Terrestrial Planets | Jovian Planets | Dwarf Planets |                                        Planet Density | Planet Rotation
Now that we are familiar with some physical properties, let's see how they relate to the planets.

The properties of the planets that we will study in this lab are: mass, diameter (volume), and density. Because each of the planets has different properties, we will also look at how our weight would change if we were standing on them.  We'll also look at how fast they spin.

We will now take a tour. Look at the picture of each planet, and study the information written next to each one. Pay close attention to the density of each planet.
Terrestrial Planets

The first four planets are the terrestrial planets. A terrestrial planet has a metallic core (usually iron) and a rocky surface. The atmosphere of each terrestrial planets varies. Mercury has almost no atmosphere, while the surface of Venus has an atmospheric pressure 90 times that of the Earth!

NO MOVIE

    The first planet from the Sun

    Mass = 3.303e23 kg
    Diameter = 4878 km
    Density = 5.42 g/cubic cm
    Mercurian day = 58.64 Earth days
    Distance from Sun = 0.39 AU

VIEW MOVIE

    The second planet from the Sun

    Mass = 4.869e24 kg
    Diameter = 12,104 km
    Density = 5.24 g/cubic cm
    Venusian day = 243 Earth days
    Distance from Sun = 0.72 AU

VIEW MOVIE

    The third planet from the Sun

    Mass = 5.98e24 kg
    Diameter = 12,765 km
    Density = 5.52 grams per cubic centimeter
    Earth day = 23 hours 56 minutes
    Distance from Sun = 1.00 AU

VIEW MOVIE

    The fourth planet from the Sun

    Mass = 6.42e23 kg
    Diameter = 6,787 km
    Density = 3.94 g/cubic cm
    Martian day = 1.026 Earth days
    Distance from Sun = 1.52 AU