Republic of the Philippines

ISABELA STATE UNIVERSITY

Ilagan Campus
City of Ilagan, Isabela

College of Education

In Partial Fulfilment of the requirements in Astronomy

Submitted By:
Guittu, Jamaica C.
Vizcara, Christine
Dela Cruz, Ariel G.
Bayad, Christian Jade I.
Dalayap, Kevin Dan

Submitted To:
Mrs. Judy Ricardo
CEd Chairman
 Solar System: PLANETS

Introduction:

In astronomy, the most amazing discovery of all time is the discovery of Uranus in
1781. Nobody had imagine that there might be additional planets beyond the five known
since antiquity- Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The Neptune and Pluto were
subsequently discovered.
The solar system is a family of gigantic sun, eight planets, dwarf planets, swarm of
meteoroids, asteroids, satellites, comets and interplanetary dust. It is a shaped like a thin
disk with all the planets revolving the sun in the same direction. Gravitational force holds all
these bodies away from each other.

Learning Content

This module shall discuss the concepts of Climate Change in the past, present and
future. It will cover the following lessons:

Lesson 1. Theories in the Origin of Planets

Lesson 2. What is Planet?

Lesson 3. Terrestrial Planet

Lesson 4. Jovian Planet

Lesson 5. Dwarf Planet

Learning Objective

After going through the module, you are expected to:

 Define what is planet
 understand each planet is different in their size, composition and appearance; and
 differentiate between terrestrial, jovian and dwarf planet.

LESSON 1 Theories in the Origin of Planet

LESSON 2 What is Planets?
The definition of "planet" from the International Astronomical Union is
controversial. The IAU defines a planet as a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has
a nearly round shape, and has mostly cleared its orbital neighborhood of debris. Scientists
are divided in particulars on the third point, with some saying that it's hard to define how
much clearing a planet does, while others saying a world like Pluto would clear less than a
world like Earth. This means that some astronomers argue that the dwarf
planet Pluto should be classified as a planet, along with various other dwarf planets
scattered throughout the solar system.
The planets in our solar system can be classified into types: the inner, solid or rocky
terrestrial bodies lying near the sun, are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars and the outer
planets also called jovian planets are gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and ice
giants Uranus and Neptune.
All the planets revolve around the sun in the same direction, counter clockwise if
viewed from above the earth’s North Pole. They are also spinning on their individual axis
which is almost in the direction as the planets orbital motion, with Venus as the exception.
Venus spins backward, a motion called retrograde motion.
There are likely thousands of dwarf planets waiting to be discovered beyond
Neptune. The five best-known dwarf planets are Ceres, Pluto, Makemake, Haumea, and Eris.
Except for Ceres, which lies in the main asteroid belt, these small worlds are located in
the Kuiper Belt. They’re considered dwarfs because they are massive, round, and orbit the
Sun, but haven't cleared their orbital path.
SUN- is a star at the center of the solar system
MOON- is the only natural satellite on Earth. The brightest and largest object in our night
sky.
URANUS- become the first Planet discovery by telescope.

LESSON 3 Terrestrial Planets

Lesson 3. Terrestrial Planet

Terrestrial planets are Earth-like planets made up of rocks or metals with a hard
surface. Terrestrial planets also have a molten heavy-metal core, few moons and topological
features such as valleys, volcanoes and craters. 
In our solar system, there are four terrestrial planets, which also happen to be the four
closest to the sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. 
MERCURY: The Closest to the Sun

Mercury is the smallest terrestrial planet in the solar system, about a third the size of
Earth. It has a thin atmosphere, which causes it to swing between burning and freezing
temperatures. Mercury is also a dense planet, composed mostly of iron and nickel with an
iron core. Mercury's surface temperatures are both extremely hot and cold. Because the
planet is so close to the Sun, day temperatures can reach highs of 800°F (430°C). Without an
atmosphere to retain that heat at night, temperatures can dip as low as -290°F (-180°C).
Despite its proximity to the Sun, Mercury is not the hottest planet in our solar system – that
title belongs to nearby Venus, thanks to its dense atmosphere. But Mercury is the fastest
planet, zipping around the Sun every 88 Earth days.
Size and Distance
- With a radius of 1,516 miles (2,440 kilometers), Mercury is a little more than 1/3 the
width of Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Mercury would be about as big as a
blueberry.
- From an average distance of 36 million miles (58 million kilometers), Mercury is 0.4
astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU), is
the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it takes sunlight 3.2 minutes
to travel from the Sun to Mercury.

