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What is a planet made of?

What is a planet made of?. One way in which scientists look at what a planet is made of is by looking at density. Planet. Density (gm/cm 3 ). Let’s look at the density of the Planets. Mercury. 5.44. Venus. 5.2. Earth. 5.52. Mars. 3.93. Jupiter. 1.3. Saturn. 0.69. Uranus. 1.28.

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What is a planet made of?

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  1. What is a planet made of?

  2. One way in which scientists look at what a planet is made of is by looking at density

  3. Planet Density (gm/cm3) Let’s look at the density of the Planets Mercury 5.44 Venus 5.2 Earth 5.52 Mars 3.93 Jupiter 1.3 Saturn 0.69 Uranus 1.28 Neptune 1.64 Pluto 2.06

  4. Planet Density (gm/cm3) Let’s look at the density of the Planets Mercury 5.44 Venus 5.2 Earth 5.52 Mars 3.93 Jupiter 1.3 Saturn 0.69 Uranus 1.28 Neptune 1.64 Pluto 2.06 The first four planets have higher densities

  5. Planet Density (gm/cm3) Let’s look at the density of the Planets Mercury 5.44 Venus 5.2 Earth 5.52 Mars 3.93 Jupiter 1.3 Saturn 0.69 Uranus 1.28 Neptune 1.64 Pluto 2.06 The next four planets have lower densities

  6. Planet Density (gm/cm3) Let’s look at the density of the Planets Mercury 5.44 Venus 5.2 Earth 5.52 Mars 3.93 Jupiter 1.3 Saturn 0.69 Uranus 1.28 Neptune 1.64 Pluto 2.06 And Pluto is somewhere in between

  7. Planet Density (gm/cm3) Let’s look at the density of the Planets Mercury 5.44 Venus 5.2 Earth 5.52 Mars 3.93 Jupiter 1.3 Saturn 0.69 Uranus 1.28 Neptune 1.64 Pluto 2.06 These planets are known as the Rocky Planets

  8. Planet Density (gm/cm3) Let’s look at the density of the Planets Mercury 5.44 Venus 5.2 Earth 5.52 Mars 3.93 Jupiter 1.3 Saturn 0.69 Uranus 1.28 Neptune 1.64 Pluto 2.06 These planets are known as the Rocky Planets Because their densities suggest that they are mostly made of rock and heavier materials

  9. Planet Density (gm/cm3) Let’s look at the density of the Planets Mercury 5.44 Venus 5.2 Earth 5.52 Mars 3.93 Jupiter 1.3 Saturn 0.69 Uranus 1.28 Neptune 1.64 Pluto 2.06 These Planets are known as the gaseous planets

  10. Planet Density (gm/cm3) Let’s look at the density of the Planets Mercury 5.44 Venus 5.2 Earth 5.52 Mars 3.93 Jupiter 1.3 Saturn 0.69 Uranus 1.28 Neptune 1.64 Pluto 2.06 Because their densities suggest that they are mostly made of gas These Planets are known as the gaseous planets

  11. Let’s look at the Earth

  12. The Inside of the Earth is made of Several Layers

  13. The Inside of the Earth is made of Several Layers The Crust: A Thin Rock Material

  14. The Inside of the Earth is made of Several Layers The Mantle: A Dense and Mostly Solid Rock Material

  15. The Inside of the Earth is made of Several Layers The Outer Core: Liquid Iron and Nickel

  16. The Inside of the Earth is made of Several Layers The Inner Core: Solid Iron and Nickel

  17. How Do We Know This? The Crust: A Thin Rock Material The Mantle: A Dense and Mostly Solid Rock Material The Outer Core: Liquid Iron and Nickel The Inner Core: Solid Iron and Nickel

  18. Density

  19. The Density of Earth is 5.53 gm/cm3

  20. The Density of Earth is 5.53 gm/cm3 We know the surface of the Earth is covered with Rocks

  21. The Density of Earth is 5.53 gm/cm3 The Land is covered mostly by a type of rock called Granite (density of Granite = 2.6 gm/cm3)

