The Outer Planets!

Jupiter! hydrogen and helium atmosphere, no solid surface, all gas! possibly a solid core? hydrogen and helium atmosphere, the swirls are clouds, the colors are from temperature differences -temp= - 121 C - 1 day = 10 hours - 1 year = 12 earth years - 142,800 km. diameter

at least 28 moons: - Io= active volcanoes - Callisto= icy, craters - Ganymede = largest - Europa may have liquid water underneath frozen surface interesting fact: Jupiter’s red “eye” is actually a hurricane-like storm bigger than the Earth!

Saturn! -surface like jupiter, but less spectacular storms. -Rings of icy rocks temperature= COLD! -1 day = 10 hours - 1 year = 30 earth years - 120, 540 km. diameter

at least 30 moons: Titan is larger than our moon, has thick atmosphere. interesting fact: Saturn’s rings sometimes cross. There are two small moons between ring bands: promethus and pandora (one on either side of most outer band)

Uranus! hydrogen and methane gas - temp = -330 F - 1 day = 17 hours -1 year = 84 Earth years - 51,200 km. diameter

at least 21moons: Puck, Portia, Bianca, Cressida, Juliet, Desdemona, Miranda… all names from Shakespearean plays! interesting fact: uranus is tipped almost completely on its side! And it has thin rings!

Neptune! -hydrogen, helium, methane temp= COLD! - 1day = 20 hours - 1 year = 165 earth years - 49,500 km. diameter

at least 8 moons: Triton is largest Interesting fact: the tidal pull will tear Triton apart to form ring fragments!

Pluto (though not a planet!) solid frozen surface temp = varying, but VERY COLD - 1 day = 6 days - 1 year = 249 earth years - 2, 200 km. diameter

3 moons: Charon, and 2 newly found, not yet named. Very close to pluto. Interesting fact: Pluto and Charon are so pulled by gravity that they always face each other!