Structure and Composition

- Mercury appears to have a solid silicate crust and mantle overlying a solid, iron
sulfide outer core layer, a deeper liquid core layer, and a solid inner core. Mercury
is the second densest planet that has 5.427 g/cm 3, after Earth that has 5.515 g/cm 3. It
has a large metallic core with a radius of about 1,289 miles (2,074 kilometers), about
85 percent of the planet's radius while Earths inner and outer core account for just
55%. There is evidence that it is partly molten or liquid. Mercury's outer shell,
comparable to Earth's outer shell (called the mantle and crust), is only about 400
kilometers (250 miles) thick.

7 Need to know things about Mercury

1. Shrinking Planet
2. Mercury is not the hottest planet
3. Mercury is the fastest planet in our solar system – traveling through space at nearly
29 miles (47 kilometers) per second.the closer a planet to the sun, the faster it
travels. Since mercury is the fastest planet and has the shortest distance to travel
around the sun, it has the shortest year of all the planets in our solar system – 88
days.
4. Mercury is a rocky planet, also known as a terrestrial planet. Mercury has a solid,
cratered surface, much like the earth's moon.
 5. Mercury's thin atmosphere, or exosphere, is composed mostly of oxygen (0 2),
sodium (Na), hydrogen (H2), helium (He), and potassium (k).
6. Mercury has no moons and rings
7. Two NASA missions have explored mercury: mariner 10 was the first to fly by
mercury, and messenger was the first to orbit. Esa's bepicolombo is on its way to
mercury.

VENUS: A Deadly Inferno

Venus, which is about the same size as Earth, has a thick, toxic carbon-monoxide-
dominated atmosphere that traps heat, making it the hottest planet in the solar system.
Venus has no known moons. Much of the planet's surface is marked with volcanoes and
deep canyons.
Size and Distance
- Our nearness to Venus is a matter of perspective. The planet is nearly as big around
as Earth – 7,521 miles (12,104 kilometers) across, versus 7,926 miles (12,756
kilometers) for Earth. From Earth, Venus is the brightest object in the night sky after
our own Moon.

Structure and Composition

- Venus is a landscape of valleys and high mountains dotted with thousands of
volcanoes. Notably, except for Earth, Venus has by far the fewest impact craters of
any rocky planet, revealing a young surface. Surface temperatures on Venus are
about 900 degrees Fahrenheit (475 degrees Celsius) – hot enough to melt lead. The
surface is a rusty color and it's peppered with intensely crunched mountains and
thousands of large volcanoes. Spacecraft have survived only a few hours after
landing on the planet before being destroyed.

- Venus is about the same size as Earth just slightly smaller, it’s structure is nearly
identical with an iron core that's roughly 2,400 miles (6,000 km) wide, hot mantle is
roughly 1,200 miles (3,000 km) thick and a rocky crust mostly basalt and is estimated
to be 6 to 12 miles (10 to 20 km) thick, on average. The crust of Venus however is
filled with thousands of volcanos including Maxwell Montes, a volcano almost as tall
as Mount Everest

