Science 9 Planets In Our Solar System
Uranus
Fourth most massive planet in the solar system A gas giant Similar composition to Jupiter and Saturn Ring system composed of ice and dust Gets its distinctive blue color from the methane gas in its atmosphere Methane absorbs red light Uranus has an unusual rotation in that it is flipped on its side It appears to be rolling through its orbit around the sun
Saturn
Is a gas giant planet Identified as an elaborate system of rings Rings are composed of rock, ice, and dust Planet is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium Its rings are very wide in relation to its width Rings are 250 000 km wide in some places and 10m thick in others
Jupiter
Is a gas giant planet Largest planet in our solar system Has a "Great Red Spot" that has been visible from Earth for over 300 years The "Great Red Spot" is as large as three Earths A hydrogen and helium storm that is the planet's outer layers Shortest day of any planet turning once on its axis every 10 hours If it were 100 times bigger Jupiter could have become a sister star to our sun
Mars
Often called the red planet because iron in its surface gives rocks a red colour Half the size of Earth, but has about the same surface area Has a volcano three times the size of Mount Everest & an 8km deep canyon Has a very thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide Can have wind storms more than 900 km/h Dust storms can cover the planet & last for weeks Has two polar ice caps
Neptune
Outermost planet and third massive in the solar system Similar to Uranus and has the same dark blue color Has a ring system, but it is very faint Voyager 2 spacecraft flew by Neptune in 1989 discovered a large, blue, Earth size patch on Neptune's surface The patch is similar to Jupiter's "Great Red Spot", was like a storm in the clouds of Neptune's atmosphere When Neptune was viewed again in 1994 by Hubble Space Telescope, the spot was gone. New dark spot has since appeared in the northern hemisphere
Earth
Third from the sun Has the only life discovered in the universe so far Only planet known to have water in three phases: liquid, solid & gas Water covers 3 quarters of Earth's surface Atmosphere is mostly made of nitrogen & oxygen
Mercury
closest planet to the Sun smallest planet in the solar system covered in craters slightly larger than Earth's moon one-third the size of Earth temperature ranges from 400C to -183C the cycle of heat and cold causes the planet to expand and contract the expansion and contraction of the planet causes huge cracks to form
Venus
often called Earth's sister planet relatively close size and composition to Earth atmosphere is almost entirely carbon dioxide the surface is covered in thick clouds sulphur mixes with moisture and causes it to rain sulphuric acid in 1990, the Magellan spacecraft scanned the surface large portions of Venus are flat, and some have volcanoes, lava flows, and cracks called rifts