Terrestrial Planets
What is the smallest terrestrial planet?
Mercury
What is the largest gas giant/ planet in our solar system?
Jupiter
True or False
All the planets in our solar system have at least 1 moon?
False
Why is Mars known as the "Red Planet"?
The iron oxide that is present on the planet.
All planets in our solar system rotate at the same speed?
False
What are 3 characteristics of the terrestrial planets?
- Small
- dense
- metal core and rocky mantle
- inside asteroid belt
- little to no moons
- faster revolutions
- rocky surfaces
What are the 2 main gasses that are present in all gas giants?
Hydrogen and helium
Liquid water has only been found on which planet?
Earth
What are 2 facts about Neptune?
- windiest planet
- great dark spot
- 8th planet
- hot core
- blue
- ice giant
What can be seen on the surface of all the terrestrial planets?
Rocks, craters, mountains, volcanoes
What are 3 characteristics about gas giants?
- large
- less dense
- no solid surface
- rings
- lots of moons
- faster rotations
- COLD
Mercury's extreme temperature changes are a result of what?
There is no atmosphere on Mercury
Uranus
-Coldest planet
- spins on its side
Mars is known as Earth's sister planet?
False
What are the terrestrial planets, in order moving from the sun to the asteroid belt?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
What give Uranus and Neptune their blue hue?
Methane
What is the Great Red Spot AND where is it located?
A large storm that is larger than planet Earth and it can be found on Jupiter.
This planet takes about 88 Earth days to revolve around the Sun.
Why doesn't Venus have a moon?
It is too close to the Sun, so any object that would be pulled into Venus's gravitational pull would be pulled to the much larger Sun.
Why is it believed that the terrestrial planets are closer to the Sun?
It is believed that the terrestrial planets are closer to the Sun, because the Sun's energy is more intense and all the gasses got too hot and were vaporized, leaving the metals and rocks (which can withstand higher temperatures).
Rings on the gas giants are made of what materials?
Ice, rock and dust.
Fill in the Blank:
Saturn is the ____________ dense planet
least
What is Olympus Mons and where is it located?
Largest volcano in the solar system that is located on Mars.
Why do the gas giants have moons and rings around them?
Their gravitational pull is greater and therefore when objects come near the planet they are attracted to the planet and orbit around them. The larger the mass, the more gravitational pull, so more ability to gain satellites and rings.