Planets

1. By Xavier Anderson Planets

2. Mercury • Landscape like the moon. • Craters in the polar regions of the planet show indications of ice.. • Max temperature is 806 degrees • Undisturbed by rain or wind since the Late Heavy Bombardment • Has the largest spider in the galaxy • Mariner 10 space probe took the first pictures of the planet 1974 • Discovered it had a Volcanic past

3. Venus • Sulfur and carbon dioxide in the air of Venus • Crushing power of the atmosphere wont allow you to be with your “summer clothes” • Atmosphere pressure 90 times greater than earth • Hawaii volcanoes are similar to those of Venus • One point of time had an ocean like earth. • You can walk around the planet faster than it rotates. • Rotates opposite of all the planets • Hottest planet in our solar system 900 degrees

4. Mars • Summertime weather is 60 degrees • A day on mars is similar to earth • Dust storms so strong it covers the planet. • Not enough oxygen for humans • Three billion years ago mars had thicker atmosphere with plenty water • VallesMarineris is the same width of the United States, great geological feature

5. Jupiter • Hailstorms the size of footballs • Largest planet • Diameter 11x greater than the sun • 63 moons • Deflects astroids from hitting earth • Red spot on the planet is a storm • 4 moons orbit the planet • Lo is covered with volcanoes belching sulfuric gases

6. Saturn • Rings are made out of debris around the planet • The rings reflect light off the sun brighter than a full moon on earth • Saturn's moon titan is full of liquids • The most distant planet ancient astronomers discovered • Cassini Huygens space probe was sent to Saturn it took 7 years, and over a billion miles. • Hexagon shaped storm is an attraction • Gives off twice as much heat than it receives from the sun • Can get to -285 degrees teeth chattering.

7. Uranus • Has 13 rings that are made of dusty and rocky pieces from broken up satellites. • Temp of atmosphere is -355 degrees, at the interior ocean the temp rises to 4,200 degrees. • Lightening and thunder under the clouds • The big gas planet was knocked on its side, which gave it a extreme tilt no other planet can match. • Looks like a big bulls-eye. • Made up almost entirely of gas. (helium, hydrogen, methane) • 14x the size of earth • Twin voyagers were sent to the planet 1977

8. Neptune • Neptune was discovered mathematically before it was seen through telescope. • 90,000 days in a year • Crazy ocean of pressurized water, ammonia, and methane • Neptune is home to the fastest winds in the solar system reaching 1,200 mph. • Blue outer clouds of Neptune are made of frozen methane. • Beneath the methane scientist believe its composed of hydrogen sulfide • 30x further from the sun then earth • Vast hole in clouds of Neptune called “The great dark spot”

9. Pluto (demoted) • Pluto was demoted from a planet due to the fact that it does not dominate its neighborhood. • It was also demoted because all “true” planets are much larger than their moons. Pluto’s moon is only half the size of the planet • Orbit is untidy • Planets sweep up asteroids, comets, and other debris clearing a path for their orbit Pluto does not.