Outer Planets

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Outer Planets

• Complete Section 3 Study Guide

2
Outer Planets

• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune
• ?Pluto?

• Gas Giants
• Larger planets than the inner planets
• Exert more gravity

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Jupiter

• Jupiter is the largest planet (317.83 x Earth)
• Has a thick atmosphere of 90 hydrogen 10
  helium
• 8 space probes
• Average temp is -108C

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Jupiters Red Spot

• The Great Red Spot, a huge storm of swirling gas
  that has lasted for 350 years.
• Jupiter does not have a solid surface. The planet
  is a ball of liquid surrounded by gas.

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Moons of Jupiter

• Jupiter has 63 moons total and 4 large Galilean
  moons
• Io
• Europa
• Ganymede
• Callisto

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Io

• Io is the fifth moon of Jupiter. Its the third
  largest of Jupiters moons.
• Io has hundreds of volcanic calderas. Some of the
  volcanoes are active.

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Saturn

• Saturn is the second largest planet
• The atmosphere is 90 hydrogen 10 helium
• It is the least dense planet (float in water!)
• Below the atmosphere is liquid H HE
• Over 60 moons
• 4 space probes

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Rings of Saturn

• Saturns rings are composed of small countless
  ice dust particles.
• The rings are very thin. Though theyre 250,000km
  or more in diameter, theyre less than one
  kilometer thick.

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Uranus

• Uranus rotates on a 90 tilt so it rotates from
  top to bottom
• Uranus is blue-green because of the methane in
  its atmosphere
• Is 4 x bigger than Earth.
• Composed of hydrogen, helium methane
• 42 years of sunlight, 42 years of darkness
• 27 moons
• Voyager II space probe

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Neptune

• Neptunes atmosphere contains clouds.
• 4th largest planet but most dense
• Takes 165 Earth years to revolve around sun
• Mostly H, He, Methane gas
• 14 moons
• Core is metal with a mantle of ammonia methane
  ice
• 1 space probe by Voyager II

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Pluto

• Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet
• Pluto is the only outer planet that is rocky
• Smaller than our moon

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Comets

• Comets are chunks of ice dust with a long
  narrow elliptical orbit
• They have a nucleus and a tail

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Asteroids

• Asteroids are small objects that rotate around
  the sun
• An asteroid belt separates Mars and Jupiter

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Meteors

• A meteoroid is a chunk of rock that usually comes
  from a comet or asteroid
• It is called a meteor when it reaches Earths
  atmosphere and burns up
• It is called a meteorite if it strikes Earths
  surface

Meteor Crater in Arizona