Question

1. fill in the chart: use the assignment we did with all the videos and datal!!! it is from december 2nd in our google classroom. you will need it to analyze and interpret it from our goals the last two weeks! au=astronomical units 1 au=150 million kilometers (93 million miles)! surface features (things we can physically see, touch that are natural) atmosphere: what gases does the planet have? how many au from the sun? order from the sun mercury 1st venus earth 3rd mars jupiter saturn uranus neptune 12. by how long it takes to get to each planet based on the scale of the distance from the sun, what conclusion can you come up with for planet sizes and how they appear to look in our sky?

Explanation:

To fill the chart (Question 11), we use astronomical data:

• Mercury (1st from Sun):
• AU from Sun: ~0.39 AU
• Atmosphere: Very thin, trace gases (Na, K, He)
• Surface Features: Craters, smooth plains, scarps
• Physically touch (NATURAL): No (too hot, no solid surface access yet)

• Venus (2nd):
• AU: ~0.72 AU
• Atmosphere: Thick CO₂, sulfuric acid clouds
• Surface Features: Volcanic plains, highlands, craters
• Physically touch: No (extreme pressure/temperature)

• Earth (3rd):
• AU: 1 AU
• Atmosphere: N₂, O₂, H₂O vapor
• Surface Features: Oceans, continents, mountains
• Physically touch: Yes (we live here)

• Mars (4th):
• AU: ~1.52 AU
• Atmosphere: Thin CO₂, N₂, Ar
• Surface Features: Valles Marineris, Olympus Mons, polar caps
• Physically touch: Rovers/landers have (e.g., Perseverance)

• Jupiter (5th):
• AU: ~5.20 AU
• Atmosphere: H₂, He, NH₃ clouds
• Surface Features: Gas giant (no solid surface), Great Red Spot
• Physically touch: No (gas/liquid metallic H)

• Saturn (6th):
• AU: ~9.54 AU
• Atmosphere: H₂, He, NH₃ clouds
• Surface Features: Gas giant, prominent rings
• Physically touch: No (similar to Jupiter)

• Uranus (7th):
• AU: ~19.18 AU
• Atmosphere: H₂, He, CH₄ (blue color)
• Surface Features: Ice giant (H₂O, NH₃, CH₄ ices), rings
• Physically touch: No (extreme cold, gaseous/icy)

• Neptune (8th):
• AU: ~30.07 AU
• Atmosphere: H₂, He, CH₄, storm systems (Great Dark Spot)
• Surface Features: Ice giant, dynamic atmosphere
• Physically touch: No (similar to Uranus)

For Question 12 (planet appearance), closer planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars) appear larger (smaller distance → larger angular size), while larger planets (Jupiter, Saturn) appear larger (bigger physical size) even from farther. Smaller, distant planets (Uranus, Neptune) appear smallest.

Answer:

(Chart Fill - Key Data for Each Planet):

Planet	Order from Sun	AU from Sun	Atmosphere Gases	Surface Features	Physically Touch (NATURAL)
Venus	2nd	~0.72	CO₂, H₂SO₄ clouds	Volcanic plains, highlands	No
Earth	3rd	1	N₂, O₂, H₂O	Oceans, continents, mountains	Yes
Mars	4th	~1.52	CO₂, N₂, Ar	Valles Marineris, Olympus Mons	Yes (rovers/landers)
Jupiter	5th	~5.20	H₂, He, NH₃	Gas giant, Great Red Spot	No
Saturn	6th	~9.54	H₂, He, NH₃	Gas giant, prominent rings	No
Uranus	7th	~19.18	H₂, He, CH₄	Ice giant, rings	No
Neptune	8th	~30.07	H₂, He, CH₄	Ice giant, Great Dark Spot	No

(For Question 12 conclusion: Closer and/or larger planets appear larger in the sky. Smaller, more distant planets appear smallest. E.g., Jupiter (large size) and Venus (close distance) appear relatively large, while Uranus/Neptune (smaller, far) appear tiny.)