1. Tour of the Solar System

2. General Properties of the Solar System
There are two classes of planets:
The Terrestrial planets are small, solid bodies (rocks or iron) in the inner part of the Solar System.
The Jovian planets are hydrogen-rich gas giants in the outer part of the Solar System.
Each planet (except for Pluto) is in a roughly circular orbit in the plane of the ecliptic, moving west-to-east in the sky.

4. General Properties of the Solar System
There are two classes of planets:
The Terrestrial planets are small, solid bodies (rocks or iron) in the inner part of the Solar System.
The Jovian planets are hydrogen-rich gas giants in the outer part of the Solar System.
Each planet (except for Pluto) is in a elliptical orbit in the plane of the ecliptic, moving west-to-east in the sky.
Between Mars and Jupiter there are large numbers of small asteroids.
Outside the orbit of Neptune is the Kuiper Belt of comets.
Far past Pluto is the Oort Cloud of comets.

5. The Planets

6. Mercury

7. The Planets Name Mercury 0.39 88 d 0.056 5.4 -170/+430 58d 7° Distance
(A.U.)
Period
Mass (M)
Density
(water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88 d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d 7°

8. Mercury notes: many impact craters (looks like the Moon); very dense (mostly iron); rotation period exactly 2/3 of its orbital period (a resonance); very large day/night temperature difference; no atmosphere; no moon

9. The Planets Name Mercury 0.39 88 d 0.056 5.4 -170/+430 58d 7° Venus
Distance
(A.U.)
Period
Mass (M)
Density
(water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88 d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d 7°
Venus
0.72
225 d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d 2°
The Planets

11. Venus
optical
Venus notes: similar in size and mass to earth; extremely thick CO2 atmosphere; sulfuric acid clouds; hottest planet in the Solar System; little temperature variance; evidence of volcanos on surface; rotates slowly (backwards); some impact craters; no moon

13. The Planets Name Mercury 0.39 88d 0.056 5.4 -170/+430 58d 7° Venus
Distance
(A.U.)
Period
Mass (M)
Density
(water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d 7°
Venus
0.72
225 d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d 2°
Earth
1.0
365 d
5.55
-50/+50
24h
23°
Moon
0.012
3.35
-170/+130
29d 6°

14. Earth and Moon
Earth/Moon notes: double planet (Moon similar in size to earth); extremely different surface conditions; Moon keeps its same side to the earth at all times

15. Earth
Earth notes: liquid water on surface; very dense (mostly iron); atmosphere of N2 and O2 (with trace amounts of CO2); a few impact craters; small difference in day/night temperature; evidence of volcanos and tectonic activity; water vapor clouds

16. The Moon
Moon notes: many impact craters; less dense than Earth (mostly rock); no atmosphere; large day/night temperature difference; evidence of past lava flows (only on side facing Earth); no present volcanos or tectonic activity

17. The Planets Name Mercury 0.39 88d 0.056 5.4 -170/+430 58d 7° Venus
Distance
(A.U.)
Period (yr)
Mass (M)
Density
(water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d 7°
Venus
0.72
225d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d 2°
Earth
1.0
365d
5.55
-50/+50
24h
23°
Moon
0.012
3.35
-170/+130
29d 6°
Mars
1.5
687d
0.11
3.3
-140/+20
24h 37m
24°

18. Mars
Mars notes: medium density (rocks); polar ice caps (H2O and CO2); thin CO2 atmosphere; moderate daytime/night temperature changes; some impact craters; large canyons and volcanos; evidence for old river beds; dust storms; two small moons

19. Mars

20. Mars

22. Mars
Deimos and Phobos

23. The Planets Name Mercury 0.39 88d 0.056 5.4 -170/+430 58d 7° Venus
Distance
(A.U.)
Period (yr)
Mass (M)
Density
(water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d 7°
Venus
0.72
225d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d 2°
Earth
1.0
365d
5.55
-50/+50
24h
23°
Moon
0.012
3.35
-170/+130
29d 6°
Mars
1.5
687 d
0.11
3.3
-140/+20
24h 37m
24°
Jupiter
5.2
11.9 years
318
1.34
-130
9h 50m 1°

24. Jupiter
Jupiter notes: gas giant (mostly H and He, with CH4 and NH3); strong winds; faint system of rings; rapid rotation (and slightly flattened); 4 large, many smaller moons; emits more energy than it receives from the Sun; contains more mass than all the other planets put together

25. Jupiter’s Rings

26. Jupiter’s Galilean MoonsIo
Europa
Ganymede
Callisto
Io: density of 3.5; many volcanos; no impact craters
Europa: density of 3.0; smooth icy surface; few impact craters
Ganymede: density of 1.9; grooved surface; many impact craters
Callisto: density of 1.8; covered with craters

