Planet Overview

1. Planet Overview

2. Mnemonics • Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto • My Very Easy Method: Just Set Up Nine Planets • My Very Empty Mouth Just Swallowed Up Ninety Peanuts • My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas • Many Very Early Men Ate Juicy Steaks Using No Plates • Or make up your own!!!

3. Mercury • Appearance – covered with craters • Composition – Terrestrial Planet • Composed primarily of rock and metal with relatively high density and a solid surface • Position – 1st planet from the sun • Rotation = 59 Earth days • Revolution = 0.24 Earth years • Distance from Sun = 58,000,000 Km • Size –a little bigger than Earth's Moon • Diameter = 4,878 Km

4. Venus • Appearance – Earth’s ‘morning star’ • Composition – Terrestrial Planet • Composed primarily of rock and metal with relatively high density and a solid surface • Position – 2nd planet from the sun • Rotation = 243 Earth days • Revolution = 0.62 Earth years • Distance from Sun = 108,000,000 Km • Size – about the same size as Earth • Diameter = 12,104 Km

5. Earth • Appearance – looks like a big blue marble, • Composition – Terrestrial Planet • Composed primarily of rock and metal with relatively high density and a solid surface • Position – 3rd planet from the sun • Rotation = 1 Earth days • Revolution = 1 Earth years • Distance from Sun = 150,000,000 Km • Size – • Diameter = 12,756 Km

6. Mars • Appearance – Red planet with polar ice caps • Composition – Terrestrial Planet • Composed primarily of rock and metal with relatively high density and a solid surface • Position – 4th planet from the sun • Rotation = 1.03 Earth days • Revolution = 1.9 Earth years • Distance from Sun = 228,000,000 Km • Size – • Diameter = 6,794 Km

7. Jupiter • Appearance – distinctive color bands and red spot • Composition – Gas Giant • Composed primarily of hydrogen and helium and generally have low densities, deep atmospheres, rings and lots of satellites • Position – 5th planet from the sun • Rotation = 0.41 Earth days • Revolution = 12 Earth years • Distance from Sun = 778,000,000 Km • Size – • Diameter = 142,800 Km

8. Saturn • Appearance – distinctive bands and multiple rings • Composition – Gas Giant • Composed primarily of hydrogen and helium and generally have low densities, deep atmospheres, rings and lots of satellites • Position – 6th planet from the sun • Rotation = 0.43 Earth days • Revolution = 29 Earth years • Distance from Sun = 1,427,000,000 Km • Size – • Diameter = 120,540 Km

9. Uranus • Appearance – Pale blue-green disk • Composition – Gas Giant • Composed primarily of hydrogen and helium and generally have low densities, deep atmospheres, rings and lots of satellites • Position – 7th planet from the sun • Rotation = 0.72 Earth days • Revolution = 84 Earth years • Distance from Sun = 2,871,000,000 Km • Size – • Diameter = 51,200 Km

10. Neptune • Appearance – Blue disk with a Great Dark Spot • Composition – Gas Giant • Composed primarily of hydrogen and helium and generally have low densities, deep atmospheres, rings and lots of satellites • Position – 8th planet from the sun • Rotation = 0.67 Earth days • Revolution = 165 Earth years • Distance from Sun = 4,497,000,000 Km • Size – • Diameter = 49,500 Km

11. Pluto • Appearance – too far for a good picture • Composition – Terrestrial • Pluto has an icy surface comprised of 98% nitrogen (N2) with small amounts of methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO) • Position – 9th ‘planet’ from the sun – no longer considered a planet! • Rotation = 6.4 Earth days • Revolution = 248 Earth years • Distance from Sun = 5,913,000,000 Km • Size – • Diameter = 2,200 Km

12. Review