The Outer Planets
Most of the Outer planets are:
Large, Gas Giants
except Pluto
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The Gas Giants…..and the Inner planets
Jupiter
Largest Planet
 Atmosphere: Hydrogen and Helium
 16 Moons – (4 Large Moons)
(Ganymede, Europa, Callisto, Io )
 Great Red Spot (Huge Storm)
 Space Probes: Voyager-Galileo
 Thin ring system
 Day: 10 hrs
 Year: 12 Years
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Jupiter
Saturn
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2nd Largest Planet
Large ring system-ice, rock, dust
About 18 Moons (18-21)
Space Probe: Voyager-Cassini
Atmosphere: Hydrogen, Helium
Titan: Moon with an Atmosphere
Day: 10 hours
Year: 29.5 years
Saturn
Uranus
About the size of Neptune
Discovered by William Herschel 1781
 Atmosphere: hydrogen, helium
methane
 About 15 Moons
 Thin ring system
 Rotates on its side
 Rocky core
 Voyager space probe
 Day: 18 hours
 Year: 84 years
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Uranus
Neptune
A little smaller than Uranus
 Methane atmosphere
 Last planet seen by Voyager
 Rocky core
 8 Moons (Triton)
 Thin ring system
 Great dark spot
 Day: 19 hours
 Year: 165 years
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Neptune
Pluto
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“Dwarf” Planet
Icy/rocky Planetoid
1 Moon-Charon (“double planet”)
Thin atmosphere-frozen gases
Space probe: New Horizon 2015
Pluto is one of many “Planetoids”
Day: About 6 Earth days
Year: 248 Earth Years (tilted orbit)
Pluto