1. Handout 27-4
The Outer Planets

2. Matching outer planets asteroid belt gas giant Pluto
a planet with a deep and massive gaseous atmosphere
the planets farthest from the sun; include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto
the smallest and usually most distant planet; differs from other outer planets
a ring of debris that separates the inner planets from the outer planets

3. 5 How do the gas giants compare with the terrestrial planets?
b. Gas giants are larger and less dense.

4. 6 Compared with the terrestrial planets, the gas giants
a. have more gravity, which helps them retain gases.

5. 7 The thick atmosphere of the gas giants is made up of
c. hydrogen and helium.

6. 8 The gas giants have ring systems that are made up of
b. dust and icy debris.

7. 9
Jupiter is the _________________ planet from the sun.
5th

8. 10 Jupiter’s mass is more than _________________ times that of Earth.
300

9. 11
How long is Jupiter’s orbital period?
Almost 12 years

10. 12 How often does Jupiter rotate on its axis?
9 hours 50 minutes- fastest of all planets

11. 13
Jupiter has at least 60 ________, four of which are the size of small planets.
moons

12. 14
How much of Jupiter’s atmosphere is composed of hydrogen and helium?
92% (much like the sun)

13. 15
Jupiter’s atmosphere is much like the atmosphere of the ____________________________.
sun

14. 16 Why didn’t Jupiter become a star?
It did not have enough mass to allow nuclear fusion to begin.
...the Sun, Proxima Centauri (closest star) and Jupiter.

15. 17
How does Jupiter’s large mass affect its interior temperature and pressure?
The temperature and pressure inside Jupiter are much greater than inside Earth.
...the Sun, Proxima Centauri (closest star) and Jupiter.

16. 18 How far is Saturn from the sun?
B: It is the sixth planet from the sun.

17. 19
How long is Saturn’s orbital period?
D: 29.5 years

18. 20
How many moons does Saturn have?
a. at least 30

19. 21 How large is Titan, Saturn’s largest moon?
a. half the size of Earth

20. 22
Saturn, like the planet _______________, is made up almost entirely of hydrogen and helium and has a rocky, iron core.
Jupiter

21. 23
Saturn is the least ___________ planet in the solar system.
dense

22. 24
Saturn is known for its _______________, which are two times the planet’s diameter.
rings

23. 25
Like Jupiter, Saturn has ______________ of colored clouds.
bands

24. 26
Uranus is the ____________ planet from the sun and the third largest planet in the solar system.
seventh

25. 27 Why is Uranus a difficult planet to study?
It is so far from the sun (3 billion km.)

26. 28
Uranus has at least _________ moons and at least 11 small rings. 24

27. 29 The orbital period for Uranus is almost _______________ years.

28. 30
Although most planets rotate with their axis perpendicular to their orbital planes, Uranus’s axis is almost ________to the plane of its orbit.
parallel

29. 31
How often does Uranus rotate?
About 17 hours

30. 32
The planet’s blue-green color indicates that the atmosphere may contain significant amounts of _______________, in addition to hydrogen and helium.
methane

31. 33
Neptune is the ___________________ planet from the sun and is similar to Uranus in size and mass.
eighth

32. 34
Neptune’s orbital period is nearly 164 years, and the planet rotates about every ________ h. 16

33. Planets and their Rings
Jupiter
Uranus
Saturn
Neptune

34. 35
Neptune has at least ________________ moons and possibly four rings.
Eight

35. 36
Pluto is the __________________ planet from the sun.
ninth

36. 37 Pluto’s orbit is an unusually elongated and tilted _________.
ellipse

37. 38
How does Pluto compare with the other planets in terms of its size and distance from the sun?
It is the smallest and farthest planet from the sun.

38. 39
What is Pluto made of?
Frozen methane, rock, and ice.

39. Pluto

40. 40 Describe the Kuiper belt.
A region of the solar system that is just beyond the orbit of Neptune and that contains small bodies made mostly of ice.

41. 41 Name two objects that have been found beyond Pluto.
Quaoar and Sedna (ice/rock objects similar to Pluto but smaller)

42. THE END