Summary Table
| Inner Planets | Outer Planets |
| Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars | Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune |
| Heavy, slow-spinning | Light, quick-spinning |
| Characterized by thin atmospheres and hi ... | Characterized by thick atmospheres and c ... |
What divides the planets into inner planets and outer planets?
- They are closer to the Sun , smaller and rockier.
- They are called “Terrestrial planets” because they have solid, rocky surface which is quite similar to the desert and mountainous areas on the Earth.
- They have either no moons or few moons. ...
- They have no ring
- Inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
Why are the inner and outer planets so different?
This is because the outer planets are in a gaseous state while the inner planets are solid and more compact. Consequently, the density of the inner planets is greater than that of the outer planets. Despite the density differences, the mass is smaller for the inner planets than the outer planets.
Why are inner planets smaller then outer planets?
There were relatively few elements of any other kind in a solid state to form the inner planets. The inner planets are much smaller than the outer planets and because of this have relatively low gravity and were not able to attract large amounts of gas to their atmospheres. .
What do inner planet and outer planets have in common?
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
What is the difference between inner and outer planets?
– Inner planets are situated closer to the sun, while outer planets are far from the sun.
What are the inner planets?
Inner planets are those which are much closer to the sun compared to the other. Inner planets posses some characteristics which are unique to them. These four planets are mainly made up of rocks, which contain minerals based on inorganic substances and their derivatives like soil and dust. All are compact solid bodies. These planets were formed earlier in the process of the birth of solar system. The inner planets consist of smallest planet of the solar system (Mercury), the densest planet of the solar system (Earth density of 5.52), the hottest planet of our solar system (Venus average temperature of 461.9 degree Celcius). These are mainly because of their rocky nature. They have no or few moons. They have no rings circling them.
What are the planets made of?
These planets are mainly composed of gases like hydrogen, helium, methane, etc. Their density is relatively low but they are large in size. The biggest planet (Jupiter), Planet with large orbiting rings (Saturn),and planet with least density (Saturn) are in the outer planets.
Which planets are closest to the Sun?
Planets which are closest to the sun, the innermost planets, are categorized as inner planets, that are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Inner planets are also known as terrestrial planets. The other four planets, the outermost planets, which are located far from the sun, are categorized as outer planets that include Jupiter, Saturn, ...
Which planet is the hottest in the solar system?
The inner planets consist of smallest planet of the solar system (Mercury), the densest planet of the solar system (Earth density of 5.52), the hottest planet of our solar system (Venus average temperature of 461.9 degree Celcius). These are mainly because of their rocky nature.
What are the inner and outer planets?
The inner planets are the planets in our Solar System that lie close to the sun. These planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
What are the inner planets made of?
As inner planets are composed of rock and heavy metals, they are heavy and dense. These planets rotate slowly on their axis but travel quickly around the sun.
What are the gases that make up the outer planets?
Thus, outer planets are mainly composed of gases such as helium and hydrogen. Outer planets are huge, averaging 300,000 miles (480,000 kilometers) in diameter.
How are inner planets formed?
Scientists believe that inner planets were formed out of a massive cloud of gas and dust called a nebula. As the nebula collapsed, most of these materials gathered in the center to form the sun. The rest of the materials rotated and contracted until they flattened into disks called protoplanetary disks. The sun’s radiation swept the light gas away while heavy materials in the protoplanetary disks became planetesimals, which later formed into the inner planets.
How many planets orbit the Sun?
There are eight planets orbiting around the sun in our Solar System and they are categorized into inner and outer planets. Each category is defined by specific planetary features and characteristics which this article aims to list and explain.
Which planet has 63 moons?
The outer planets usually have multiple moons; Jupiter has 63, Saturn has 60, Uranus has 27, and Neptune is known to have 13 orbiting moons. These planets also have rings similar to the rings around Saturn.
Which planets are farthest from the Sun?
The outer planets of our Solar System (i.e. Jovian planets) – namely Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune – are the planets that lie farthest from the sun.
What is the difference between inner and outer planets?
The main difference between inner and outer planets is that inner planets have a high temperature compared to outer planets.
Which planets are inner planets?
In our solar system, the four innermost planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are known as inner planets. They lie inside the asteroid belt. They have volcanoes and valleys and are very hot compared to outer planets. The first two planets Mercury and Venus have no moons whereas one moon orbits the third planet earth.
What is the closest planet to the Sun?
As the term inner suggests inner planets are the closest planets to the sun. Inner planets are also known as terrestrial planets and are mostly made of rocks and metals. They are small in size compared to the outer planets. They have a solid surface and molten metal core. As scientists believe, these planets were formed from a nebula.
What are the four innermost planets?
In our solar system, the four innermost planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are known as inner planets.
Which planet has no moons?
The first two planets Mercury and Venus have no moons whereas one moon orbits the third planet earth. Mars, the outermost inner planet has two natural satellites or moons. Earth is the dominating planet out of four inner planets, and all of the inner planets are nearly similar in size and composition. Therefore, sometimes the four inner planets are ...
Which planets are in the outer solar system?
Outer Planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune the four outer planets of the solar system.
How many planets are there in the solar system?
The solar system is a system of eight planets, moons, asteroids and other celestial bodies orbiting the sun. Beyond our solar system, thousands of exoplanets orbiting their host stars have been discovered. Some host stars may have dozens of planets.
Why are inner planets warmer than outer planets?
Furthermore, the inner planets are warmer than outer planets simply due to the fact that they are closer to the Sun. Outer planets are composed of lighter elements such as gases and inner planets are composed of heavy elements such as iron.
