PLANET FACTS.

PLANET FACTSPLANET FACTS

MERCURYMERCURY Length of Day = 58.65 Earth DaysLength of Day = 58.65 Earth Days

Length of Year = 87.97 Earth Length of Year = 87.97 Earth DaysDays

Mean Surface Temp = Mean Surface Temp = 342 degrees F342 degrees F

Surface: Dusty layer of minerals, Surface: Dusty layer of minerals, surface is plains, cliffs, and craterssurface is plains, cliffs, and craters

Atmosphere = trace amts of H Atmosphere = trace amts of H and Heand He

MERCURYMERCURY 2/5ths the size of Earth (second smallest 2/5ths the size of Earth (second smallest

in the Solar System)in the Solar System) Diameter: 3032.4 milesDiameter: 3032.4 miles Mean distance from sun = 35 million Mean distance from sun = 35 million

milesmiles Moons: 0Moons: 0 Rings: 0Rings: 0

VENUSVENUS Length of Day = 243 Earth DaysLength of Day = 243 Earth Days Length of Year = 225 Earth DaysLength of Year = 225 Earth Days Mean Surface Temp = Mean Surface Temp =

225.5 degrees F225.5 degrees F Surface = rocky, dusty, waterless Surface = rocky, dusty, waterless

expanse of mountains, canyons, expanse of mountains, canyons, and plains, with a 200-mile dried-and plains, with a 200-mile dried-up river bed.up river bed.

Atmosphere = 95% carbon dioxide, Atmosphere = 95% carbon dioxide, N, sulfuric acid, tracesN, sulfuric acid, traces

VENUSVENUS About 650 miles smaller in diameter About 650 miles smaller in diameter

than Earththan Earth Diameter: 7519 milesDiameter: 7519 miles Mean distance to sun: 67.24 million Mean distance to sun: 67.24 million

milesmiles Moon: 0Moon: 0 Rings: 0Rings: 0

EARTHEARTH Length of Day = 1 Earth DayLength of Day = 1 Earth Day Length of Year = 1 Earth YearLength of Year = 1 Earth Year Mean Surface Temp = Mean Surface Temp =

60 degrees F60 degrees F Surface: Earth is made up of Surface: Earth is made up of

water (70%), air, and solid water (70%), air, and solid ground. It appears to be the ground. It appears to be the only planet with water.only planet with water.

Atmosphere: N, O, and othersAtmosphere: N, O, and others

EARTHEARTH Four planets in our solar system are Four planets in our solar system are

larger and four are smaller than Earthlarger and four are smaller than Earth Diameter: 7926 milesDiameter: 7926 miles Mean distance from sun: 92.9 million Mean distance from sun: 92.9 million


MARSMARS Length of Day: 24 Earth hrs, Length of Day: 24 Earth hrs,

37 minutes, 23 seconds37 minutes, 23 seconds Length of Year: 687 Earth daysLength of Year: 687 Earth days Mean Surface Temp = -Mean Surface Temp = -

76 degrees F76 degrees F Surface: Canyons, dunes, Surface: Canyons, dunes,

volcanoes, and polar caps of volcanoes, and polar caps of water ice and carbon dioxide water ice and carbon dioxide iceice

Atmosphere: 95% carbon Atmosphere: 95% carbon dioxidedioxide

MARSMARS About 1/2 the size of EarthAbout 1/2 the size of Earth Diameter: 4194 milesDiameter: 4194 miles Mean distance from sun: 141.71 Mean distance from sun: 141.71

million milesmillion miles Moons: 2Moons: 2 Rings: 0Rings: 0

JUPITERJUPITER Length of Day: 9 Earth hours, Length of Day: 9 Earth hours,

55 minutes55 minutes Length of Year: 12 Earth yearsLength of Year: 12 Earth years Mean Surface Temp = -Mean Surface Temp = -

234 degrees F 234 degrees F Surface: A hot ball of gas and Surface: A hot ball of gas and

liquidliquid Atmosphere: Whirling clouds Atmosphere: Whirling clouds

of colored dust, H, He, of colored dust, H, He, methane, water, and methane, water, and ammonia. The Great Red Spot ammonia. The Great Red Spot is an intense windstorm larger is an intense windstorm larger than Earth.than Earth.

