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The Inner Planets Report

The four inner planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars - are small, dense, and rocky. They have no rings and few moons. Earth stands apart as the only planet known to support life due to its liquid water and oxygen-rich atmosphere. Venus is similar in structure to Earth but rotates backwards and has a dense, hot atmosphere. Mars is nicknamed the "Red Planet" due to its iron oxide surface and has a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere.

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217 views32 pages

The Inner Planets Report

The four inner planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars - are small, dense, and rocky. They have no rings and few moons. Earth stands apart as the only planet known to support life due to its liquid water and oxygen-rich atmosphere. Venus is similar in structure to Earth but rotates backwards and has a dense, hot atmosphere. Mars is nicknamed the "Red Planet" due to its iron oxide surface and has a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere.

Uploaded by

Candy Santo
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE INNER PLANETS

The four inner planets are small and dense and have rocky
surfaces. The inner planets are often called “terrestrial
planets,” from the Latin word “terra” which means “Earth.”
• They are made up mostly of rock and metal.
• They are very heavy.
• They move slowly in space.
• They have no rings and few moons (if any).
• They have a diameter of less than 13,000
km.
The Inner Planets
Mercury
• Mercury is the smallest
terrestrial planet and the
planet closest to the sun.
• It is not much larger
than Earth’s moon and
has no moons of its own.
• The inside of Mercury
is most likely made up
of the dense metal iron.
• Has a revolution period of 88
days.
• Has 1000° temperature
swings from day to night
because there is no
atmosphere to trap heat.
• Is about 1/3 of Earth’s size
• Is about 1/3 Earth’s distance
from the sun (0.39 AU)
• Mercury has many flat plains and craters on its surface. Mercury
also has virtually no atmosphere due to its high daytime
temperatures.
• The side of Mercury that faces the sun can reach temperatures of
430 degrees Celsius. However, because Mercury has no
atmosphere, at night its heat escapes into space causing
temperatures to drop to -170 degrees Celsius.
Trivia:
It is named for the ancient
Roman god of trade and profit.
Legend says Mercury's winged
sandals gave him super speed.
Mercury the planet is super
fast, too. It zips around the Sun
every 88 days –
faster than any other planet. No
wonder it got its name from the
quickest of the ancient gods. Mercury is covered by
craters.
The largest of a crater is
called the Calonis Basin.
Venus
• Venus is similar in mass
and size to Earth that it
is known as “Earth’s
twin.” Although Venus
and Earth have similar
internal structures and
densities, they are very
different in other ways
Venus
• Has retrograde rotation –
so the sun rises in the
west and sets in the east!
• Reaches 900F at the
surface due to a strong
greenhouse effect.
• Venus has no moons and
takes 225 days to
complete an orbit.
• It rotates in the opposite
direction of Earth. It has a
very thick atmosphere.
• It is made up of 98% Carbon
dioxide.
• Venus has a thick cloud layer
that reflects the sunlight
Venus’s atmosphere is so thick that it is always cloudy there. These
clouds are mostly made of sulfuric acid. The pressure of Venus’s
atmosphere is 90 times greater than Earth’s, which means you
would be crushed by it if you were to stand on Venus’s surface. You
could not breathe on Venus because its atmosphere is mostly carbon
dioxide (which is what WE breathe out!).
• At 460 degrees Celsius,
Venus has a surface
temperature hot enough
to melt lead. Its surface
has many volcanoes and
broad plains formed by
lava flows.
• Sent spacecraft to take pictures from the surface
• Lasted 2 hr 7 min
– Found out it was 865°F at the surface!
– Why so hot?
Solar Distance Venus is 108,200,000 km
from the sun.
·        Revolution Period 224.7 days
·        Rotation Period -5832.5 hours
·        Equatorial Diameter 12,104 km
·        Gravitational Pull .89 of Earth's gravity
·        Satellites None
Earth
Earth has 3 main layers: the
crust, mantle, and core. The
crust includes the solid, rocky
surface. Under the crust is
the mantle, a layer of hot
molten rock. Earth has a
dense core made of mainly
iron and nickel. The outer
core is liquid, but the inner
core is solid
• Is the only planet known to
support life!
• Has a surface composed of
71% water.
– Water is necessary for life on
Earth.
• Earth's atmosphere contains 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and less than
1% Carbon dioxide, argon and methane. The reflection of the ocean
causes the sky to be blue.
• Earth is the only planet that contains vegetation and signs of life.
• 71% of Earth is covered with water.
• Although some other planets also have atmospheres, Earth is the only
one that is rich in oxygen. The rest of its atmosphere is mostly
nitrogen.
• Planet Facts:
• Solar Distance Earth is 149,600,000 km from the Sun.
• Revolution Period 365.2 5days
• Rotation Period 23.9 hours
• Equatorial Diameter 12,756
• Gravitational Pull .98 (your current weight)
• Satellites The Moon
Mars