5 Need to know things about Venus

1. Long days, short years- one day on Venus last 243 earth days but Venus orbits the
sun faster than earth, so one year on Venus (Venus year) takes only about 225 earth
days
 2. Venus’ thick atmosphere traps heat creating a runaway greenhouse effect – making
it the hottest planet in our solar system with surface temperatures hot enough to
melt lead.
3. The planet is nearly as big around as earth – 7,521 miles (12,104 kilometers) across,
versus 7,926 miles (12,756 kilometers) for earth. From earth, Venus is the brightest
object in the night sky after our own moon.
4. Venus became the first planet to be explored by a spacecraft when nasa's mariner 2
successfully flew by the planet at a range of 21,660 miles (34,854 kilometers) on dec.
14, 1962. Soviet spacecraft made the most successful landings on the surface of
Venus to date. An American probe, one of nasa’s pioneer Venus multiprobes,
survived for about an hour after impacting the surface in 1978.
5. Venus rotates backward on its axis compared to most planets in our solar system.
This means the sun rises in the west and sets in the east, opposite of what we see on
earth. Sunrise to sunset would take 117 earth. Days

EARTH: Life Planet

Earth, our home planet, is the third planet from the sun. It is a water world with two-
thirds of the planet covered by water. Earth's atmosphere is rich in nitrogen and oxygen and
it is the only world known to harbor life. However, the name Earth is a Germanic word,
which simply means “the ground.”
Size and Distance
- With a radius of 3,959 miles (6,371 kilometers), Earth is the biggest of the terrestrial
planets and the fifth largest planet overall.
- From an average distance of 93 million miles (150 million kilometers), Earth is exactly
one astronomical unit away from the Sun because one astronomical unit
(abbreviated as AU), is the distance from the Sun to Earth.

Structure and Composition

- The structure of the earth is divided into four major components: the crust, the
mantle, the outer core, and the inner core. Each layer has a unique chemical
composition, physical state, and can impact life on Earth's surface..
- The inner core is a solid sphere made of iron and nickel metals about 759 miles
(1,221 kilometers) in radius. There the temperature is as high as 9,800 degrees
Fahrenheit (5,400 degrees Celsius). Surrounding the inner core is the outer core. This
layer is about 1,400 miles (2,300 kilometers) thick, made of iron and nickel fluids.
- Earth's global ocean, which covers nearly 70% of the planet's surface, has an average
depth of about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) and contains 97% of Earth's water.  

6 Need to things know about Earth

 1. It takes about 365 days (1 year) for the earth to make a complete rotation around
the sun.
2. Earth's atmosphere is 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen and 1 percent other
ingredients—the perfect balance to breathe and live.
3. Earth has one moon and no rings
4. It takes about eight minutes for light from the sun to reach our planet.
5. Earth is not flat and also not so perfect sphere .
6. Our atmosphere protects us from incoming meteoroids, most of which break up in
our atmosphere before they can strike the surface.

MARS: The Red Planet

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. It is a cold, desert-like planet covered in iron
oxide dust that gives the planet its signature red hue. Mars shares similarities with Earth: It
is rocky, has mountains, valleys and canyons, and storm systems ranging from localized
tornado-like dust devils to planet-engulfing dust storms.
Size and Distance
- With a radius of 2,106 miles (3,390 kilometers), Mars is about half the size of Earth. If
Earth were the size of a nickel, Mars would be about as big as a raspberry.
- From an average distance of 142 million miles (228 million kilometers), Mars is 1.5
astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU), is
the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it takes sunlight 13 minutes
to travel from the Sun to Mars.

Structure and Composition

- Mars has a dense core at its center between 930 and 1,300 miles (1,500 to 2,100
kilometers) in radius. It's made of iron, nickel, and sulfur. Surrounding the core is a
rocky mantle between 770 and 1,170 miles (1,240 to 1,880 kilometers) thick, and
above that, a crust made of iron, magnesium, aluminum, calcium, and potassium.
This crust is between 6 and 30 miles (10 to 50 kilometers) deep.
- The Red Planet is actually many colors. At the surface, we see colors such as brown,
gold, and tan. The reason Mars looks reddish is due to oxidization – or rusting – of
iron in the rocks, regolith (Martian “soil”), and dust of Mars. This dust gets kicked up
into the atmosphere and from a distance makes the planet appear mostly red..  

