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Planets

Planets. Ch. 21 Notes. Astronomical Unit. The average distance between the Earth and the sun; approximately 150 million kilometers AU Most useful unit for measuring distances within the solar system. Planets VS. Dwarf Planets. Planets. Dwarf Planets. Must be round Orbit the sun

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Planets

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  1. Planets Ch. 21 Notes

  2. Astronomical Unit • The average distance between the Earth and the sun; approximately 150 million kilometers • AU • Most useful unit for measuring distances within the solar system

  3. Planets VS. Dwarf Planets Planets Dwarf Planets Must be round Orbit the sun Have cleared out the region of the solar system along its orbit Object that orbits the sun Has enough gravity to be spherical Has not cleared the area of its orbit 5 known: Pluto, Eris, Ceres, Makemake, and Haumea

  4. Inner Planets • Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars • Small • Dense • Rocky surfaces • Called “Terrestrial Planets” • Mercury is the only inner planet without an atmosphere

  5. Inner Planets

  6. Mercury • Smallest terrestrial planet • Closest to the sun • Temps. Range from 430 Celsius to -170 Degrees Celsius • Surface: flat plains • Atmosphere: None

  7. Venus • Earth’s twin • Retrograde: spins clockwise • Atmosphere: think and it is always cloudy, mostly made up of carbon dioxide • Hottest planet, covered in rock • Greenhouse effect: the trapping of heat near a • planet’s surface by certain gases in • the planet’s atmosphere

  8. Earth • The only planet in the solar system where you could live easily. Earth has liquid water and a suitable temperature range and atmosphere for living. • Like Venus, Earth experiences a greenhouse effect. Without the atmosphere, Earth would be much cooler.

  9. Mars • “Red planet” • Has ice (two polar caps) • Atmosphere: 95% Carbon Dioxide • Temperatures on the surface range from -140C to 20 C • Volcanoes • Mars has 2 very small moons (Phobos and Deimos)

  10. The outer planets • Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune • Gas Giants • Many moons • Surrounded by a set of rings

  11. Jupiter • Largest and most massive planet • Atmosphere: thick atmosphere made up of hydrogen and helium • Great Red Spot • Moons: at least 63

  12. Saturn • 2nd largest planet • Atmosphere: thick, made up of hydrogen and helium • Has the most spectacular rings of any planet made of ice and rock • Moons: at least 61 moons • Has the lowest density of any planet. If you could build a bathtub big enough, Saturn would float!

  13. Uranus • Blue-green in color due to methane in its atmosphere • Surrounded by dark, thin, flat rings • Moons: at least 27 • Rotates from top to bottom

  14. Neptune • Similar in size and color to Uranus • Cold, blue planet • Atmosphere: contains no clouds • Moons: at least 13 (largest: Triton)

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