Terrestrial and Jovian

planets

TERRESTRIAL PLANETS

MERCURY
Smallest planet and nearest to sun
Large metallic core which is about 70% of
the radius (2,440 km) of the planet
Deserted cratered planet similar to earths
moon
No active volcanoes, on atmosphere, no
satellites, no life

VENUS
Second planet orbiting the sun
Atmosphere: 95% carbon dioxide and 5%
sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric
acid, hydrofluoric acid, nitrogen and
argon.
The air is very hot 100 times dense than
earths air
Venus and earth are identical in size
Has no satellite

EARTH
Third planet from the sun
Surface: 75% water and 25% land
Atmosphere: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen
and 1% other gases (carbon dioxide, argon)
Has one satellite, the moon
Adequate to nurture life
Only living planet in solar system

Mars
Fourth planet from the sun
Atmosphere: 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 2%
argon
Reddish in color because of presence of iron oxide
(rust)
Southern hemisphere is marked by old craters like
our moon
Northern hemisphere is much younger w/ few craters
Olympus Mons is the largest volcano in solar
system located in Mars
Has two satellites; Phobos and deimos

JOVIAN PLANETS

JUPITER

Largest planet w/ metallic hydrogen core

Atmosphere: 78% hydrogen, the rest is mostly
helium
Dominated by belt-zone circulation.
Zones, are high- pressure regions of rising gas
Belts, are low-pressure regions where gas sinks.
Great red spot which is a vast circulating storm
where the winds between an adjacent zone and
belt meet.

Saturn

Second largest Jovian planet. The rings of saturn

are made up of billions of ice particles.
Has three major rings.
Saturn mostly liquid rich in hydrogen and helium
with a density less than that of the water.
Has a small core of heavy elements and metallic
hydrogen
Has 30 known satellites

Uranus
Seventh planet from the sun
Has a small core of heavy elements and a
deep mantle of partly frozen water,
ammonia, methane and rocky material.
Atmosphere: mostly hydrogen and helium
with a trace amount of methane which
makes the planet blue- green
Uranus has little belt zone circulation in
the south pole.

Uranus rings are composed of black organic

polymer caused by the radiation trapped in
Uranuss magnetic fields.
Uranus rings were formed from the collision
of the planet with a comet

Neptune
Farthest planet from the sun and 4% smaller
in diameter than Uranus.
Color: dark blue due to the presence of 35
methane in its hydrogen-rich atmosphere.
Great dark spot which is driven by heat
flowing from the decay of a radioactive
metals in the interior