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The Inner Planets. By, Janet Hooks. the FOUR planets that are INSIDE the Asteroid Belt –they are the planets CLOSEST to the sun . The INNER PLANETS are …. Venus. Mars. Earth. Mercury. They are SMALL & have ROCKY SURFACES. Also called the ROCKY planets or the TERRESTRIAL planets.
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The Inner Planets By, Janet Hooks
the FOUR planets that are INSIDE the Asteroid Belt –they are the planets CLOSEST to the sun. The INNER PLANETS are … Venus Mars Earth Mercury • They are SMALL & have ROCKY SURFACES • Also called the ROCKY planets or the TERRESTRIAL planets. (Terra means “Earth”)
MERCURY • Has NO atmosphere • CLOSEST planet to the sun ~side facing sun is VERY HOT! ~side away from sun is VERY COLD! • Smaller than Earth • Has VERY LITTLE GRAVITY • Lotsofcraters …like our moon. • Made mostly of IRON and NICKEL NO MOONS!!!
HOTTEST planet - THICK clouds trap sun’s heat VENUS • 2nd closest planet to the sun • Very BRIGHT in the night or morning sky (sometimes called “evening star” or “morning star”)-but NOT a star . • About the SAME SIZE AS EARTH - sometimes called “Earth’s twin”. Venus has NO moons! • Rotates CLOCKWISE! • Volcanoes, craters, & clouds containing Sulfuric Acid. • Atmosphere is mostly Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
3rd planet from the sun ~ EARTH ~ Rocky planet with one moon. Covered with large OCEANS of liquid water. Frozen ice caps on both poles Protective atmosphere made mostly of NITROGEN & OXYGEN Has a magnetic field Thought to be about 4.6 billion years old
MARS • 4th planet from the sun • Called the “red planet” because iron in its soil has rusted (oxidized) • Ice caps at its poles – like Earth! • North Pole – frozen water • South Pole– Carbon Dioxide • Has seasons like Earth • Has volcanoes that used to be active! • Has 2 moons!! (Phobos & Deimos)