8 Need to know things about Mars

1. Tallest mountain in the solar system is on mars, the olympus mons about 21km
(68,897 ft.) High, that’s 2.37 times the height of mount everest and largest valley in
solar system, the valles marineris
2. It takes mars 687 earth days to complete an orbit around the sun.
3. Mars has two moons named phobos and deimos and no rings
 4. One day/ rotation on mars= 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35.44 seconds on earth.
5. Has a thin atmosphere made up mostly of carbon dioxide (co2), argon (ar), nitrogen
(n2), and a small amount of oxygen and water vapor.
6. Mars is known as the red planet because iron minerals in the martian soil oxidize, or
rust, causing the soil and atmosphere to look red.
7. Almost the same similar tilts as earth. (earth= 23º, mars= 25)
8. Has a polar caps

LESSON 4 Jovian Planets

According to ancient roman mythology, Jupiter was king of all deities. Also called jove,
anything related to Jupiter was termed "Jovian." with Jupiter reigning as the largest planet
in the solar system, it is a fitting name for this massive planet. The three other planets
beyond Jupiter are similar in size and composition compared to the tiny rocky planets closer
to the sun, hence the origination of the term Jovian planets.
They are sometimes called gas giants because they are large and made mostly of gases.
Small amounts of rocky materials are only found deep in the cores of Jovian planets.
The characteristics of Jovian planets include:
- They are massive
- They are gaseous
- Each planet has moons
- They all orbit far from the sun
- They are much larger than the terrestrial planets
- They have different structure and composition than terrestrial planets.

JUPITER: The Lord of the Planets

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun and the largest planet in the solar system. The
gas giant is more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined, according to
NASA(opens in new tab). A famous feature in its swirling clouds is Jupiter's Great Red Spot, a
giant storm more than 10,000 miles wide, first observed in 1831 by amateur astronomer
Samuel Heinrich Schwabe
Size and Distance
- With a radius of 43,440.7 miles (69,911 kilometers), Jupiter is 11 times wider than
Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Jupiter would be about as big as a basketball.
From an average distance of 484 million miles (778 million kilometers), Jupiter is 5.2
astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU), is
 the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it takes Sunlight 43 minutes
to travel from the Sun to Jupiter.

Surface
- As a gas giant, Jupiter doesn’t have a true surface. The planet is mostly swirling
gases and liquids. While a spacecraft would have nowhere to land on Jupiter, it wouldn’t be
able to fly through unscathed either. The extreme pressures and temperatures deep inside
the planet crush, melt, and vaporize spacecraft trying to fly into the planet.
7 Need to know things about Jupiter
1. Short day, Long year- Jupiter rotates once about every 10 hours (a jovian day), but
takes about 12 Earth years to complete one orbit of the sun (a jovian year)
2. Jupiter is a gas giant and so lacks an Earth-like surface.
3. Its atmosphere is made up mostly Hydrogen and Helium
4. It has more than 75 moons, including the largest moon in the solar
system, Ganymede.
5. In 1979 the Voyager mission discovered Jupitr’s faint ring system. All four giant
planets in our solar system have ring system
6. Nine spacecraft have visited Jupiter. Seven flew by and two have orbited the gas
giant. Juno, the most recent, arrived at Jupiter in 2016
7. Jupiter’s moon have oceans beneath their crusts that might support life
8. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is a gigantic storm that’s about twice the size of Earth and
has raged for over a century.

