Planet Facts

You must learn the order of the 9 (official) planets. Write them here.

What is 1 AU ?

Which planet / planets ...?

a) are small and rocky

b) are gas giants

c) has an orbit of 1.52 AU

d) shouldn't be a planet

e) was not known to ancient people.

f) is called the morning star.

g) has a famous red spot

What is the Cassini division? Sketch it.

Why is Venus hotter than Mercury?

What makes the Earth the most suitable planet for life?

Open a spreadsheet in Excel and create the following column headings

Enter the data for the first 3 columns then use formulae to calculate the last 3. What do you notice?

Describe how Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were discovered.