Planets and Moons Engage and Explore

Planets and
Moons

Engage and Explore

•Compare and contrast the inner and outer planets.

•Compare each of the inner and
outer planets to Earth and to one another.

•Describe key features of the outer planets and their moons.

Learners can:

Vocabulary

• day - a division of time equal to 24 hours and representing the average length of the period during which the earth makes one rotation on its axis

• gas giants - the outer planets composed mainly of hydrogen and helium

• great red spot - an enormous, oval-shaped, long-lived storm on Jupiter

• terrestrial planets - the inner rocky planets that have crusts and mantles made of silicate rocks and minerals

• year - the period of about 365 solar days required for one revolution of the earth around the sun 

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What evidence do
planetary geologists
have to go on to
determine the geology
of inner planets?

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

• Earth's average temperature=14°C

(57°F)

• Why is Earth the only planet to have

life?

• Presence of liquid water

• Ability of the atmosphere to filter out

harmful radiation

• Distance from the sun

Earth

Multiple Choice

What is one of the major features on Earth that allowed life to exist?

• presence of liquid water

• communication systems

• iron core

• none of these

Inner Planets

How are the inner
planets different
than the outer
planets?

•Mercury

•Venus

•Earth

•Mars

• Smallest planet and closest to the sun

• Ancient impact craters=no geological

change

• Little atmosphere

• Year=88 Earth days

• Day=57 Earth days

• Temperatures vary widely

• Direct sunlight=801°F

• Dark side/in shadows=-297°F

• 2nd Densest Planet (Earth is the densest)

Mercury

• Most similar in size and density compared to Earth

• Rotates in the opposite direction

• One day=243 Days

• Year=224 Days

• Thick and dense atmosphere

• Carbon dioxide

• Sulfur dioxide

• Sulfuric acid

• Surface temperature reaches 860°F

• Mountains, valleys, volcanoes, and canyons

Venus

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.

• Smaller, colder, drier, and appears to have no life compared to Earth

• Reddish in colr from iron oxide in soil

• Atmosphere is thin and has low atmospheric pressure containing carbon

• Olympus Mons

• Shield volcano

• Largest volcano in the solar system

• Valles Marineris

• Largest canyon in solar system

• 2 Moons

• Phobos and Deimos

Mars

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC.

Match

Inner Planets - Match each planet with the correct description

• only planet to support life

• appears reddish in color due to iron-rich surface

• has the greatest temperature range of any planet

• hottest planet in the solar system

Earth

Mars

Mercury

Venus

• Earth

• Mars

• Mercury

• Venus

​Searching for Life on Mars...

Multiple Choice

As Curiousity explores Mount Sharp, what are
scientists hoping Mount Sharp will reveal?

• record of environmental change

• coal

• valuable resources

• methane

Outer Planets

•Gas giants made up of hydrogen and
helium

•Jupiter

•Saturn

•Uranus

•Neptune

Multiple Choice

What is the primary composition of the
outer planets?

• gold and silver

• oxygen and carbon dioxide

• hydrogen and helium

• iron and hydrogen

• 12 years=1 revolution

• 1 day=10 hours

• Largest planet=11 Earth's could fit across the equator

• Lacks a solid suface, but solid inner core size of Earth

• Atmosphere is hydrogen and helium

• Great Red Spot

• Enormus storm: 3 Earth's Wide that is at least 300

years old

• More than 75 moons

• Europa may be a place to find extraterrestrial life

Jupiter

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.

• 10.7 hours=1 Day

• 29 Earth years to complete 1

revolution

• Rings made of ice, dust, and rock

• Atmosphere is hydrogen and helium

• 53 moons

• Titan is speculated to have an extremely primitive life

• Atmosphere is like Earth's before

life developed

Saturn

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC.

Uranus

• 17 hours=1 day

• 84 Earth years to complete 1 revoluton

• Composed of Hydrogen and Helium

• Higher % icy materials which gives

it blue-green color

• Uranus is tilted on its side, so its axis is

parallel to its orbit

• Most likely due to an ancient

collision

• Faint system of rings, almost vertical

• 27 known moons

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

• 16 hours to complete 1 rotation

• 165 years to complete 1 revolution

• Neptune's blue color is mostely

because of frozen methane

• 14 moons and a faint ring system

• Windiest planet

• Travel more than 1,200 mph

• Compared to Earth the most

powerful are 250 mph

Neptune

The Evidence for
Planet Nine's
Existence

Match

Match the following

• coldest planet

• smallest planet

• planet with life

• largest planet

• planet that contains methane

Uranus

Mercury

Earth

Jupiter

Neptune

• Uranus

• Mercury

• Earth

• Jupiter

• Neptune

Match

Match the following

• hottest planet

• red planet

• largest ring system

• planet with a tilted axis

• planet with longest year

Venus

Mars

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

• Venus

• Mars

• Saturn

• Uranus

• Neptune

​The Witch Head Nebula