Chapter 20 - Section 4 - The Outer Planets Flashcards
What are gas giants?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
Why are they called gas giants?
Because Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune are so large
What are gas giants made of?
mainly hydrogen and helium
What keeps the gases from escaping the gas giants?
Because they are so big, they have very strong gravity that keeps gases in.
All the gas giants have ______________________.
moons
All gas giants are surrounded by ______________.
rings
What is a ring?
a thin disk of small particles of ice and rock
What is unusual about the rotation of Venus?
it rotates east to west – opposite of most other planets and moons
What is the largest planet?
Jupiter
Jupiter’s atmosphere is made up of
hydrogen and helium
What is the “Great Red Spot”
a spot on Jupiter’s atmosphere that is a storm larger than earth.
Name Jupiter’s four largest moons
lo, Europa, Ganymede and Cllisto
The second largest planet.
Saturn
Saturns largest moon
Titan
Why is Uranus colder than Saturn?
It’s twice as far from the sun.
Why does Uranus look blue-green?
methane in its atmosphere
Uranus’s axis of rotation is tilted an an angle of about _______________
90 degrees
Who discovered Uranus?
William Herschel
Uranus’s moon have ________________ on their surfaces.
lava flows
Uranus has at least ______________ moons.
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Neptune is ______________ (closer or farther) from the sun than Uranus.
farther
Scientists think that Neptune is slowly _________.
shrinking
The existence of Neptune was inferred from _____.
The orbit of Uranus. Uranus’s was not following the orbit predicted. Scientists believed that an unseen planet was affecting Uranus’s orbit.
Neptune has at least _____ moons.
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