SATURN: The Lord of the Rings

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest planet in our solar
system. Adorned with thousands of beautiful ringlets, Saturn is unique among the planets.
It is not the only planet to have rings – made of chunks of ice and rock – but none are as
spectacular or as complicated as Saturn's.
The Ring
- The main rings are A, B, and C. Rings D, E, F, and G are fainter and more recently
discovered.Starting at Saturn and moving outward, there is the D ring, C ring, B ring,
Cassini Division, A ring, F ring, G ring, and finally, the E ring. Much farther out, there
is the very faint Phoebe ring in the orbit of Saturn's moon Phoebe.
Size and Distance
- With a radius of 36,183.7 miles (58,232 kilometers), Saturn is 9 times wider than
Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Saturn would be about as big as a volleyball.
From an average distance of 886 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers), Saturn is 9.5
astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU), is
the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it takes sunlight 80 minutes
to travel from the Sun to Saturn.

Structure
- Like Jupiter, Saturn is made mostly of hydrogen and helium. At Saturn’s center is a
dense core of metals like iron and nickel surrounded by rocky material and other
compounds solidified by intense pressure and heat. It is enveloped by liquid metallic
hydrogen inside a layer of liquid hydrogen –similar to Jupiter’s core but considerably
smaller. It’s hard to imagine, but Saturn is the only planet in our solar system with an
average density that is less than water. The giant gas planet could float in a bathtub
if such a colossal thing existed.

5 Need to know things about Saturn

1. Short day, long year- Saturns takes about 10.7 hours to rotate on its axis and it takes
29 earth years to orbit the sun
2. Its atmosphere is made up of mostly of Hydrogen and Helium
3. It has 53 known moons with an additional 29 moons awaiting confirmation of their
discovery.
4. It has the most spectacular ring system, with seven rings.
 5. Few missions have visited Saturn: Pioneer 11 and Voyagers 1 and 2 flew by; but
Cassini orbited Saturn 294 times from 2004 to 2017.

URANUS: George’s Star

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun, and has the third-largest diameter in our
solar system. It was the first planet found with the aid of a telescope, Uranus was
discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel, although he originally thought it was
either a comet or a star. And it’s the coldest planet.
Size and Distance
- With a radius of 15,759.2 miles (25,362 kilometers), Uranus is 4 times wider than
Earth. If Earth was the size of a nickel, Uranus would be about as big as a softball.
From an average distance of 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers), Uranus is 19.8
astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU), is
the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it takes sunlight 2 hours and
40 minutes to travel from the Sun to Uranus.

Structure
- Uranus gets its blue-green color from methane gas in the atmosphere. Sunlight
passes through the atmosphere and is reflected back out by Uranus’ cloud tops.
Methane gas absorbs the red portion of the light, resulting in a blue-green color.

7 Need to know things about Uranus

1. Short-ish day, longish year- Uranus takes about 17 hours to rotate once, and about
84 Earth years to complete an orbit of the sun.
2. Most of its mass is a hot, dense fluid of icy materials- water, methane and ammonia-
above small rocky core.
3. Its atmosphere made mostly of molecular hydrogen and atomic helium with a small
amount of methane.
4. It has 27 moons, and they are named after characters from the works of William
Shakespear and Alexander Pope.
5. Uranus has 13 known rings. The inner rings. The inner rings are narrow and dark and
the outer rings are brightly colored. The rings are called Zeta, 6, 5, 4, Alpha, Beta,
Eta, Gamma, Delta, Lambda, Epsilon, Nu, and Mu.
6. Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to fly by Uranus.
7. Like Venus, Uranus rotates east to west. But Uranus is unique in that it rotates on its
side.

NEPTUNE: The Blue World

 Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun and is on average the coldest planet in the
solar system. The average temperature of Neptune at the top of the clouds is minus 346
degrees Fahrenheit (minus 210 degrees Celsius).
Size and Distance
- With a radius of 15,299.4 miles (24,622 kilometers), Neptune is about four times
wider than Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Neptune would be about as big as
a baseball. From an average distance of 2.8 billion miles (4.5 billion kilometers),
Neptune is 30 astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit
(abbreviated as AU), is the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it
takes sunlight 4 hours to travel from the Sun to Neptune.

