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Planet Fact Sheet

The Inner or Terrestrial Planets

Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars share certain characteristics:

All are rocky bodies.
All have solid surfaces.
Except for Mercury all have at least a thin atmosphere
They are called Terrestrial planets because of their resemblance to Earth.

Mercury
Named after Speedy messenger of Roman gods
Closest planet to the sun
Revolution around the sun = 88 Earth days
Rotation on its axis = 59 Earth days
Crater-covered surface with steep cliffs
Almost no atmosphere

Venus
Named after Roman goddess of beauty and love
2nd closest planet from the sun
Revolution around the sun = 224 Earth days
Rotation on its axis = 243 Earth days
Venus and Earth are of almost the same size, mass, and density, but
differ greatly in other areas.
Surface pressure = 91 times more than Earths

Earth
3rd planet from the sun
Revolution around the sun = 365 days
Rotation on its axis = 24 hours
Earth has one large moon.
Geologic records indicate that over the last 250 million years, Earths
surface has undergone many changes.

Mars
Named after Roman god of war
4th planet from the sun.
Mars is about 50% farther from the sun than Earth is.
Its orbital period is 687 days
It rotates on its axis every 24 hours and 37 minutes.
Marss seasons are like Earths seasons because the same axis.
Has the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons.
About half the size of Earth. No geological activity likely now. No
magnetic field.
Evidence of massive water erosion some time in the past. Scientists
are searching for liquid water now.
Two satellites, Phobos and Deimos
(possibly captured asteroids)
High winds often create dust storms

The Outer or Jovian Planets

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune share certain characteristics:

All are large, gaseous bodies.
All have very thick atmospheres, with possibly liquid interiors and
solid cores
All have rings
They are called Jovian planets because of their resemblance to Jupiter.

Jupiter
Named after the king of the Roman gods
5th planet from the sun
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and has a mass more
than 300 times that of Earth.
The orbital period of Jupiter is almost 12 years. Jupiter rotates on its
axis faster than any other planetonce every 9 hours and 50 minutes
Jupiter has at least 60 moons.
It also has several thin rings that are made up of millions of particles.
Great Red Spot = hurricane-like storm (as much as 20,000 years old)
Very high atmospheric pressure

 Giant magnetic field

Saturn
Named after a Roman god
6th planet from the sun
Rotates every 10 hours and 30 minutes
Revolves around the sun every 29.5 years
Surrounded by rings made of icy particles; at least 7 major rings
Violent atmospheric storms
Very cold
Has a large magnetic field
Lowest density of all the planets
The orbital period of Saturn is 29.5 years.
Saturn rotates on its axis every 10 h and 30 min.

Uranus
Named after the father of Saturn in Roman mythology
7th planet from the sun
Rotates every 17 hours
Revolution around sun every 84 years
Extreme atmospheric pressure; atmosphere is 11,000 kilometers thick
Rotates on its axis at a 90 degree angle; appears laying on its side
Rings of methane ice surround it
Has at least 24 moons and at least 11 thin rings

Neptune
Named for the Roman god of the sea

 8th planet from the sun

Revolution around the sun every 164 years

Rotation 16 hours
Surface-ocean of water, liquid methane, and rocky core
Five rings surround Neptune made of dust particles formed from
meteorites