Characteristics of the Inner Planets

Characteristics of the Inner Planets Chart

Inner Period of Period of Planets Moons Rotation Revolution and size And Atmosphere Temperature Surface Features Other Details (earth (Earth compared Rings days) years) to Earth Mariner 10 was the first Mercury craft to go to Mercury in 1991. 58.5 earth 87.97 earth 0-M Dry, extremely hot Has Heavily Cratered Messenger has flown by in -297 F to 801 F 1/3 the Days days 0-R and airless Terrain w/ smooth plains 2008, 2009 & will orbit Earth’s Mercury in 2011 diameter .39 AU from Sun Spins backwards! Venus Probes that have landed on Carbon Dioxide and EXTREMELY HOT & Dry! 243 earth 225 earth 0-M Venus only survive a few Just about Nitrogen w/ Sulfuric 864 F Has mountains, plains, days days 0-R hours before they are the same Acid Clouds canyons and valleys destroyed. size as Earth Tons of Lightning

70% of Earth is covered Earth 1-M 78 % Nitrogen w/ water. Earth has Has four seasons 24 hours 365.35 days -126 to 136 F O-R 21% Oxygen volcanoes, mountains Only planet w/ life and valleys

Mars Has the largest volcano: Thin Air w/ Carbon Has a rusty dust and 2-M Olympus Mons & a canyon 24.6 hours 687 Days Dioxide, Nitrogen, -125 F to 23 F iron-rich rocks that cover ½ the 0-R as large as the US Argon the surface diameter of Has ice caps & seasons Earth’s Characteristics of the Outer Planets (and Pluto) Chart

Outer Period of Period of Planets Moons Rotation Revolution and size And Atmosphere Temperature Surface Features Other Details (earth (Earth compared Rings days) years) to Earth RED SPOT Jupiter A giant ball of gas Anything going through the clouds -234 F @ clouds .41 62-M Hydrogen and & Liquid w/ little would get crushed and melted. Has Could fit 12 years (4 big 1’s) In Core: 50,000 of a day Helium (if any) solid very dangerous radiation. 1300 Earths 3-R F surface. Has magnetic field stronger than inside earth Saturn’s rings extend 100,000 miles Saturn from the planet (but is only 30 feet Ball of Gas w/ 52-M Hydrogen and deep) 9 x the 10 hours 29 years -288 degrees F Hurricane-force 7-R Helium Cassini is orbiting Saturn since 2004 diameter of winds Has magnetic field stronger than Earth earth Uranus Below clouds, Mostly Hydrogen -357 F there’s a layer of 27-M & Helium w/ Seasons last for 20 years 4 x the size 17 hours 84 years Near core superheated 2 sets-R small amounts of Spins sideways! of Earth’s 9000F water, ammonia methane diameter and methane.

Neptune Ocean of SUPEr One of the windiest planets w/ Hydrogen, Helium 13-M HOT Water could winds that go more than 1,200 mph 3.8 x the 16 hours 164 years and Methane. -353 F 3-R be underneath the HAD Great dark spot-a storm size of Earth’s clouds. Earth w/ winds that go 700mph diameter Pluto New Horizons (a probe) will fly by Has a frozen Pluto in 2015! atmosphere that Probably has a Earth is 6 x No longer a real planet!  3-M extends far out rocky core w/ a larger! 6.4 days 246 years -387 to -369 F 39 AU from Sun 0-R into space. Most mantle of water (about the Has a lopsided orbit and will cross of the time it’s ice size of the Neptune in 230 years frozen. moon) 5 light hours from Sun