Structure and Surface

- Neptune is one of two ice giants in the outer solar system (the other is Uranus).
Most (80% or more) of the planet's mass is made up of a hot dense fluid of "icy"
materials – water, methane, and ammonia – above a small, rocky core. Of the giant
planets, Neptune is the densest.
- Neptune does not have a solid surface. Its atmosphere (made up mostly of
hydrogen, helium, and methane) extends to great depths, gradually merging into
water and other melted ices over a heavier, solid core with about the same mass as
Earth.

8 Need to know things about Neptune

1. Short day, long year- Neptune takes about 16 hours to rotate once ( a Neptunian
day) and about 165 Earth years to complete the orbit to the sun.
2. Neptune is an ice giant. Most of its mass is a hot, dense fluid of "icy" materials –
water, methane and ammonia – above a small rocky core
3. Neptune's atmosphere is made up mostly of molecular hydrogen, atomic helium and
methane.
4. Neptune has 14 known moons which are named after sea gods and nymphs in Greek
mythology
5. Neptune has at least five main rings (the main rings are named Galle, Leverrier,
Lassell, Arago, and Adam) and four more ring arcs, which are clumps of dust and
debris likely formed by the gravity of a nearby moon (Four prominent arcs named
Liberté (Liberty), Egalité (Equality), Fraternité (Fraternity), and Courage).
6. Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have visited Neptune.
7. Because of dwarf planet Pluto’s elliptical orbit, pluto is sometimes closer to the Sun
and us then Neptune.
 LESSON 5 Dwarf Planets

The International Astronomical Union defines a planet as being in orbit around the

sun, has enough gravity to pull its mass into a rounded shape (hydrostatic equilibrium), and
has cleared its orbit of other, smaller objects. This last criterion is the point at which planets
and dwarf planets differ. A planet's gravity either attracts or pushes away the smaller bodies
that would otherwise intersect its orbit; the gravity of a dwarf planet is not sufficient to
make this happen
Dwarf planets are worlds that are too small to be considered full-fledged planets, but too
large to fall into smaller categories.
In recent years, there's been a lot of hubbub about Pluto losing its status as one of the
planets of the solar system. Pluto is no longer considered the ninth planet in the series of
major planetary objects, but instead is now just one of the many so-called "dwarf planets."
As of 2014, the IAU recognizes five named dwarf planets: Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and
Makemake.

PLUTO

Pluto is the most well known of the dwarf planets. Since its discovery in 1930 and
until 2006, it had been classified as the ninth planet from the sun. Pluto's orbit was so
erratic, however, that at times it was closer to the sun than the eighth planet, Neptune. In
2006, with the discovery of several other rocky bodies similar in size or larger than Pluto, the
IAU decided to re-classify Pluto as a dwarf planet
Size and Distance
- With a radius of 715 miles (1,151 kilometers), Pluto is about 1/6 the width of Earth. If
Earth was the size of a nickel, Pluto would be about as big as a popcorn kernel.
- From an average distance of 3.7 billion miles (5.9 billion kilometers), Pluto is 39
astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU), is
the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it takes sunlight 5.5 hours to
travel from the Sun to Pluto.

Structure
- Pluto is about two-thirds the diameter of Earth's Moon and probably has a rocky
core surrounded by a mantle of water ice. Interesting ices like methane and nitrogen
frost coat the surface. Due to its lower density, Pluto's mass is about one-sixth that
of Earth's Moon.

Surface
- Pluto's surface is characterized by mountains, valleys, plains, and craters. The
temperature on Pluto can be as cold as -375 to -400 degrees Fahrenheit (-226 to -
 240 degrees Celsius).Pluto's tallest mountains are 6,500 to 9,800 feet (2 to 3
kilometers) in height. The mountains are big blocks of water ice, sometimes with a
coating of frozen gases like methane.