JUPITERJUPITER 11 times the diameter of Earth - 11 times the diameter of Earth -

largest planet in Solar Systemlargest planet in Solar System Diameter: 88736 milesDiameter: 88736 miles Mean distance from sun: 483.88 Mean distance from sun: 483.88


SATURNSATURN Length of Day: 10 Earth hrs, 40 Length of Day: 10 Earth hrs, 40

minutes, 24 secondsminutes, 24 seconds Length of Year: 29.5 Earth yearsLength of Year: 29.5 Earth years Mean Surface Temp = -288 degrees Mean Surface Temp = -288 degrees

FF Surface: Liquid and gasSurface: Liquid and gas Atmosphere: H and HeAtmosphere: H and He

SATURNSATURN About 10 times larger than EarthAbout 10 times larger than Earth Diameter: 74978 milesDiameter: 74978 miles Mean distance from sun: 887.14 Mean distance from sun: 887.14

million milesmillion miles Moons: 19Moons: 19 Rings: ~ 1000??Rings: ~ 1000??

URANUSURANUS Length of Day: 17 Earth Length of Day: 17 Earth

hourshours Length of Year: 84 Earth Length of Year: 84 Earth

yearsyears Mean Surface Temp = Mean Surface Temp =

-353 degrees F-353 degrees F Surface: Little is knownSurface: Little is known Atmosphere: H, He, and Atmosphere: H, He, and

methanemethane

URANUSURANUS 4 times larger than Earth4 times larger than Earth Diameter: 32193 milesDiameter: 32193 miles Mean distance from sun: 1783.98 Mean distance from sun: 1783.98


NEPTUNENEPTUNE Length of Day: 16 Earth hours, Length of Day: 16 Earth hours,

7 minutes7 minutes Length of Year: 165 Earth yearsLength of Year: 165 Earth years Mean Surface Temp = Mean Surface Temp =

-353 degrees F -353 degrees F Surface: Liquid layer covered Surface: Liquid layer covered

with thick clouds; constant with thick clouds; constant raging stormsraging storms

Atmosphere: H, He, methane, Atmosphere: H, He, methane, and ammoniaand ammonia

NEPTUNENEPTUNE About 4 times the size of EarthAbout 4 times the size of Earth Diameter: 30775 milesDiameter: 30775 miles Mean distance from sun: 2680 million Mean distance from sun: 2680 million


PLUTOPLUTO Length of Day: 6 Earth Length of Day: 6 Earth

days, 9 hours, and 18 days, 9 hours, and 18 minutesminutes

Length of Year: 248 Earth Length of Year: 248 Earth yearsyears

Mean Surface Temp = Mean Surface Temp = -378 degrees F-378 degrees F

Surface: A giant snowball Surface: A giant snowball of methane and water of methane and water mixed with rockmixed with rock

Atmosphere: MethaneAtmosphere: Methane

PLUTOPLUTO Less than 1/5 the size of EarthLess than 1/5 the size of Earth Diameter: 1423 milesDiameter: 1423 miles Mean distance from sun: Mean distance from sun:

3666 million miles 3666 million miles Moons: 1Moons: 1 Rings: 2Rings: 2

ASTEROID BELTASTEROID BELT Several hundred thousand asteroids have been discovered and given

provisional designations so far. Thousands more are discovered each year. There are undoubtedly hundreds of thousands more that are too small to be seen from the Earth. There are 26 known asteroids larger than 200 km in diameter. Our census of the largest ones is now fairly complete: we probably know 99% of the asteroids larger than 100 km in diameter. Of those in the 10 to 100 km range we have cataloged about half. But we know very few of the smaller ones; there are probably considerably more than a million asteroids in the 1 km range.

Main Belt: located between Mars and Jupiter roughly 2 - 4 AU from the Sun; further divided into subgroups: Hungarias, Floras, Phocaea, Koronis, Eos, Themis, Cybeles and Hildas (which are named after the main asteroid in the group).

PLANET FACTS.

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