Name: Date: Hour: 179 degrees celsius. 5% of Earth A 70 pound person would weigh 27 pounds on Mercury.

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1 Planet Exploration- Mercury days 58.6 days 57 million Km 465 degrees celsius Minimum -184 degrees celsius 179 degrees celsius Moons Terrestrial or Gaseous? hydrogen and helium 4876 km 5% of Earth A 70 pound person would weigh 27 pounds on Mercury. None Terrestrial 1. What is Mercury named after? Mercury is the Roman version of the Greek God Hermes. 2. What is Mercury mostly made up of? Mercury has a large percent of heavier elements, mainly iron.

2 Planet Exploration- Venus Minimum Moons days days (retrograde) 107 million Km 449 degrees celsius carbon dioxide and nitrogen 12,107 Km 81% of Earth Venus s atmosphere would be toxic to humans. None 1. Why is Venus called Earth s twin? Venus is called Earth s twin because they are almost the same size, chemistry, gravity and density. 2. What is unusual about Venus rotation? Venus has retrograde rotation ( it rotates opposite of most of the planets). 3. Why does Venus appear to be the brightest planet? Venus appears bright because it is so close to Earth.

3 Planet Exploration- Earth Minimum 3rd days 23 hrs. 56 min. 150 million Km 7.2 degrees celsius (45 degrees fahrenheit) nitrogen, oxygen, and argon 12,755 Km 6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg Only planet with life Moons 1 1. How much of Earth is water? How much of Earth is land? 7 0% o f Earth is water. 30% of Earth is land. 2. Name 3 or 4 things that make Earth unique compared to other planets. Earth has humans, a breathable atmosphere, suitable temperature, and liquid water. 3. Why is Earth important when studying other planets? Earth is important when studying other planets because it is the only planet with life. Scientists use what we know about Earth to compare and guess what other planets must be like. It's called Comparative Planetology. 4. What is the name of Earth s moon? Luna

4 Planet Exploration- Mars 4th days 24 hrs. 37 min. 229 million Km 36 degrees celsius (98 degrees fahrenheit) Minimum -123 degrees celsius (-190 degrees fahrenheit) -55 degrees celsius carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon 6794 Km 10% of Earth Mars was the Roman god of war and agriculture Moons 2 1. Why are scientists excited to study Mars? Scientists are excited to study Mars because they were able to land on the surface of the planet. 2. Why is Mars referred to as the Red Planet? What makes it red? Mars is referred to as the Red Planet because of the red dirt and rocks on the surface. High amounts of iron oxide make Mars red. 3. How many moons does Mars have? What are the names of its two most popular moons? Mars has 2 moons. Their names are Deimos and Phobos.

5 Planet Exploration- Jupiter Minimum 5th planet days 9 hours 55 mins 777 million km -153 degrees C hydrogen, helium, methane 142,983 km 317 x Earth Largest planet Spins so fast that it is fat in middle, its shape is called oblate spheroid. Moons What is Jupiter s red spot? Giant storm 2. Why can t we always see Jupiter s rings? What are these rings called? Jupiter's rings are so small we need the sunlight to reflect off them to see them. Rings are named Gossamer, Main, and Halo. 3. What Jupiter s four main moons called? Why does Jupiter have so many moons? The moons are called Galilean moons : Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto. Jupiter has so many moons because of its massive size and gravity.

6 Planet Exploration- Saturn Minimum 6th planet 10,759.2 days 10 hours, 13 mins 1,429 million km -184 degree C hydrogen, helium, methane 120,536 km 95 x Earth ring spaces from moons or their gravity lightest planet in solar spins fast making a fat middle orbit twice as far as asteroid belt Moons What is so different about Saturn (focus on density)? Saturn is made mostly of hydrogen and helium making it the lightest planet. It is less dense than water, so it would float on water. 2. What are Saturn s rings made of? How many rings does Saturn have? The rings are made mostly of ice dust. Saturn has 7 rings. 3. How many moons does Saturn have? What is its most popular moon? Saturn has 53 main moons, Titan is the most popular.

7 Planet Exploration- Uranus Minimum 7th Planet 30,684 days 17.2 hours 2,871 million km -184 degrees C hydrogen, helium, methane 51,117 km 14.6 x Earth ice giant rings rotate up and down possible hot ocean on its surface Moons Why is Uranus different from other planets and moons in our Solar System? How did it come to be different? It rotates on its side, possibly because an object hit in space, or one of its moons got pulled away from Uranus. 2. Why could there be large trillions of diamonds on Uranus? Diamonds could be present due to all the pressure on the planet. 3. What planet is almost identical to Uranus? Neptune 4. Does Uranus have a ring? Yes, Uranus has rings made of black dust particles.

8 Planet Exploration- Neptune Minimum 8th Planet 60,190 days 16 hours, 17 minutes 4,496 million km -184 degrees C hydrogen, helium, methane 49,527 km 17 x Earths mass Windiest planet Cloud called scooter orbits quickly Has had dark spots (storms) on and off Moons Describe the appearance of Neptune. Does it have a ring? Blue with clouds floating in atmosphere. There are 6 rings, but not as developed as other planets 2. Why is it so difficult for astronomers to identify Neptune s moons? Neptune is too far away to study its moons. 3. How many revolutions around the sun has Neptune made since its discovery in 1846? Once

9 Planet Exploration- Pluto Minimum 9th planet 90,465 Days 6 days, 9 hours 5869 million km -234 degrees C Methane, nitrogen 2390 km.02% of Earth Orbit is tilted Orbits inside Neptune in part of its orbit Moons 5 1. Why was Pluto reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006? Pluto is super tiny, actually ⅔ size of our moon, so we call it a dwarf planet. 2. Since Pluto s new classification, another category of planets has been named. What are planets in this category called? Planets small like Pluto are called Planetoids.