Comparative Planetology PSC 153 Lab Activity Comparative Planetology

Part 1: Appearance Goals: - examine and describe the visual appearance of the planets - classify planets based on appearance We start by looking at the physical appearance of each of the planets using the website listed below. http://www.nineplanets.org/ For each planet click on the links below its name to see images of the planet, describe the general appearance of each planet including all major features. Please be descriptive and thorough. DO NOT write down facts you know about the planets. Write down what you SEE in the photographs.

1) Mercury 1) Surface of Mercury: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/planetary/mercury/mercuryglobe2.jpg

Part 2: Mass, Volume, and Density Goals: - calculate the volume of the planets - calculate the density of the planets - organize planets based on mass, volume, and density Terms: Radius – the distance from the center of an object to its edge Volume – the amount space an object takes up Mass – the amount of matter contained in an object Density – a measure of how compact matter is, the mass divided by the volume

Data Table 1 contains a list of the radii and masses of the planets compared to Earth. These relative values are not in the normal metric units you are used to seeing. 1) Use the radius of each planet to calculate the normalized volume (V= r3). Fill these values into Data Table 1 on the next page. 2) Use the mass and calculated volume of each planet to calculate the normalized density. Fill these values into Data Table 1.

Part 3: Surface Gravity Goals: - examine and classify planets based on their surface gravity - determine your weight on the other planets - identify sample weights with the corresponding planet’s gravity Terms: Surface gravity – the acceleration of an object due to the gravity at the surface of a planet Weight – the force due to the gravity that an object experiences Weight = mass x acceleration due to gravity 1) Using the definition of surface gravity and weight and the values in Data Table 2, calculate your weight on each planet and fill in that row on the table.

Your Weight (Planetary) = Your Weight on Earth X Planet’s Surface Gravity

110 lbs. 41.8 lbs.

Part 4: Years Goals: - Compare the length of a “year” on each planet Terms: Planetary year(Orbital Period) – the length of time for a planet to go once around the Sun Earth year – the length of time for the Earth to go once around the Sun 1) Using the data in Table 3, calculate your age in planetary years for each of the planets and fill this information into the column in Table 3.

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