PLANETS LO: I will identify the known planets of the solar system.

SOLAR SYSTEM: all of the planets, 
moons, comets, and rocks that travel 
around the Sun GALAXY: giant collection of gas, dust, 
and trillions of stars Milky Way: our galaxy

Planet Sizes

PLANETS LO: I will identify the known planets of the solar system.

Universe: "the whole thing" huge space that contains all of the matter & energy in existence Contains: stars, planets, moons, meteors, asteroids, comets, space Formed from clouds of ice, gas, and dust Space never ends Our solar system makes up a very small part of universe Closest star to our solar system is the sun

SOLAR SYSTEM: all of the planets, 
moons, comets, and rocks that travel 
around the Sun GALAXY: giant collection of gas, dust, 
and trillions of stars Milky Way: our galaxy

MERCURY closest to the Sun circles Sun faster than other planets 36 million miles from sun Temp: day 6450 F, night 2000 F below zero looks like Moon, craters & volcanos no moons of its own tiny 3,000 miles in diameter revolves around sun fast: 88 days = 1 year 
on Earth rotates very slow: 1 day = 59 Earth days crater: hole caused by an object hitting the 
surface of a planet or moon

VENUS closest planet to Earth, 26 million miles away  brightest planet in our sky  67 million miles from Sun 7,500 miles diameter surrounded by thick cold clouds most atmosphere is carbon dioxide 7000 F spins slowly backwards - takes 243 days for 1 rotation 225 days to circle Sun very plain, no mountains and almost no water named for Roman goddess of beauty although it's not 
pretty does not have a moon

land forms 7 great masses, continents continents are slowly drifting EARTH: THE BLUE PLANET 3/4 surface 
covered with water Pacific Ocean is 
larger than all the 
land land forms 7 great masses, continents continents are slowly drifting has atmosphere containing nitrogen, oxygen, 
& carbon dioxide people need oxygen to breathe, plants need 
carbon dioxide to breathe 4.6 billion years old revolves around Sun once in 365 days 93 million miles from Sun rotates counter-clockwise once in 24 hours 7,926 miles in diameter; medium sized only planet with life as we know it

covered with red rocks; dust storms give it color MARS: THE RED PLANET covered with red 
rocks; dust storms 
give it color 1 day is 1/2 hour 
longer than Earth Martian year = 2 Earth years 2 tiny moons 141.5 mil. miles from Sun 1500 F below zero at night, 00 F in day 4,215 miles in diameter, smaller than Earth a mountain on Mars is 3 times taller than 
tallest one on Earth giant canyon runs for thousands of miles evidence of places where long rivers once 
flowed atmosphere like Earth's; carbon dioxide and 
oxygen; air too thin for us to breathe spacecraft landed in 1970's and 1997; soil 
samples showed there was no life as we know 
it on Earth

JUPITER THE GIANT largest planet 88,700 in diameter 1,300 Earth's could fit 
inside Jupiter very bright, shines white light & can be seen 
in southern night sky just before/after 
midnight full of colors, has yellow, brown, & red clouds huge red spot just below equator is raging 
lightening & wind storm twice the size of 
Earth has many moons 1 day on Earth = 10 hours on Jupiter 1 year on Jupiter = 12 years on Earth 483.3 miles from Sun yet very hot because 
heat comes from inside the planet

very light, could float in the ocean SATURN famous for its bright, oval 
rings hundreds of rings packed 
closely together rings are chunks of ice & rock 75,000 miles in diameter, huge very light, could float in the ocean made of hot gases with thick core of solid 
matter Saturn tilts like Earth so has 4 seasons 1 day on Saturn = 10 hours on Earth 1 year on Saturn = 29 1/2 Earth years 886,000,000 miles from Sun bad weather all of the time, storms give it a 
yellow/tan color in one place there is bright, pink spot, a storm at least 23 moons circle Saturn one moon is pitch black on one side and snow 
white on other another moon, Titan, is second biggest moon

first seen by telescope in 1781 farthest planet seen with naked eye URANUS first seen by telescope in 
1781 farthest planet seen with 
naked eye 1,778,000,000 miles from 
Sun very cold, never more than 3100 F below zero 1 Uranus year = 84 Earth years 1 Uranus day = 11 hours on Earth 1970's was discovered that Uranus has rings 
like Saturn, nine are visible 30,900 miles in diameter, 4 times larger than 
Earth Uranus lies on its side, spinning like a bowling 
ball speeds up and slows down due to Neptune's 
gravitational pull on it has 15 moons orbiting around its center, like 
spokes on a wheel

NEPTUNE discovered in 1846, 2 billion miles from Sun named for ancient god of the seas has 2 main rings & 3 smaller rings cannot be seen with the naked eye blue-green color, details of surface are not 
visible Neptune's gravitational pull on Uranus causes 
Uranus to speed up and slow down 32,900 miles in diameter, same size as 
Uranus 8 moons and many "moonlets" in Neptune's 
rings 1 day on Neptune = 16 Earth hours 1 year on Neptune = 165 Earth years freezing cold, warmest day is 3600 F below zero frozen ammonia clouds circle planet beneath clouds, poison gases fill atmosphere constant violent storms Voyager 11 spacecraft passed by and took 
pictures

IS PLUTO A PLANET? "dwarf-planet" 1 billion miles past Neptune 3,660,000,000 miles from Sun; no other 
planet is as far from Sun Pluto found in 1930 because it was pulling 
Neptune out of orbit can only guess what it's like must be ice cold with solid, dense center, 
may have one moon think it's 2,000 miles in diameter, 
smallest planet & is why we now call it a 
dwarf planet takes 248 Earth years for Pluto to orbit 
once around the Sun 1 day = 6 Earth days off center orbit sometimes brings Pluto 
closer to Sun than Neptune

