Transcript Solar System Powerpoint

Chapter 20: Our Solar System
Inner Planets
• Inner Planets often called Terrestrial Planets
• Rock Planets
– Mercury
– Venus
– Earth
– Mars
• Asteroid Belt separates inner and outer
planets
Outer Planets
• Outer Planets known as Gas Giants or Jovian
– Jovian means “Jupiter like”
• Have rings
• Comprised mainly of Gases
– Jupiter
– Saturn
– Uranus
– Neptune
Mercury
Mercury
•
•
•
•
•
Smallest terrestrial planet and closest to Sun
Mercury day = 59 Earth days
Mercury year = 88 Earth Days
Surface marked by craters
Planet of extremes
– Day = 700 K
– Night = 100 K or -170°C
Venus
Venus
• Density and internal structure similar to Earth
– Often called “Earth’s Twin”
– Also known as the Morning and Evening Star
• Venus day = 243 Earth Days
• Venus year = 225 Earth Days
• Hottest surface of any planet = 740 K
– Accelerated greenhouse effect, dense atmosphere
• Sun rises in West and sets in the East
Mars
Mars
•
•
•
•
•
•
4th planet and last of the inner
Mars day = 24.6 Earth Hours
Mars year = 1.88 Earth Years
Has Polar Ice caps
Axis tilt allows for seasons
Contains two Moons
– Phobos and Deimos
Jupiter
Jupiter
•
•
•
•
•
•
Largest and Most Massive Planet
Jupiter Day = 9.93 Earth hours
Jupiter year = 11.9 Earth years
The “Great Red Spot”, storm within atmosphere
Strongest surface gravity of planets
Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede discovered by
Gallileo
– Io volcanically active
– Europa has icy crust hiding liquid
Saturn
Saturn
•
•
•
•
•
2nd largest planet
Saturn day = 10.6 Earth hours
Saturn year = 29.4 Earth years
Has most spectacular rings of any planet
Moon Titan is larger than Mercury
Uranus
Uranus
• Uranus rotates top to bottom
– Thought to have been struck by an asteroid
• Uranus day = 17.2 Earth hours
• Uranus year = 83.8 Earth years
• Discovered in 1781 by William Herschel
Neptune
Neptune
•
•
•
•
Similar is size and shape to Uranus
Neptune day = 16.1 Earth hours
Neptune year = 164 Earth years
Cold, blue planet containing visible clouds
– Scientists think Neptune is shrinking, causing
energy to be released into atmosphere creating
storms
• Moon triton orbits Neptune backwards
– Contains erupting geysers
Pluto
Pluto and Dwarf Planets
•
•
•
•
•
Furthest “Planet” from sun
Pluto day = 6.39 Earth days
Pluto year = 248 Earth years
Made mainly of “Ices”
Orbits closer to the Sun than Neptune for 20
years
• Rotates with its moon Charon
• Considered a Kuiper Belt object