1. The Solar System The Planets: An Overview
 The Terrestrial planets are planets that are small and rocky — Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
 The Jovian planets are the huge “Gas Giants” — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
 Pluto does not fit into either the Jovian or the terrestrial category and is thus no longer considered a planet

2. The Solar System Planets of the Solar System
 8 Planets in our Solar System
• Mercury – Closest to the Sun
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune – Furthest from the Sun

3. The Solar System

4. Mercury Planet Closest to the Sun Smallest Planet
Many surface craters make it appear like a large moon
Highest surface temperatures of any planet

5. Venus
-Similar to Earth in size, density and mass so it is called “Earth’s Twin”
-Covered in thick clouds that visible light cannot penetrate
-Atmosphere = 97% CO2
-80% of the surface is covered in active volcanic flow

6. Earth
-Only known planet to support life, have water and have a diverse atmosphere
-Everything you have learned so far this year in Earth Science applies to this planet only!

7. Mars -Known as “The Red Planet” because of its appearance
-Has two permanent polar ice caps meaning water could have flowed on the planet at one time
-Mars is the only planet other than Earth that has been extensively studied (Spirit and Opportunity)
-Has constant wind storms
-Atmosphere = 1% of Earth’s Atmosphere

8. Jupiter
-Largest of all of the planets (2.5 times all of the other planets combined)
-Jupiter has 63 moons, many of which are larger than Earth’s
-Constantly stormy, very hostile environment that causes it’s banded appearance

9. Saturn
-Saturn’s rings are mostly ice particles with small amounts of rocky debris and dust also included
-Covered in storms similar to Jupiter but on a smaller scale
-Has 60 moons, many larger than Earth’s

10. Uranus -Ringed structure similar to Saturn but less prominent
-Called “The Sideways Planet” because it’s axis of rotation runs parallel to the planet instead of perpendicular (this means that it is tiled 90° from the way most planets orbit)

11. Neptune
-Known as “The Windy Planet” because it is completely covered in a constant wind storm with wind speeds exceeding mph
-First planet found by mathematical prediction rather than observation

12. Asteroid Belt
-An asteroid is a rocky body that can range in size from ½ a mile to several miles in diameter
-Our Solar System has a large asteroid belt that runs between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter (the 4th and 5th planets)