  22. The Density of Earth is 5.53 gm/cm3 The Land is covered mostly by a type of rock called Granite (density of Granite = 2.6 gm/cm3) The Ocean is mostly covered by a type of rock called Basalt (density of Granite = 3.3 gm/cm3)

  23. The Density of Earth is 5.53 gm/cm3 Granite = 2.7 gm/cm3 Basalt = 3.3 gm/cm3 Neither of these Rocks is dense enough to account for the density of the Earth

  24. The Density of Earth is 5.53 gm/cm3 Granite = 2.7 gm/cm3 Basalt = 3.3 gm/cm3 Iron has a density of 7.9 gm/cm3

  25. The Density of Earth is 5.53 gm/cm3 Granite = 2.7 gm/cm3 Basalt = 3.3 gm/cm3 Iron has a density of 7.9 gm/cm3 So we believe the inside of the Earth is made of a heavy element such as Iron or Nickel (density of Nickel = 8.9 gm/cm3)

  26. The Density of Earth is 5.53 gm/cm3 Density of Rocks  3 gm/cm3

  27. The Density of Earth is 5.53 gm/cm3 Density of Rocks  3 gm/cm3 Density of Iron/Nickel  8 gm/cm3

  28. The Density of Earth is 5.53 gm/cm3 Density of Rocks  3 gm/cm3 Density of Iron/Nickel  8 gm/cm3 So we believe about ½ the Earth is a Rock-like material and the other ½ a heavy metal such as iron and nickel The density of the Earth will be the average of the two:

  29. The Density of Mars is 3.9 gm/cm3

  30. The Density of Mars is 3.9 gm/cm3 What does this tell us about the interior of Mars? Remember the Earth has a density of 5.5 gm/cm3

  31. The Density of Mars is 3.9 gm/cm3 What does this tell us about the interior of Mars? Mars has a much smaller Iron Core than Earth does Remember the Earth has a density of 5.5 gm/cm3

  32. What does the density tell us about the interior of these bodies? (do they have a very big core?) Mercury density = 5.4 gm/cm3 Venus density = 5.2 gm/cm3 Moon density = 3.3 gm/cm3 Remember the Earth has a density of 5.5 gm/cm3

  33. The Density of Jupiter is 1.3 gm/cm3 What does this tell us about the interior of Jupiter?

  34. The Density of Jupiter is 1.3 gm/cm3 What does this tell us about the interior of Jupiter? Since the density of Jupiter is so small the planet has to be made mostly of very light material

  35. The Density of Jupiter is 1.3 gm/cm3 What does this tell us about the interior of Jupiter? Since the density of Jupiter is so small the planet has to be made mostly of very light material Jupiter is made mostly of Hydrogen and Helium gas

  36. The Density of Saturn is 0.69 gm/cm3

  37. The Density of Saturn is 0.69 gm/cm3 The Density of Saturn is 0.69 gm/cm3 Saturn is also made up mostly of Hydrogen and Helium

  38. The Density of Saturn is 0.69 gm/cm3 The Density of Saturn is 0.69 gm/cm3 Saturn is also made up mostly of Hydrogen and Helium The density of Saturn is less than 1 gm/cm3 so this planet can float in water

  39. What does the density tell us about the interior of Uranus and Neptune? Uranus density = 1.3 gm/cm3 Neptune density = 1.6 gm/cm3

  40. What does the density tell us about the interior of Uranus and Neptune? Uranus density = 1.3 gm/cm3 Neptune density = 1.6 gm/cm3 Like Jupiter and Saturn these planets have low densities which suggest they are primarily made of gas. (in this case methane)

  41. Pluto density = 2.1 gm/cm3 Since Pluto is so far away it is hard to see the planet. Since it is good at reflecting light scientists suspect there is ice at the surface, possibly frozen Nitrogen

  42. End

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