6 Need to know things about Pluto

1. A year on pluto is 248 earth years. A day on pluto lasts 153 hours, or about 6 earth
days.
2. Pluto has a thin atmosphere of nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide. The
atmosphere has a blue tint and distinct layers of haze.
3. Pluto has five known moons: charon, nix, hydra, kerberos, and styx. B the largest,
charon, is so big that pluto and charon orbit each other like a double planet.
4. Pluto has no ring system
5. The only spacecraft to visit pluto is nasa’s new horizons, which passed close by in july
2015.
6. Pluto’s surface is far too cold, -378 to -396 degrees f (-228 to -238 c), to sustain life
as we know it.

CERES

Dwarf planet Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and
Jupiter, and it's the only dwarf planet located in the inner solar system. It was the first
member of the asteroid belt to be discovered when Giuseppe Piazzi spotted it in 1801.
Scientists describe Ceres as an “embryonic planet”.
Size and Distance
- With a radius of 296 miles (476 kilometers), Ceres is 1/13 the radius of Earth. If Earth
were the size of a nickel, Ceres would be about as big as a poppy seed.
- From an average distance of 257 million miles (413 million kilometers), Ceres is 2.8
astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU), is
the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it takes sunlight 22 minutes
to travel from the Sun to Ceres

Structure
- Ceres is more similar to the terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars)
than its asteroid neighbors, but it is much less dense. One of the similarities is a
layered interior, but Ceres' layers aren’t as clearly defined. Ceres probably has a solid
core and a mantle made of water ice. In fact, Ceres could be composed of as much as
25 percent water. If that is correct, Ceres has more water than Earth does. Ceres'
crust is rocky and dusty with large salt deposits. The salts on Ceres aren’t like table
salt (sodium chloride), but instead are made of different minerals like magnesium
sulfate.

Surface
 - Ceres is covered in countless small, young craters, but none are larger than 175 miles
(280 kilometers) in diameter. This is surprising, given that the dwarf planet must
have been hit by numerous large asteroids during its 4.5 billion-year lifetime.
- The lack of craters might be due to layers of ice just below the surface. The surface
features could smooth out over time if ice or another lower-density material, such as
salt, is just below the surface. It's also possible that past hydrothermal activity, such
as ice volcanoes, erased some large craters.
- Within some of Ceres' craters, there are regions that are always in shadow. It's
possible that without direct sunlight, these "cold traps" could have water ice in them
for long periods of time.

5 Need to know things about Ceres

1. Ceres is named for the roman goddess of grain crops and harvests. The word cereal
comes from the same name.
2. Ceres takes 1,682 earth days, or 4.6 earth years, to make one trip around the sun.
3. Ceres completes one rotation around its axis every 9 hours
4. There’s no evidence of an atmosphere on ceres, only sporadic water vapor—possibly
from ice ejected by small impacts
5. Ceres does not have any moons and ring

MAKEMAKE

Makemake is the second-brightest object in the Kuiper Belt as seen from Earth
(while Pluto is the brightest). Makemake - holds an important place in the solar system
because it - along with Eris – was one of the objects whose discovery prompted the
international Astronomical Union to reconsider the definition of planet and to create the
new group of dwarf planets.
Size and Distance
- With a radius of approximately 444 miles (715 kilometers), Makemake is 1/9 the
radius of Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Makemake would be about as big
as a mustard seed.
- From an average distance of 4,253,000,000 miles (6,847,000,000 kilometers),
Makemake is 45.8 astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit
(abbreviated as AU), is the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it
takes sunlight 6 hours and 20 minutes to travel from the Sun to Makemake.

Structure
- Scientists know very little about Makemake’s structure.

Surface
 - We can't see too many details of Makemake's surface from so far away, but it does
appear to be a reddish-brownish color, similar to Pluto. Scientists have also detected
frozen methane and ethane on its surface. In fact, pellets of frozen methane as big as
half an inch (1 centimeter) in diameter may rest on Makemake's cold surface.

