Planets of the Solar System
112 flashcards by MentisLibrary
Orbital periods, rotation, distances, diameters, atmospheres and moons of the eight planets, plus dwarf planets, the asteroid and Kuiper belts and orbital terms such as eccentricity, Roche limit and habitable zone, for astronomy students and space enthusiasts.
- How many planets are in our solar system?
- 8 planets
- What are the terrestrial planets?
- Mercury Venus Earth Mars
- What are the gas giants?
- Jupiter Saturn
- What are the ice giants?
- Uranus Neptune
- What is Mercury's orbital period?
- 88 Earth days
- What is Mercury's rotation period?
- 59 Earth days
- What is Mercury's distance from Sun?
- ≈ 0.39 AU or 58 million km
- What is Mercury's surface temperature range?
- -173°C to 427°C
- What is Mercury's diameter?
- ≈ 4880 km
- What is unique about Mercury's core?
- Large iron core
- What is Venus's orbital period?
- 225 Earth days
- What is Venus's rotation period?
- 243 Earth days (retrograde)
- What is Venus's distance from Sun?
- ≈ 0.72 AU or 108 million km
- What is Venus's surface temperature?
- ≈ 465°C
- What is Venus's atmospheric composition?
- 96.5% CO₂ 3.5% N₂
- What is Venus's diameter?
- ≈ 12104 km
- Why is Venus so hot?
- Runaway greenhouse effect
- What is retrograde rotation?
- Rotation opposite to orbital direction
- What is Earth's orbital period?
- 365.25 days
- What is Earth's rotation period?
- 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds
- What is Earth's distance from Sun?
- 1 AU ≈ 150 million km
- What is Earth's diameter?
- ≈ 12742 km
- What is Earth's atmospheric composition?
- 78% N₂ 21% O₂ 1% other
- What is Earth's average surface temperature?
- ≈ 15°C
- What is Earth's axial tilt?
- 23.5°
- What is unique about Earth?
- Only known planet with life
- What is Mars's orbital period?
- 687 Earth days
- What is Mars's rotation period?
- 24 hours 37 minutes
- What is Mars's distance from Sun?
- ≈ 1.52 AU or 228 million km
- What is Mars's diameter?
- ≈ 6779 km