Chapter 27The 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)