Planets

• Planets in order.

  Mercury

  Venus

  Earth

  Mars

  Jupiter

  Saturn

  Uranus

  Neptune

  Pluto
• Inner planets

  Mercury

  Venus

  Earth

  Mars
• “Terrestrial Planets”

  Rocky

  Dense (five times denser than water)

  Metal cores (iron)

  Thin atmosphere

  Inner planets
• Inner most planet

  Mercury
• Composition: Nickel-iron Core (inner core: solid & outer core:

  liquid), Olivine mantle (composed from oxygen, magnesium and silicon), rocky crust

  Earth
• Thin Atmosphere: Some Hydrogen, Helium, Oxygen

  Mercury
• Thick Atmosphere: 96% Carbon Dioxide

  Venus
• Fourth planet from the Sun

  Mars
• “Red Dwarf”

  Once covered with water

  Mars
• Craters in the south, volcanic features in the north

  Lack of craters in the north suggest a much younger region covered by

  lava flows.

  Mars
• Jupiter

  Saturn

  Uranus

  Neptune

  Pluto (dwarf planet)

  Outer Planets
• Jovian Planets

  Outer Planets
• Composed of mostly gases and ices

  No solid surface

  May have a solid core

  Most have rings

  Thick Tumultuous atmospheres - rapid winds, large storms

  Jovian Planets
• Fifth planet from the Sun

  Jupiter
• “Goliath planet”

  Five main rings

  Jupiter
• A very powerful magnetic field that extends all the way to Saturn’s Orbit.

  Jupiter
• Atmosphere: 90% Hydrogen and 10% Helium

  Three separate clouds layers: ammonia ice, ammonium hydrosulfide ice, and water ice.

  The atmosphere blends seamlessly with the outer core.

  Jupiter
• Composition: Liquid molecular hydrogen and helium outer mantle, liquid metallic hydrogen inner mantle, and ice and rock core

  Core pressure is about 100 million atmospheres

  Jupiter
• Thin Atmosphere: Some Hydrogen, Helium, Oxygen


  Mercury
• Composition: Iron Core, Silicate Surface

  Mercury
• Thick Atmosphere: 96% Carbon Dioxide

  Surface pressure 92 times greater than Earth’s

  Venus
• Composition: Nickel-iron Core, Silicate mantle, rocky crust

  Venus
• Atmosphere: 95% Carbon Dioxide, 2.7% Nitrogen, 1.6% Argon, and 0.7% other gases

  Composition: Iron and iron sulfide core, olivine and iron oxide mantle, rocky crust

  Mars
• Sixth planet from the Sun

  Saturn
• “Ringed Giant”

  Seven main rings

  Saturn
• Atmosphere: 96% Hydrogen and 4% Helium

  Saturn
• Composition: Liquid hydrogen (outer mantle), Liquid metallic hydrogen (inner mantle), ice (outer core) and rock (inner core)

  Saturn
• Most oblate planet with visible bulges at the equator

  Saturn
• Seventh planet from the Sun

  Uranus
• “Blue Giant”

  Eleven thin rings

  Uranus
• Atmosphere: 83% Hydrogen, 15% Helium and 2% Methane

  Uranus
• Composition: Liquid hydrogen and other elements (outer mantle), slushy layer of icy compounds of water, methane, and ammonia (inner mantle), and an icy & rocky (core)

  Uranus
• Red light is absorbed by methane, which is why this planet is blue-green in color

  Uranus
• Axial inclination of 97.8° (sideways compared to other planets)

  Uranus