INNER PLANETS: Mercury, Venus, 
Earth, and Mars Smaller and made of mostly rock 
and iron OUTER PLANETS: Jupiter, Saturn, 
Uranus, and Neptune Larger and made mostly of 
hydrogen, helium and ice

very light, could float in the ocean SATURN famous for its bright, oval 
rings hundreds of rings packed 
closely together rings are chunks of ice & rock 75,000 miles in diameter, huge very light, could float in the ocean made of hot gases with thick core of solid 
matter Saturn tilts like Earth so has 4 seasons 1 day on Saturn = 10 hours on Earth 1 year on Saturn = 29 1/2 Earth years 886,000,000 miles from Sun bad weather all of the time, storms give it a 
yellow/tan color in one place there is bright, pink spot, a storm at least 23 moons circle Saturn one moon is pitch black on one side and snow 
white on other another moon, Titan, is second biggest moon

MERCURY closest to the Sun circles Sun faster than other planets 36 million miles from sun Temp: day 6450 F, night 2000 F below zero looks like Moon, craters & volcanos no moons of its own tiny 3,000 miles in diameter revolves around sun fast: 88 days = 1 year 
on Earth rotates very slow: 1 day = 59 Earth days crater: hole caused by an object hitting the 
surface of a planet or moon

VENUS closest planet to Earth, 26 million miles away  brightest planet in our sky  67 million miles from Sun 7,500 miles diameter surrounded by thick cold clouds most atmosphere is carbon dioxide 7000 F spins slowly backwards - takes 243 days for 1 rotation 225 days to circle Sun very plain, no mountains and almost no water named for Roman goddess of beauty although it's not 
pretty does not have a moon

land forms 7 great masses, continents continents are slowly drifting EARTH: THE BLUE PLANET 3/4 surface 
covered with water Pacific Ocean is 
larger than all the 
land land forms 7 great masses, continents continents are slowly drifting has atmosphere containing nitrogen, oxygen, 
& carbon dioxide people need oxygen to breathe, plants need 
carbon dioxide to breathe 4.6 billion years old revolves around Sun once in 365 days 93 million miles from Sun rotates counter-clockwise once in 24 hours 7,926 miles in diameter; medium sized only planet with life as we know it

covered with red rocks; dust storms give it color MARS: THE RED PLANET covered with red 
rocks; dust storms 
give it color 1 day is 1/2 hour 
longer than Earth Martian year = 2 Earth years 2 tiny moons 141.5 mil. miles from Sun 1500 F below zero at night, 00 F in day 4,215 miles in diameter, smaller than Earth a mountain on Mars is 3 times taller than 
tallest one on Earth giant canyon runs for thousands of miles evidence of places where long rivers once 
flowed atmosphere like Earth's; carbon dioxide and 
oxygen; air too thin for us to breathe spacecraft landed in 1970's and 1997; soil 
samples showed there was no life as we know 
it on Earth

Jupiter's 
Spot

JUPITER THE GIANT largest planet 88,700 in diameter 1,300 Earth's could fit 
inside Jupiter very bright, shines white light & can be seen 
in southern night sky just before/after 
midnight full of colors, has yellow, brown, & red clouds huge red spot just below equator is raging 
lightening & wind storm twice the size of 
Earth has many moons 1 day on Earth = 10 hours on Jupiter 1 year on Jupiter = 12 years on Earth 483.3 miles from Sun yet very hot because 
heat comes from inside the planet

first seen by telescope in 1781 farthest planet seen with naked eye URANUS first seen by telescope in 
1781 farthest planet seen with 
naked eye 1,778,000,000 miles from 
Sun very cold, never more than 3100 F below zero 1 Uranus year = 84 Earth years 1 Uranus day = 11 hours on Earth 1970's was discovered that Uranus has rings 
like Saturn, nine are visible 30,900 miles in diameter, 4 times larger than 
Earth Uranus lies on its side, spinning like a bowling 
ball speeds up and slows down due to Neptune's 
gravitational pull on it has 15 moons orbiting around its center, like 
spokes on a wheel

NEPTUNE discovered in 1846, 2 billion miles from Sun named for ancient god of the seas has 2 main rings & 3 smaller rings cannot be seen with the naked eye blue-green color, details of surface are not 
visible Neptune's gravitational pull on Uranus causes 
Uranus to speed up and slow down 32,900 miles in diameter, same size as 
Uranus 8 moons and many "moonlets" in Neptune's 
rings 1 day on Neptune = 16 Earth hours 1 year on Neptune = 165 Earth years freezing cold, warmest day is 3600 F below zero frozen ammonia clouds circle planet beneath clouds, poison gases fill atmosphere constant violent storms Voyager 11 spacecraft passed by and took 
pictures

IS PLUTO A PLANET? "dwarf-planet" 1 billion miles past Neptune 3,660,000,000 miles from Sun; no other 
planet is as far from Sun Pluto found in 1930 because it was pulling 
Neptune out of orbit can only guess what it's like must be ice cold with solid, dense center, 
may have one moon think it's 2,000 miles in diameter, 
smallest planet & is why we now call it a 
dwarf planet takes 248 Earth years for Pluto to orbit 
once around the Sun 1 day = 6 Earth days off center orbit sometimes brings Pluto 
closer to Sun than Neptune

INNER PLANETS: Mercury, Venus, 
Earth, and Mars Smaller and made of mostly rock 
and iron OUTER PLANETS: Jupiter, Saturn, 
Uranus, and Neptune Larger and made mostly of 
hydrogen, helium and ice