The Solar System A Brief Tour By students of Fiona and Mark

Introduction to the Solar System

Closest to the Sun Small planet No atmosphere Huge temperature differences Many craters Mercury has been known about since before Christ was born (3 rd millenium BC) Has been visited by ONE spacecraft only Mercury

Venus Sister to Earth Evening Star Deadly planet Thick clouds Known about since pre-historic times Visited by more than 20 spacecraft

Earth and the Moon Water world Rich ecosystem Large moon Earth third planet from the sun Moon known about since pre-historic times Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite

Mars Half the size of Earth Thin atmosphere Rusty rocks 2 tiny moons Life on Mars? Fourth planet from the sun Fifth largest planet Known since pre-historic times Very interesting terrain

Jupiter Biggest planet Gas giant Great Red Spot 60 moons Fourth brightest object in the sky Known since pre-historic times Visited by 6 spacecraft Regularly observed by the Hubble Space Telescope

Saturn Second largest planet Gas giant Ring system Biggest moon – Titan Sixth planet from the Sun Known since pre-historic times Visited by four spacecraft

Uranus and Neptune Uranus – no visible features Seventh planet from the Sun and third largest Discovered by telescope in 1781 Neptune – Great Dark Spot Eigthth planet from the Sun and fourth largest First observed in 1846

Pluto Smallest planet Very distant No spacecraft have visited One moon – Charon Discovered in 1930 by accident Surface temperature varies between -235 c and -210 c

Planets and their Moons Planets closest to the Sun Mercury No Moon Venus No Moon Earth The Moon Mars Phobos and Deimos

Planets and their Moons Planets furthest from the sun Saturn Titan Rhea Uranus Ophelia Cordelia Pluto Charon Jupiter Europa Ganymede Neptun Triton Naiad

Bibliography “The nine planets of the Solar System Tour” htm “Views of the Solar System” htm solar_system/solar_system.htmlwww.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/our_ solar_system/solar_system.html Google.’Solar System’ News results for Solar System – view today’s top stories

Credits Individual images from –National Space Science Data Center –NASA