1. Our Solar System

2. Mercury, the Fastest Planet
closest planet from Sun
Small, rocky planet
Fastest planet – 50km/sec (88 days = 1 year)
Temperatures 467* C to -183* C
Very little atmosphere

3. Venus, Earth’s Twin Earth’s twin (~same size, mass,
composition, and distance from sun)
Thick atmosphere that traps heat
Hottest planet (450*C) (hot enough to melt lead)
Intense pressure
Winds faster that hurricane force winds
Day longer than year
Rotates backwards (sun rises in west, sets in east)

4. Earth, the Planet with Life
Has life
3rd planet from Sun
5th largest planet
Tilted axis gives us seasons

5. Mars, the Red Planet Red planet Small and rocky
Has volcanoes, impacts, tectonics, dust storms, polar ice caps
Great dust storms engulf entire planet creating giant dunes, wind streaks, wind carved features
Highest mountains and deepest canyons

6. Jupiter, the Largest Planet
Biggest planet
Like a mini solar system with
63 moons and rings
Composition resembles a small star
Jupiter’s moon Io is the most volcanically active body in the solar system
Large red spot (a hurricane)

7. Saturn, the Ringed Planet
A gas giant with
rings
Mostly made of hydrogen and helium
Volume 755 times that of Earth’s
Winds reach 500m/s (Earth’s strongest hurricane winds are 110m/s)
Fast winds and heat from interior cause yellow and gold bands in atmosphere

8. Uranus, the Sideways Planet
Has some of the brightest
clouds
11 rings
Blue-green color from methane gas
7th planet, it takes 84 years to orbit Sun
No solid surface – a gas giant
Liquid core

9. Neptune, the Windy Planet
8th planet – orbits Sun in 165 years
Farthest planet from Sun for 20 year period out of every 248 Earth years.
Large dark spot (a storm)
Has rings like all the gas giants

10. Pluto, the Icy Dwarf Planet
Small, cold dwarf planet (It is
not a planet anymore. Scientist
changed the classification of planets. Pluto did not change.)
Takes 248 years to orbit Sun
2/3’s the diameter of Earth’s Moon
Rocky core surrounded by water ice
Pluto and its moon Charon share the same orbit

11. Asteroids Rocky fragments Asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter
Millions from ¼ size of the moon to less than a kilometer across
Mars’s moons may be captured asteroids

12. Meteroids Bits of material hurling through space
Meteors or “shooting stars” are these materials as they fall through Earth’s atmosphere. Air friction causes them to heat up and shine like stars.
Meteorites are when these bits of materials reach the earth’s surface.

13. Comets Dirty ice leftovers The tails always point away from the Sun.
The solar wind blows the particles that make up the tail away.