Mercury Venus Earth Mars. Mercury -has a surface much like our moon: cratered, but with HUGE volcanoes -no atmosphere -most extreme temperatures in solar.

Mercury

Venus

Earth

Mars

Mercury-has a surface much likeour moon: cratered, but with HUGE volcanoes

-no atmosphere

-most extreme temperatures in solar system: 430°C during day, -170°C at night

-1 day (rotation) = 59 Earth days

-1 year (revolution) = 88 days

-4,878 km. diameter

Interesting Fact: we have only seen 40% of the surface, from 1 exploration: Mariner 10

It is too close to the sun to see with a telescope!

Mercury

Venus-THICK atmosphere

-mostly Carbon Dioxide

-sulfuric acid clouds

-GREENHOUSE EFFECT makes itthe hottest planet at 460ºC

“Morning Star”

Beneath the thick clouds is the surface:

-some craters, rolling hills, and volcanoes-1 day = 243 Earth days -1 year = 225 Earth days -12,104 km. diameter

-no moons

Interesting Fact: Venus rotates in reverse(east to west). It is guessed is that something large struck it and sent it spinning the other way.

Venus

Earth-Atmosphere isNitrogen, Oxygen-Surface is rock, metal,water-12,756 diameter-1 year = 365 Earth days-Temperature -50ºC to 60ºC-1 Moon: Luna

Interesting Fact: Earth is thought to be theonly planet with water and life!

Mars-Very thin atmosphere: CO2, trace oxygen

-Poles are frozen CO2

-Temperature: -80ºC to 3ºC

-1day= 1.03 days(~ 24 ½ hours)

-1 year = 687 days

- surface is red, dusty; made of iron oxide (rust)

-volcanoes, canyons, canals carved by rivers of liquid nitrogen

- some craters

-6,794 km diameter (half of Earth!)

Mars

-2 moons: Phobos (fear) and Deimos (panic), potato shaped, small

Interesting Fact: the 2 MarsRovers haven’t found anytraces of life even at the microscopic bacterial level! Mars