1. A yellow star made of HYDROGEN AND HELIUM GAS. The sun gives off ENERGY!

2. SOLIDfastest planet Smallest88 day Rev. Craters are the main feature No Atmosphere Extreme Temps. Hot and Cold (Facing sun: 430 C (800 F)/ Not facing sun – 170(– 280 F) Geologically Dead – Cooled core (Densest planet – thick core of iron) No Volcanoes/Plate Tect. The surface of Mercury does not change b/c there NO ATMOS/NO Weather & it is Geo. Dead Most like E.’s Moon Exploration: Mariner 10 flyby for images 1974-74

3. Rev. time = 243 days Rotation time = 288 days A DAY IS LONGER THAN A YEAR ON VENUS! Rotates slowly & BACKWARDS SOLID; “Earth’s Twin” in mass & size 460 C (900 F):HOTTEST THICK atmosphere of heat-trapping (green-house) gases: CO 2, CH 4, H 2 O High Atmospheric pressure – crush you like a can! Craters, Volcanoes, Mts., Canyons, Storms, Acid Rain (So2), No more plate tectonics? Explored: Soviet Spacecrafts descended & were destroyed

4. SOLID Atmosphere : 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 1% other gases (CO 2, H 2 O, + more) Temps. 57 F (average.) – Warm enough for liquid water! (1) Moon Features: Craters, Volcanoes, Mts., Canyons, Plates, Liquid water, LIFE Geologically Active: Hot interior, active volcanoes, plate tectonics, Weathering & Erosion change surface. 1 AU from sun Rev.= 365.25 days Rotation ~ 24 hrs

5. 1.5 AUs from sun Rev. = 1.8 years Rotation time = 24 hrs SOLID Almost ½ Earth’s size Atmosphere: Thin CO 2 Temps. Very Cold Range: – 207 (poles) to 70 F (equator in summer)Has Seasons Features: Craters, extinct volcanoes, canyons, ice caps (water & CO2), dry river beds, dust storms Geologically Active? – Cool interior, No tectonics, No volcanism Yes – Wind Erosion The Red Planet Satellites/Moons: Phobos & Diemos (small, not round)

6. http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/files/imagecache/news/files/news/20080722 _mars_surface.jpg http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~idh/apod/ap970915.html http://www.mactonnies.com/firstcolor.jpg http://www.rps.psu.edu/0305/graphics/price_01.jpg

7. http://www.marsbase.net/m/mars-map.php

8. Most Explored Planet Orbiting Spacecrafts – Images & Climate & Temp. Readings Rovers – Spirit & Odyssey are still roving! http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/home/index.html

12. Change on Mars 1.Describe conditions on early Mars? In what ways was it Earth-like? 2. What happened? Map the changes that took place to make Mars a cold frozen planet.

13. Inner Planets (Terrestrial) Commonalities: 1.Relative small size 2.Solid, rocky surfaces (Craters) 3.Few or no moons 4.Warmer than outer planets 5.No rings

14. Asteroids = Big Space Rocks (< 1 km in diameter) Separates the inner and outer solar system Early S.System remnants that didn’t form planets. Not enough mass (hence gravity) to be spherical. Some are rubble heaps Rock + Metals (platinum, cobolt) + ice NASA’s NEOhttp://neo.jpl.nasa.gov

15. Videos The Universe Season 1, Episode 7 Mercury & Venus (1/3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDWCRPa6e0I&playnext=1&list=PL16515A70C153B1E3 Mercury & Venus (2/3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8GzadApTpM&playnext=1&list=PL16515A70C153B1E3 Mercury & Venus (3/3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q6LHuaT3bo&playnext=1&list=PL16515A70C153B1E3 Mars (1/3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymg4n80tnv4&playnext=1&list=PL98664440C5493F39 Mars (2/3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwmKYRYCq-w&playnext=1&list=PL98664440C5493F39 Mars (3/3) Carl Sagan’s Cosmos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBqjob-UVeo