Mercury

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Our Neighborhood...
The Planets of our Solar System
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Objective

• To understand the vast size of our Solar System
  and the relationship of the planets and their
  satellites.

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Inner Planets

• Planets closer to the Sun
• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars

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Mercury

• The closest planet to the Sun
• 1/3 the size of the Earth (3,032 miles in
  diameter)
• Average temperature range is 275F to 840 F
• Surface has a lot of craters (like our moon)
• No atmosphere and no moons

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Venus

• Second planet from the Sun
• 7,522 miles in diameter
• Average temperature 855F
• Atmosphere rich in CO2 making it hotter than
  Mercury even though its not as close to the Sun
  (greenhouse effect traps infrared radiation in)
• Has no moons
• Has lots of volcanic activity, mountains and
  craters

Magellan Spacecraft
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Earth

• Third planet from the Sun
• Only planet known to have life and liquid water
  at the surface
• 7,926 miles in diameter
• Average temperature range is -128F to 136F
• Has one moon (3,476 km in diameter thats bigger
  than Mercury!!!)

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Mars

• Fourth planet from the Sun
• 4,217 miles in diameter
• Average temperature range is -200F to 32F
• AKA The Red Planet
• Has two moons Deimos and Phobos
• Has canyons and volcanoes that can be more than
  100 times as large as Earths largest volcano. It
  is not known if volcanoes are presently active.

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Outer Planets

• Planets farthest from the sun
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune

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Jupiter
Great Red Spot
Jupiters Rings
Voyager 1

• Fifth planet from the Sun
• Largest planet in our Solar System (88,846 miles
  in diameter)
• Average temperature is -244F
• Known for the Great Red Spot, a storm that is 3x
  the size of Earth
• Also has rings
• A ball of gas and liquid with little (if any)
  solid surface
• Has 63 moons !
• It is thought that the moon Europa may have an
  ocean under its icy crust

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Saturn
Voyager 2 7/21/81
HST

• Sixth planet from the Sun
• Second largest planet in our Solar System (74,500
  miles in diameter)
• Average temperature -274F (at cloud tops)
• Has over 1,000 rings consisting mostly of ice
  particles and rocky debris
• Has 31 moons
• Big ball of fluid gas

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Uranus
Voyager 2 Jan, 1986
HST

• Seventh planet from the Sun
• 31,763 miles in diameter
• Average temperature -355oF (at cloud tops)
• Has a faint planetary ring
• Has 27 moons

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Neptune
Great Dark Spot
?
Image NASA

• Eighth planet from the Sun
• 30,775 miles in diameter
• Average temperature is -346o F (at cloud tops)
• Faint dark rings have been detected
• Has winds of over 1,242 miles per hour
• Has a Great Dark Spot comparable to Jupiters
  Great Red Spot
• Has 13 moons

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Pluto is dead !!!

• Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet of which
  44 are known.
• Scientists are sure that there are hundreds more
  yet to be discovered.

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Rememberthe Universe is a world on its own,
let your curiosity discover the wonders and
secrets that it holds.