What are the inner planets made of?
The inner planets are made up of rock and metal and are therefore solid. These planets move slowly as they are considered to be heavy. They have an average diameter of about 13000 km as they are small planets. On the other hand, the outer planets are said to be made of gases and they are not really solid.
Why do outer planets move faster?
Inner planets have an average diameter of about 13000 km, they move slowly as they are heavier-being made up of metals and rock; outer planets have an average diameter of about 48000 km and are made of hydrogen and helium gases, therefore they move faster due to lesser weight. Inner planets are warmer due to lesser distance from the Sun.
How many planets are there in the universe?
The eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. We shall now make clear which of these are inner planets and which are outer planets and what actually differentiates them.
Why do outer planets take longer to orbit the Sun?
For the inner planets it takes lesser time to complete an orbit around the Sun whereas outer planets take greater time due to their greater distance from the Sun
How many planets are there in the solar system?
Our solar system consists of many planets, one of which is Earth. The total number of planets is eight although there have been disagreements to this statement with some saying there are more than eight (the opponents of the theory that Pluto is not a planet).
Which planets are farther away from the Sun?
Outer planets are those which are further away from the Sun and include the next four planets in order of increasing distance from the Sun (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune), with Neptune being the furthest. The inner planets are made up of rock and metal and are therefore solid. These planets move slowly as they are considered to be heavy.
Inner Planets Vs. Outer Planets
The inner planets are comprised of metal and rock, which can be considered solid. They move slowly around their axis because they are heavy. The average diameter can be close to 3000km since they are small planets. On the other hand, outer planets are made of gases and therefore are not solid. The gases are Hydrogen and Helium.
What are the Inner Planets?
These planets from the solar system orbit between the asteroid belt and the sun. They are also referred to as terrestrial planets. Most scholars believe that these planets possess an iron core. They have solid surfaces, but these four planets have different environments from each other.
What are the Outer Planets?
These are the outermost planets of the solar system and are beyond the asteroid belts referred to as outer planets. They are also known as Jovian planets without Jupiter. They are all massive planets, but each of them is a different composition.
Difference between Inner Planets and Outer Planets
The inner planet is between the asteroid belt and the sun, while the outer planets are beyond the asteroid belt.
Conclusion
The solar system has been an intriguing topic even in ancient times. Planets that make up the solar system are objects that spin around the star. The earth is the only planet that supports life. Other interesting facts include the outer planets being close to the sun. This makes the solar system an interesting topic to astronomers.
Jupiter planet
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet in the solar system. It is a gas giant made mostly of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter has 63 known moons, including Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
Saturn planet
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and is the second largest gas giant in the solar system. It is made mostly of hydrogen and helium and has a diameter of almost 120,000 kilometers.
Uranus planet
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and is the third largest gas giant in the solar system. It is made mostly of hydrogen and helium and has a diameter of almost 50,000 kilometers.
Neptune planet
Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and is the fourth largest gas giant in the solar system. It is made mostly of hydrogen and helium and has a diameter of almost 48,000 kilometers.
Pluto planet
Pluto is the most well-known dwarf planet and was once considered a planet. It orbits around the Sun at an average distance of 5,913,520,000 kilometers and has a diameter of only 2300 kilometers.
What are inner planets?
Inner planets of the solar system are the planets whose orbits lie between the Sun and the asteroid belt. They are: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
Mercury
Mercury is a rocky terrestrial planet and is the smallest planet in the solar system. Itorbits the Sun once every 88 days and has no natural satellite.
What are the outer and inner planets?
The inner planets are closer to the Sun and are smaller and rockier. The outer planets are further away, larger and made up mostly of gas. The inner planets (in order of distance ...
What are the terrestrial planets?
The terrestrial planets of our Solar System at approximately relative sizes. From left, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Credit: Lunar and Planetary Institute. Venus: Venus was once considered a twin planet to Earth, until astronomers discovered its surface is at a lead-melting temperature of 900 degrees Fahrenheit (480 degrees Celsius).
How long does it take for Uranus to orbit the Sun?
Uranus: Uranus was first discovered by William Herschel in 1781. The planet’s day takes about 17 Earth hours and one orbit around the Sun takes 84 Earth years. Its mass contains water, methane, ammonia, hydrogen and helium surrounding a rocky core. It has dozens of moons and a faint ring system.
Which planet was the first to be discovered?
Uranus and Neptune were the first planets discovered since antiquity, and showed astronomers the solar system was bigger than previously thought. Below are brief descriptions of each of these planets based on this information from NASA. Jupiter: Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System and spins very rapidly (10 Earth hours) ...
How long is Venus' orbit around the Sun?
The planet is also a slow rotator, with a 243-day long Venusian day and an orbit around the sun at 225 days. Its atmosphere is thick and contains carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The planet has no rings or moons and is currently being visited by the European Space Agency’s Venus Express spacecraft.
How long does it take for Earth to rotate?
It rotates slowly (59 Earth days) relative to the time it takes to rotate around the sun (88 days). The planet has no moons, but has a tenuous atmosphere (exosphere) containing oxygen, sodium, hydrogen, helium and potassium.
What is Saturn known for?
Saturn: Saturn is best known for its prominent ring system — seven known rings with well-defined divisions and gaps between them. How the rings got there is one subject under investigation. It also has dozens of moons. Its atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium, and it also rotates quickly (10.7 Earth hours) relative to its time to circle the Sun (29 Earth years). Saturn is currently being visited by the Cassini spacecraft, which will fly closer to the planet’s rings in the coming years.
