1. Our Solar System
Planet Database

2. Mercury Size (Earth=1) 0.38 Distance (AU) 0.39 Mass (Earth=1) 0.06
Density (Earth=1)
1.0
Avg. Surface Temp. (oC)
350
Rotation Period (days)
58.7
Orbital Period (years)
0.24
(2.9 months)
Number of Moons
Other Significant Features
-rocky
-hot (on the day side)
-dry
-many craters
-no atmosphere
-iron rich core

3. Venus Size (Earth=1) 0.95 Distance (AU) 0.72 Mass (Earth=1) 0.86
Density (Earth=1)
0.96
Avg. Surface Temp. (oC)
480
Rotation Period (days)
243
Orbital Period (years)
0.62
(7.4 months)
Number of Moons
Other Significant Features
-rocky
-cloud covered
-thick CO2 atmosphere
(greenhouse effect)
-sulfuric acid rain
-rotates opposite to Earth

4. Earth Size (Earth=1) 1 Distance (AU) Mass (Earth=1) Density (Earth=1)
Avg. Surface Temp. (oC) 22
Rotation Period (days)
Orbital Period (years)
Number of Moons
Other Significant Features
-rocky
-oxygen atmosphere
-liquid water
inclined axis
-life

5. Mars Mars Size (Earth=1) 0.53 Distance (AU) 1.52 Mass (Earth=1) 0.11
Density (Earth=1)
0.71
Avg. Surface Temp. (oC)
-23
Rotation Period (days)
1.02
(24.5 hrs)
Orbital Period (years)
1.88
Number of Moons 2
Other Significant Features
-rocky
-red
-dust storms
-dry
-old river beds
-large dead volcano

6. Jupiter Size (Earth=1) 11.25 Distance (AU) 5.27 Mass (Earth=1) 318
Density (Earth=1)
0.24
Avg. Surface Temp. (oC)
-150
Rotation Period (days)
0.41
(9.8 hrs)
Orbital Period (years)
11.86
Number of Moons 16
Other Significant Features
-largest planet
-coloured gas bands
-great red spot
-huge magnetic field
-narrow dust ring

7. Saturn Size (Earth=1) 9.45 Distance (AU) 9.54 Mass (Earth=1) 95
Density (Earth=1)
0.13
Avg. Surface Temp. (oC)
-180
Rotation Period (days)
0.44
(10.6 hrs)
Orbital Period (years)
29.46
Number of Moons 18
Other Significant Features
-wide thin rings
-gas giant
-yellow white gas band

8. Uranus Size (Earth=1) 4.01 Distance (AU) 19.19 Mass (Earth=1) 15
Density (Earth=1)
0.24
Avg. Surface Temp. (oC)
-214
Rotation Period (days)
0.72
(17.3 hrs)
Orbital Period (years)
84.01
Number of Moons 17
Other Significant Features
-gas giant
-blue
-featureless atmosphere
-axis tilted 90o
-rings

9. Neptune Neptune Size (Earth=1) 3.96 Distance (AU) 30.06 Mass (Earth=1)17
Density (Earth=1)
0.27
Avg. Surface Temp. (oC)
-220
Rotation Period (days)
0.67
(16.1 hrs)
Orbital Period (years)
164.8
Number of Moons 8
Other Significant Features
-gas giant
-blue
-giant dark spot
-faint rings

10. Pluto Size (Earth=1) 0.19 Distance (AU) 39.5 Mass (Earth=1) 0.002
Density (Earth=1)
0.36
Avg. Surface Temp. (oC)
-230
Rotation Period (days)
6.4
Orbital Period (years)
247.7
Number of Moons 1
Other Significant Features
-tiny
-rocky
-very elliptical orbit
-orbit not in solar plane
-moon almost as large as the planet

11. Other Solar System Bodies
The solar system does not only contain the Sun, planets and moons.
For example:
Asteroids
between Mars and Jupiter there is the asteroid belt
asteroids are know as "minor planets"
range in size from one metre to hundreds of kilometres
largest is Ceres (1000 km)
metal rich materials
potential collision hazard

12. Comets as they orbit the Sun, material evaporates forming the tail
mainly of dust and ice (dirty snowball)
as they orbit the Sun, material evaporates forming the tail
the tail always point away from the Sun
Halley's comet orbits the Sun every years (1986)

13. Meteors and Meteorites
Earth is bombarded everyday by dust and rock fragments from space
when one of the objects burns up generating light to make it visible they are called meteors
any of these fragments that are large enough or tough enough to crash on the Earth's surface are know as meteorites

14. Questions P. 447 #1-7
1. WHICH PLANETS ARE MOST UNLIKE EARTH?

15. Questions P. 447 #1-7 1. WHICH PLANETS ARE MOST UNLIKE EARTH?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
all mostly gaseous
much bigger
Mercury and Pluto do not have an atmosphere

16. Questions P. 447 #1-7
2. WHICH PLANET IS MOST LIKE EARTH?

17. Questions P. 447 #1-7 2. WHICH PLANET IS MOST LIKE EARTH? Mars
Polar ice caps
seasons
very thin atmosphere
close in temperature but colder

18. Questions P. 447 #1-7
3. SURFACE TEMPERATURE PATTERN FROM SUN

19. Questions P. 447 #1-7 3. SURFACE TEMPERATURE PATTERN FROM SUN
temperatures get colder as the distance from the Sun increases (except for Venus)

20. Questions P. 447 #1-7
4. WHY COULD WE NOT SURVIVE ON VENUS?

21. Questions P. 447 #1-7 4. WHY COULD WE NOT SURVIVE ON VENUS? too hot!!
poisonous atmosphere
high atmospheric pressure on surface
no liquid water

22. Questions P. 447 #1-7
5. MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INNER AND OUTER PLANETS

23. Questions P. 447 #1-7
5. MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INNER AND OUTER PLANETS
Inner planets - rocky and cratered - mountains and valleys - thin atmospheres
Outer Planets (except Pluto) - gas giants - low density - many Moons and rings

24. Questions P. 447 #1-7
6. WHY DOES VENUS HAVE A HIGHER SURFACE TEMPERATURE THAN MERCURY?

25. Questions P. 447 #1-7
6. WHY DOES VENUS HAVE A HIGHER SURFACE TEMPERATURE THAN MERCURY?
dense CO2 atmosphere creates a greenhouse effect

26. Questions P. 447 #1-7
7. a. WHAT PATTERNS DO YOU SEE IN THE DATA?

27. Questions P. 447 #1-7 7. a. WHAT PATTERNS DO YOU SEE IN THE DATA?
inner and outer planets are quite different
planets farther from Sun have a longer year, colder climate, larger atmosphere and more Moons
Pluto is an exception

28. Questions P. 447 #1-7
7. b. WHAT CHARACTERISTICS WOULD YOU SEE IN A PLANET BEYOND PLUTO?

29. Questions P. 447 #1-7
7. b. WHAT CHARACTERISTICS WOULD YOU SEE IN A| PLANET BEYOND PLUTO?
possibly a gas giant