6 Need to know things about MakeMake

1. Makemake was named after the rapanui god of fertility.
2. Takes 305 earth years to make one trip around the sun. As makemake orbits the sun,
it completes one rotation every 22 and a half hours, making its day length similar to
earth and mars.
3. Has one provisional moon, s/2015 (136472) 1, and it's nicknamed mk 2. It is more
than 1,300 times fainter than makemake. Mk 2 was seen approximately 13,000 miles
from the dwarf planet, and its radius is estimated to be about 50 miles (80
kilometers).
4. There are no known rings around makemake.
5. Makemake may develop a very thin atmosphere, most likely made of nitrogen near
perihelion – when it is closest to the sun
6. Scientists do not know if makemake has a magnetosphere.

HAUMEA

Haumea is roughly the same size as Pluto. It is one of the fastest rotating large
objects in our solar system. The fast spin distorts Haumea's shape, making this dwarf planet
look like a football.
Size and Distance
- With a radius of about 385 miles (620 kilometers), Haumea is about 1/14 the radius
of Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Haumea would be about as big as a
sesame seed.
- From an average distance of 4,010,000,000 miles (6,452,000,000 kilometers),
Haumea is 43 astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit
(abbreviated as AU), is the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it
takes sunlight 6 hours to travel from the Sun to Haumea

Structure and Surface

- Astronomers believe Haumea is made of rock with a coating of ice.
- We know very little about Haumea's surface.

6 Need to know things about Haumea

1. Haumea is named after the hawaiian goddess of fertility.
 2. With a radius of about 385 miles (620 kilometers), haumea is about 1/14 the radius
of earth. If earth were the size of a nickel, haumea would be about as big as a
sesame seed.
3. Haumea takes 285 earth years to make one trip around the sun. As haumea orbits
the sun, it completes one rotation every 4 hours, making it one of the fastest
rotating large objects in our solar system.
4. Haumea has two known moons: namaka is the inner moon, and hi'iaka is the outer
moon. Both are named for the mythological daughters of haumea. Hi'iaka is the
patron goddess of the island of hawaii and of hula dancers. Namaka is a water spirit
in hawaiian mythology.
5. Haumea is the first known kuiper belt object to have rings. Scientists announced the
discovery in 2017 after watching the dwarf planet pass in front of a star.
6. Astronomers believe haumea is made of rock with a coating of ice.

ERIS

Eris is one of the largest known dwarf planets in our solar system. It's about the
same size as Pluto but is three times farther from the Sun.
Size and Distance
- With a radius of about 722 miles (1,163 kilometers), Eris is about 1/5 the radius of
Earth. Eris, like Pluto, is a little smaller than Earth's Moon. If the Earth were the size
of a nickel, Eris would be about as big as a popcorn kernel.
- From an average distance of 6,289,000,000 miles (10,125,000,000 kilometers), Eris is
about 68 astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit (abbreviated
as AU), is the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it takes sunlight
more than nine hours to travel from the Sun to the surface of Eris.

Structure
- We know very little about Eris’ internal structure.

Surface
- Eris most likely has a rocky surface similar to Pluto. Scientists think surface
temperatures vary from about -359 degrees Fahrenheit (-217 degrees Celsius) to -
405 degrees Fahrenheit (-243 degrees Celsius)

4 Need to know things about Ceres

1. Originally designated 2003 ub313 – and nicknamed for the television warrior xena
eris is named for the ancient greek goddess of discord and strife. The name fits since
eris remains at the center of a scientific debate about the definition of a planet.
2. Eris takes 557 earth years to make one trip around the sun. As eris orbits the sun, it
completes one rotation every 25.9 hours, making its day length similar to ours.
 3. Eris has a one very small moon called dysnomia. Dysnomia has a nearly circular orbit
lasting about 16 days. This moon is named after eris' daughter, the demon goddess
of lawlessness.
4. The dwarf planet is often so far from the sun that its atmosphere collapses and
freezes, falling to the surface as snow. As it gets closest to the sun in its faraway
orbit, the atmosphere thaws.

References
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/overview/
https://www.space.com/16080-solar-system-planets.html