The Planets Terrestrial Planets Mercury Smallest planet No

The Planets

Terrestrial Planets • Mercury: – Smallest planet – No atmosphere • Too close to sun: burned off – Many craters • No atmosphere to burn meteors • Many asteroids pulled into sun • 0. 383 r. E • 0. 055 m. E

Terrestrial Planets • Venus: – Most like Earth in size – Large Greenhouse Effect • Due to carbon dioxide • Hottest Planet – Closest to Earth – 0. 95 r. E – 0. 815 m. E

Terrestrial Planets • Earth: – Only planet with liquid water • Perfect location from sun – Largest terrestrial planet

Terrestrial Planets • Mars: – “the Red Planet” • Due to iron oxide (rust) – 2 small moons – 0. 53 r. E – 0. 107 m. E

Gas Giant Planets Note: ALL gas giant planets have rings! • Jupiter: – Largest planet – Great Red Spot • Giant Storm – Many Moons • Some almost Earth’s size – 10. 97 r. E – 318 m. E

Gas Giant Planets • Saturn: – 2 nd Largest planet – Visible Rings • 1000 s of them • Made up of rocks and ice – Most Moons – Less dense than water – 9. 14 r. E – 95. 2 m. E

Gas Giant Planets • Uranus: – Rotates sideways – Neptune’s “twin” – 3. 98 r. E – 14. 5 m. E

Gas Giant Planets • Neptune: – Furthest planet – Great Blue Spot • Giant Storm – Coldest Planet – 3. 86 r. E – 17. 1 m. E

Pluto • • Not considered a planet anymore Now a Dwarf Planet 0. 181 r. E 0. 0022 m. E

Other Dwarf Planets • There are 5 dwarf planets in total right now. • The largest is Eris (0. 182 r. E, 0. 0027 m. E) which is almost 100 AU from the Sun. • The closest is Ceres, in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.