• Mars is called the “red


planet” because it has a
reddish color in the sky.
The red color is caused by
the breakdown of iron-rich
rocks, which causes a rusty
dust that covers Mars’s
surface.
• Mars has two moons and takes about two years to complete
an orbit.
• Is about ½ of Earth’s size
• Is about 1 ½ times as far from the sun as Earth (1.52 AU)
• There are two poles on Mars. Both of them are a thin layer of
ice.
• Wind causes weathering and erosion similar to Earth
• Has two tiny moons . They are called Phobos and Deimos.
• Atmosphere - mostly CO2; air pressure is about 1% of
Earth’s
• Fast winds cause gigantic dust storms
• Mars’s atmosphere is more than 95 percent carbon
dioxide (similar to Venus’s atmosphere, but much
thinner), and contains few clouds. Because Mars has a
transparent atmosphere, its surface is easily viewed from
Earth through a telescope. Mars has temperatures that
range from -140 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius.
Life on Mars?
• Scientists found no sign of life on Mars.

• There is a possibility life once existed since


frozen water can be found in the northern
icecap. The southern icecap has frozen carbon
dioxide.

• Since the atmosphere is so thin, Mars


temperature always stays below 0 degrees C.
• Scientists think that a large amount of liquid water flowed on
Mars’s surface in the distant past. For this to be true, Mars must
have been much warmer and had a thicker atmosphere at that time.
Today, liquid water cannot exist on Mars for very long. Since
Mars’s atmosphere is so thin, liquid water would quickly turn into
gas. Much of the water on Mars exists in its polar ice caps.
Martian Canyons
• Largest canyon – 3,000
miles long and 5 miles
deep
– Rocks shrink when they
cool. Astronomers think
Mars may have cooled
quickly after its formation;
how might this be used to
explain the large canyon?
Planet Facts:
·        Solar Distance Mars is 227,940,000 km from the Sun.
·        Revolution Period 687 days
·        Rotation Period 24.6 hours
·        Equatorial Diameter 6794 km
·        Gravitational Pull .37 of Earth's gravity
·        Satellites Mars has 2 satellites and they are Phobos and Deimos
Recap!
• Why do terrestrial planets have atmospheres?

gravity

• What planet is closest to Earth in size and mass?


Venus
• coldest terrestrial planet is
Mars
• and the warmest terrestrial planet is
Venus
• Venus’ atmosphere is very dense and causes
the planet to be much hotter than all of the
other planets.

• The Earth is the only body in the solar


system that appears to be able to support
life.
What are the main characteristics that distinguish each of
the inner planets?
Mercury- smallest and closest to the sun; no moons of its
own
Venus – similar to Earth in its structure; rotates from east
to west; atmospheric pressure is 90 times greater than
Earth
Earth- only one with liquid water and life; rich in oxygen
Mars- called the red planet because it’s covered in red
dust; atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide

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