27. The Planets Name Mercury 0.39 88d 0.056 5.4 -170/+430 58d 7° Venus
Distance
(A.U.)
Period (yr)
Mass (M)
Density
(water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d 7°
Venus
0.72
225d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d 2°
Earth
1.0
365d
5.55
-50/+50
24h
23°
Moon
0.012
3.35
-170/+130
29d 6°
Mars
1.5
687d
0.11
3.3
-140/+20
24h 37m
24°
Jupiter
5.2
11.9 years
318
1.34
-130
9h 50m 1°
Saturn
9.5
29.4years 95
0.69
-180
10h 39m

28. Saturn
Saturn notes: gas giant (mostly H and He, with CH4 and NH3); strong winds; bright complex system of rings; rapid rotation (and flattened); 1 large moon (Titan) with atmosphere plus many smaller moons; density less than water (it floats)!

29. Saturn’s Moons
Titan: thick atmosphere of mostly CH4 and NH3; other moons are mostly icy, but show a wide variety of properties

31. The Planets Name Mercury 0.39 88d 0.056 5.4 -170/+430 58d 7° Venus
Distance
(A.U.)
Period (yr)
Mass (M)
Density
(water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d 7°
Venus
0.72
225d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d 2°
Earth
1.0
365d
5.55
-50/+50
24h
23°
Moon
0.012
3.35
-170/+130
29d 6°
Mars
1.5
687d
0.11
3.3
-140/+20
24h 37m
24°
Jupiter
5.2
11.9y
318
1.34
-130
9h 50m 1°
Saturn
9.5
29.4y 95
0.69
-180
10h 39m
Uranus
19.2
84y
14.5
1.29
-220
-17h 14m
98°

32. Uranus
Uranus notes: gas giant (mostly H and He, with CH4 and NH3); discovered by Herschel (with telescope) in 1781; tipped 98° from ecliptic plane; moderately complex ring system; many icy moons with odd features

33. Uranus’ Tilt
Moons of Uranus include: Belinda, Rosalind, Portia, Bianca, Cressida, Juliet, Desdemona, Puck, and Miranda
Miranda

34. The Planets Name Mercury 0.39 88d 0.056 5.4 -170/+430 58d 7° Venus
Distance
(A.U.)
Period (yr)
Mass (M)
Density
(water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d 7°
Venus
0.72
225d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d
177°
Earth
1.0
365d
5.55
-50/+50
24h
23°
Moon
0.012
3.35
-170/+130
29d 6°
Mars
1.5
687d
0.11
3.3
-140/+20
24h 37m
24°
Jupiter
5.2
11.9y
318
1.34
-130
9h 50m 1°
Saturn
9.5
29.4y 95
0.69
-180
10h 39m 2°
Uranus
19.2
84y
14.5
1.29
-220
-17h 14m
98°
Neptune
30.1
165y
17.2
1.66
-216
16h 03m
29°

35. Neptune
Neptune notes: gas giant (mostly H and He, with CH4 and NH3); existence and position predicted mathematically in 1843 by John Couch Adams and Urbain LeVerrier; moderately complex ring system; many icy moons

36. The Planets Name Mercury 0.39 88d 0.056 5.4 -170/+430 58d 7° Venus
Distance
(A.U.)
Period (yr)
Mass (M)
Density
(water)
Temp (C)
min/max
Rotation
(time)
Tilt
Mercury
0.39
88d
0.056
5.4
-170/+430
58d 7°
Venus
0.72
225d
0.82
4.2
472
-243d 2°
Earth
1.0
365d
5.55
-50/+50
24h
23°
Moon
0.012
3.35
-170/+130
29d 6°
Mars
1.5
687d
0.11
3.3
-140/+20
24h 37m
24°
Jupiter
5.2
11.9y
318
1.34
-130
9h 50m 1°
Saturn
9.5
29.4y 95
0.69
-180
10h 39m
Uranus
19.2
84y
14.5
1.29
-220
-17h 14m
98°
Neptune
30.1
165y
17.2
1.66
-216
16h 03m
Pluto
39.4
248y
0.002
2.0
-230
-6d 9h
122°

37. Pluto
Pluto notes: double planet (with Charon); very small; discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh (if discovered today, would not be called a planet); orbit around the Sun is very elliptical, and is sometimes closer than Neptune); icy, similar to moons of outer planets

38. Pluto

39. Asteroids
Asteroid notes: most asteroids are small iron bodies; most are between Mars and Jupiter (where Bode’s Law predicts a planet); a few (called Apollo asteroids) cross the Earth’s orbit; the total mass is less than M

40. Comets
Comets notes: composition similar to dirty iceballs; many are in the Kuiper belt, outside the orbit of Neptune; most are in the Oort Cloud between 20,000 and 100,000 A.U. from the Sun; the comets we see are in highly elliptical orbits