1,200 years to orbit the sun. Is the reddest object in our solar system.

Dwarf Planets Makemake – Makemake’s atmosphere is frozen to its surface, making it useless.

Review Jupiter is the 5th planet Saturn is the 6th Planet Largest planet in the solar system Great Red spot is a 400 yr old hurricane Saturn is the 6th Planet Known for its unique moons and rings Still forming Uranus is the 7th Planet Rotates on its side Neptune is the 8th Planet Winds travel 1,200 mph Has a Great Dark Spot similar to Jupiter’s Great Red spot Pluto and other smaller objects are refered to as dwarf planets

Journal Terrestrial Planets Dwarf Planets Gas Giants