Outer PlanetsAlso known as the gas giants and the Jovian planets. They include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.They are all large.They all have rings.They all rotate quickly.They all have no definite surface.They were all explored by Voyager I an II probes..

JupiterIts the largest planet in the solar system.Jupiter is the king of gods.Its gases are in bands produced by its fast rotation..

Jupiter Jupiter’s atmosphere consists of hydrogen, helium, methane , ammonia and water vapor.It rotates the fastest –9 hrs. and 50 min.This is the Galileo probe that entered the atmosphere in 2003..

Jupiter The Great Red Spot – a huge Jovian storm.It has 540 km/hr. winds.2-3 Earths could fit inside.Its possibly millions of years old..

Jupiter Jupiter radiates 2x more heat than it receives from the sun..

Jupiter

Jupiter has a very strong magnetic field.It may be due to currents in the hot, liquid, metallic hydrogen core.This allows for very prominent auroras..

Saturn

God of Harvest or Agriculture.The least dense planet – it can float on water!Radiates 2x the heat it receives from the sun.It has a complex ring system.Most moons – (30+)..

Saturn

Saturn’s atmosphere consists mostly of hydrogen (97%) with small amounts of helium (3%)This shows some storms in one of the band layers..

UranusGod of the Heavens.It has a 98o axis tilt.Uranian atmosphere is 83% hydrogen, 15% helium and 2% methane.Its blue color is due to methane’s absorption of red light..

Uranus Due to its axis tilt, the rings appear vertical and the south pole faces the sun.It has 11 faint rings and at least 20 moons..

Uranus Under the Uranian atmosphere, a mantle of water, methane and ammonia exists.Its core is about 1 Earth mass and is made of rock and ice..

Neptune God of the Seas.Atmosphere 85% hydrogen, 13% helium and 2% methane.Blue color due to methane absorbing green and red light..

Neptune

This planet also has a storm – the Great Dark Spot.Its about the size of Earth.Neptune has the highest winds in the solar system – 1,200 mph..

Neptune These are very high cirrus clouds.At this point, we are 4 light hours away from Sun..

Neptune Underneath the H, He and CH4 atmosphere, there is a water methane and ammonia mantle.The core is rock and ice about the mass of Earth..

Neptune Neptune has 4 rings made of dust probably from colliding moons.Some of the rings are twisted..

Dwarf PlanetsSmaller spherical object directly orbiting starsThey have not cleared their own orbital path of debrisEx. Pluto, Ceres (largest asteroid), Sedna

First Exoplanet Photographed?230 light years from EarthConstellation HydraOrbits a brown dwarfOrbital distance - 5 million milesDiscovered - 2005

Exoplanet facts

thousands discoveredThey range from 100’s to 1,000’s x the Earth’s massThis planet orbits Gleise 876 – M dwarf7.5x larger than EarthOrbits in 1.94 day2 million miles from starSurface temp. 400-750oF