SARASWATI VIDYA NIKETAN

FORM 1
INTEGRATED SCIENCE
DATE: 06/09/2020

Astronomy
Planet Earth

 Moons: 1
 Mass: 5.97 x 10^24 kg
 Diameter: 7926 miles
 Year: 365.3 Days
 Day: 23 hours and 56 minutes
 Temperature: -125 to +130 degrees F
 Distance from the Sun: 3rd planet from the sun, 93
million miles
 Type of Planet: Terrestrial (has a hard rocky surface)

We obviously know more about Earth than any of the other planets. Earth is the largest of the four terrestrial
planets, the other terrestrial planets being Mercury, Venus, and Mars. By terrestrial planet we mean that Earth
has a hard rocky surface. The composition of the Earth is similar to other terrestrial planets in that it has an iron-
core which is surrounded by a molten mantle which, in turn, is surrounded by an outer crust. We live on top of
the crust.

Earth is Different
There are many things that make Earth unique among the Solar System's planets. First, Earth is the only planet
that we know of that contains life. Not only does earth contains life, but it supports millions of different forms
of life. Another difference is that the Earth is mostly covered with water. Around 71% of the Earth is covered
with salt water oceans. Earth is the only planet that has water in liquid form on its surface. Also, the Earth's
atmosphere is made up of mostly nitrogen and oxygen while Venus and Mars atmospheres are made up mostly
of carbon dioxide.

Geography of Earth
The earth has seven large land masses called continents. The continents include Africa, Asia, North America,
South America, Europe, Oceania, and Antarctica. It also has 5 major bodies of water called oceans including the
Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern, and Arctic oceans. The highest point above sea level on Earth is Mount
Everest and the lowest point is the Mariana Trench.

Composition of the Earth

The Earth is composed of a number of layers. On the outside is a rocky layer called the
Earth's crust. Below this is the mantle followed by the outer core and the inner core.

Planet Earth is made up of a number of elements. The central core of the Earth is made of
mostly iron and nickel. The outer crust of the earth consists of a number of elements. The
most abundant are oxygen (46%), silicon (27.7%), aluminum (8.1%), iron (5%), and
 calcium (3.6%).

The Earth's Moon

Earth has one moon or natural satellite. The Earth's moon is the fifth largest moon in the solar system.

Fun Facts about Planet Earth

 You may think that the earth is a perfect circle, but it is actually an oblate spheroid (a sphere-like
but not perfectly spherical body). This is because the middle of the Earth or the equator bulges out slightly due
to the spin of the Earth.
 The inner core of the Earth is hotter than the surface of the Sun.
 It is the fifth largest of the eight planets.
 Small earthquakes are happening somewhere on the Earth all the time.
 The Earth orbits the Sun at a speed of 67,000 miles per hour.

Planet Mars

 Moons: 2
 Mass: 11% of Earth
 Diameter: 4217 miles
 Year: 1.9 Earth years
 Day: 24.6 hours
 Temperature: -190 to +60 degrees F
 Distance from the Sun: 4th planet from the sun, 142 million
miles
 Type of Planet: Terrestrial (has a hard rocky surface)

What is Mars like?

Mars is the 4th planet from the sun. It is a terrestrial planet which means that it has a hard rocky surface that you
could walk on. Mars' surface is dry and much of it is covered with a reddish dust and rocks. When viewed from
Earth, Mars appears to be the color red.

Mars has some of the most impressive natural geographical structures in the Solar System. Olympus Mons, a
now dormant volcano, is the highest mountain in the Solar System. It is 3 times as high as Mount Everest and
towers 16 miles above the Martian surface. Another major geographical structure of Mars is the great canyon,
Valles Marineris. This canyon is the biggest in the Solar System. It is 4 miles deep in places and stretches for
thousands of miles.
 Red and rocky surface of Mars taken from the Pathfinder.

Weather on Mars
Mars often has huge dust storms with high speed winds. These dust storms are powered by the Sun and can
grow to enormous proportions sending dust miles into the atmosphere and covering much of the planet. Some
storms are so big they can be seen by amateur astronomers on Earth.

How does Mars compare to Earth?

In many ways, Mars is very similar to Earth. Mars' year and day are very similar to Earth compared to other
planets. Mars is a terrestrial planet like Earth. Mars is quite a bit smaller than Earth both in diameter and in
mass.

Unlike Earth, Mars has a very thin atmosphere made up mostly of carbon dioxide. As a result, it is much colder
on Mars (average of -70 degrees F) than on Earth. There is evidence that open water in liquid form once existed
on the surface of Mars like Earth. Perhaps there was even life on Mars billions of years ago.

Fun Facts about the Planet Mars

 It is named after the Roman god of war. The Greeks called the planet "Ares" after their version
of the god of war.
 The two moons of Mars are named Phobos and Deimos.
 Because Mars doesn't have any oceans, it has nearly the same land surface as the Earth.
 The Ancient Egyptians called Mars "Har dècher" which means "the red one."
 A 100 pound person on Earth would weigh around 38 pounds on Mars.
 Some scientists believe that Mars was once covered with water.
 Mars is the second smallest planet in the Solar System.

Planet Jupiter

 Moons: 63 (and growing)

 Mass: 318 times the mass of Earth
 Diameter: 88,846 miles
 Year: 11.9 Earth years
 Day: 9.8 hours
 Temperature: -170 degrees F
 Distance from the Sun: 5th planet from the sun, 484 million miles
 Type of Planet: Gas Giant (composed mostly of hydrogen and helium)

What is Jupiter like?

Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System and is the fifth planet from the sun. It is more than 300 times
more massive than Earth and is more than two times more massive than all the other planets combined. Jupiter
is called a gas giant planet. This is because its surface is made up of a thick layer of hydrogen gas. Deep within
the planet, under the gas, the pressure becomes so intense that the hydrogen turns into liquid and then finally
into a metal. Under the Hydrogen is a rocky core that is about the size of planet Earth.

The Great Red Spot storm on Jupiter.

Weather on Jupiter

Jupiter's surface is very violent with massive hurricane-like storms, winds, thunder and lightning. One storm on
Jupiter, called the Great Red Spot, is three times the size of earth. The Great Red Spot has been storming for
hundreds of years. The energy powering Jupiter's storms isn't from the sun, but is from radiation generated by
Jupiter itself.

The Moons of Jupiter

Jupiter is home to a number of interesting moons including Ganymede, Io, Europa, and Callisto. These four
moons were first discovered by Galileo and are called the Galilean Moons. Ganymede, the largest moon in the
Solar System, is larger than the planet Mercury. Io is covered in volcanoes and lava. Europa, on the other hand,
is covered in ice and has a huge salt water sea underneath the ice. Some think there is a good possibility that life
may exist in the seas of Europa. The many varying moons around Jupiter make it a fascinating place to explore.
 Galilean moons of Jupiter including
Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
Source: NASA.

How does Jupiter compare to Earth?

Jupiter is wildly different from Earth. First off, there is no place to stand, the surface is gas. Second, Jupiter is
300 times the size of earth and has (at least) 63 moons vs. Earth's one moon. Also, Jupiter has a 300 year-old
storm that would swallow up the Earth without even noticing it.

Fun Facts about the Planet Jupiter

 In Roman mythology, Jupiter was king of the gods and god of the sky. He was the equivalent of
the Greek god Zeus.
 It is the fastest spinning planet in the Solar System.
 Jupiter has three very faint rings.
 It has an extremely strong magnetic field that is 14 times stronger than the magnetic field of the
Earth.
 Viewed from the Earth, it is the third brightest object in the night sky.