Earth

1
Saturn
Uranus
Jupiter
Neptune
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enlarge the slide show.
Pluto
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Mars
Earth
Venus
Mercury
2
The Inner Planets

• Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars make up the inner
  planets and are closest to the sun.
• These planets are made up mostly of rock.

3
Mercury

• Its the closest planet to the sun.
• It has the fastest orbit around the sun.
• Its the second smallest planet. (Pluto is the
  smallest planet.)
• Its surface is covered with craters from
  asteroids.
• Its surface is so hot that it would melt a
  frying pan.

4
Venus

• Its the nearest planet to Earth.
• Earth and Venus are about the same size.
• Its covered with clouds and its surface is
  covered with craters.
• It rotates in a different orbit from the other
  planets.

5
Earth

• Its the third planet from the sun.
• 70 of Earth is water.
• 30 of Earth is rock.
• It spins in its axis, giving us different
  seasons.
• Our atmosphere is mostly nitrogen and oxygen.

6
Mars

• The temperature on Mars can be very cold.
• Space probes have landed on Mars.
• It has tall volcanoes, deep valleys and ice caps.
• It has two moons.
• Iron in the soil gives Mars its red color.

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The Outer Planets

• Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune have rings
  around them and are large balls of gasses.
• Pluto is the furthest planet from the sun and is
  coated with ice.

8
Jupiter

• Its the largest planet in the solar system.
• All the other planets can fit inside Jupiter.
• Its made up of gasses, mostly hydrogen and
  helium.
• The large red spot is a gas cloud.
• It has 4 large moons and dozens of smaller ones.

9
Saturn

• It looks like a big beautiful ball inside of
  rings.
• Its a gas planet that spins very rapidly on its
  axis.
• Its rings are made of ice and dust.
• It has a very stormy surface.
• It has 18 named moons and dozens that have not
  yet been named.

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Uranus

• Its a gas planet.
• It rotates on its side.
• Its surface is very cold and windy.
• Methane gas gives Uranus its blue-green color.
• Its known as Neptunes twin.
• It has rings surrounding it.

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Neptune

• Its a very cold, windy planet.
• It looks like Uranus because of its blue-green
  color.
• The moon Triton orbits in an opposite direction
  of the other moons.
• It has 8 moons.
• Its elliptical orbit sometimes makes it the
  furthest planet from the sun.

12
Pluto

• Its the furthest planet from the sun and is
  coated with ice.
• Pluto is smaller than Neptunes moon, Triton.
• Pluto has one moon, Chiron.
• Chiron and Pluto are sometimes called the twin
  planets because of their similar size.
• Some think Pluto is not a planet at all, but a
  moon or asteroid.

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Can you identify our 9 planets?
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Bibliography

• StarChild The Planets. Online Available
  http//starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/sola
  r_system_level1/planets.html, February 8, 2003.
• Planet 10. Online Available
  http//www.solarsystem.org.uk/planet10/, February
  8, 2003.
• Welcome to the Planets. Online Available
  http//pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/welcome.htm,
  February 8, 2003.