2. PLANETS

3. What is an AU? An astronomical unit (AU) is the average distance of the Earth from the sun. 1 AU = 150 million kilometers

4. MERCURY DIAMETER: 4,878 km MASS: 0.06 Earths SURFACE: Rocks and Metals ATMOSPHERE: Extremely Thin REVOLUTION: 0.24 Years DISTANCE: 0.387 A.U. (~60 million Km) MOONS: 0 RINGS: no

5. SUMMARIZER WHY DO YOU THINK IT MIGHT BE DIFFICULT TO LEARN ABOUT MERCURY?

6. VENUS DIAMETER: 12,104 km MASS: 0.82 Earths SURFACE: Rocks and Metals ATMOSPHERE: Thick/Carbon Dioxide (greenhouse effect) REVOLUTION: 0.62 Years DISTANCE: 0.723 A.U. (~108 million Km) MOONS: 0 RINGS: no

7. SUMMARIZER THE SURFACE OF VENUS IS VERY HOT. WHY?

8. EARTH DIAMETER: 12,756 km MASS: 1 Earth SURFACE: Rocks and Metals ATMOSPHERE: Thick (Nitrogen and Oxygen) REVOLUTION: 1 Year DISTANCE: 1 A.U. (~150 million Km) MOONS: 1 RINGS: none

9. MARS DIAMETER: 6,794 km MASS: 0.11 Earths SURFACE: Rocks and Metals ATMOSPHERE: Thin (Carbon Dioxide) REVOLUTION: 1.9 Years DISTANCE: 1.52 A.U. (~230 million Km) MOONS: 2 RINGS: none

10. SUMMARIZER WHAT FEATURES DO ALL OF THE INNER PLANETS HAVE IN COMMON? WHAT FEATURES ARE DIFFERENT?

11. JUPITER DIAMETER: 142,800 km MASS: 318 Earths SURFACE: Hydrogen Compounds & Helium ATMOSPHERE: Extremely Thick REVOLUTION: 12 Years DISTANCE: 5.20 A.U. (~800 million Km) MOONS: 61 RINGS: Yes

12. SUMMARIZER PRETEND YOU WERE GOING TO PARACHUTE DOWN TO THE SURFACE OF JUPITER. HOW WOULD THE LANDING FEEL?

13. SATURN DIAMETER: 120,540 km MASS: 95.2 Earths SURFACE: Hydrogen Compounds & Helium ATMOSPHERE: Extremely Thick REVOLUTION: 29 Years DISTANCE: 9.54 A.U. (~1.4 billion Km) MOONS: 31 RINGS: Yes

14. URANUS DIAMETER: 51,200 km MASS: 14.5 Earths SURFACE: Hydrogen Compounds & Helium ATMOSPHERE: Extremely Thick REVOLUTION: 84 Years DISTANCE: 19.2 A.U. (~2.9 billion Km) MOONS: 21 RINGS: Yes

15. SUMMARIZER SCIENTISTS BELIEVE URANUS WAS HIT BY A LARGE OBJECT. WHAT EVIDENCE CAN YOU FIND FOR THIS ASSUMPTION?

16. NEPTUNE DIAMETER: 49,500 km MASS: 17.1 Earths SURFACE: Hydrogen Compounds & Helium ATMOSPHERE: Extremely Thick REVOLUTION: 165 Years DISTANCE: 30.1 A.U. (~4.5 billion Km) MOONS: 11 RINGS: Yes

17. SUMMARIZER HOW ARE THE GAS GIANTS SIMILAR TO EACH OTHERS? HOW ARE THE DIFFERENT?