Chapter 27
The Planets
• Inner Planets
• TERRESTRIAL
(made up of rock)
• Mercury, Venus,
Earth and Mars
• Outer Planets
• JOVIAN (made up
of gas)
• Mercury
• Most extreme
temperature
range
• No atmosphere –
very hot day and
very cold night
• Very densely
cratered –
why??????
• Venus
• Earth’s Twin –
similar in size
• Extreme Greenhouse
Effect – Lots of CO2
in atmosphere (from
volcanoes) – ALWAYS
HOT!!!!!
• Evening Star
• Morning Star
• Earth
• Water Planet
• Only planet with
Oxygen
• Only planet with
humans and life
• Mars
• Red planet – due to
FeO2 on the surface
• Polar ice caps – made
of frozen CO2
• Mars landers – Spirit
and Opportunity
• New lander -
• Asteroid Belt
• Separates the Inner
planets and the outer
planets
• Jupiter
• Largest planet
• Great Red Spot –
hurricane like
storm
• Fastest rotation
• Jupiter’s Moon Io
has an
active volcano!
• Saturn
• Great ringed
planet
• Uranus
• Rotates
completely on its
side
• Neptune
• Blue due to the
presence of
methane
• Pluto
• No longer a planet
• A dwarf planet – too
small
• Crossed the orbit of
another planet
(Neptune)