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Planets: How are we the same and how are we different?

Planets: How are we the same and how are we different?. Earth Science 2009. Objectives. To compare and contrast Terrestrial and Jovian planets To describe how the sun affects the planet’s temperature, element structure, and its’ features. All 8 Planets:. Orbit the Sun

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Planets: How are we the same and how are we different?

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  1. Planets:How are we the same and how are we different? Earth Science 2009

  2. Objectives • To compare and contrast Terrestrial and Jovian planets • To describe how the sun affects the planet’s temperature, element structure, and its’ features

  3. All 8 Planets: • Orbit the Sun • Are spherical in shape • Have “cleared their neighborhood” • Otherwise they would not be a planet!

  4. What about Pluto? • When Pluto was discovered in the 1940s, it was the largest thing in its orbit. • With better equipment, we now know that it is one of hundreds of things in the Kuniper belt Because Pluto is not accreting, or cleaning up it’s neighborhood, it is classified as a Dwarf Planet.

  5. Planets Our 8 planets can be divided into two major groups: • Terrestrial Planets: the 4 planets closest to the sun. They are small and rocky like the Earth. • Jovian planets:the 4 planets that are the farthest from the sun. They are large gas giants, all have rings (Jupiter is the dimmest, Neptune the brightest)

  6. Terrestrial Planets Jovian Planets

  7. Terrestrial vs. Jovian High (hot!!) Solid Close Small Low (cold!) Far Large Gas

  8. Why the differences? Why do terrestrial planets form at high temperatures? They are closest to the sun. Why are terrestrial planets smaller than jovian planets? During condensation, as the gas changes into a liquid/solid, it shrinks! Jovian planets also accrete more material. Why are jovian planets larger? Because they are made of gases, mostly hydrogen and helium gas

  9. Our Solar System

  10. Scale of Planets It would take 1 million Earths to be the same size as the sun.

  11. Terrestrial Planets: Mercury • Closest to the sun • Moon like surface • Greatest temperature extremes • From -100 to 400 degrees Celsius

  12. Terrestrial Planets: Venus • The Veiled planet • Atmosphere like Earth’s • 97% of atmosphere is CO2 so light can’t get through • Extreme levels of volcanoes and tectonic activity • Hot gassy atmosphere • Very high temperatures • Trapped gases can’t get out! Increased heat due to Greenhouse effect

  13. Terrestrial Planets: Earth • Our home • Is defined to be 1 Astronomical Unit (AU) from the sun • We will learn in great detail… later 1 AU

  14. Terrestrial Planets: Mars • The red planet • Has extensive dust storms on its surface • Has water • Very old… the highly cratered southern hemisphere is 3.5 to 4.5 billion years old!

  15. Jovian Planets: Jupiter • The largest planet • Is 2 ½ times larger than all the other planets combined! • Surface is made of Hydrogen & Helium • Has convection currents from internal heat that produces colored bands.

  16. Jovian Planets: Saturn • Rings • Has the lowest density of any planet • Surrounded by “moonlets” • Surface winds up to 1600 feet/sec

  17. Jovian Planets: Uranius • The sideways planet • It rotates parallel to its orbital plane.

  18. Jovian Planets: Neptune • Has the Great Dark Spot • Large Storm • Winds up to 1600 mi/hr

  19. Planetary Data

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