THE TERRESTIAL PLANETS
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
a) identify the terrestrial planets
b) describe the terrestrial planets; and
c) appreciate the importance of planet Earth as the only planet where life exist.
CONTENT
The sun is the center of a group of heavenly bodies that revolve around it. These heavenly
bodies, the planets and their satellites, make up the solar system. Based on their physical
properties, the planets may be classified into two groups: terrestrial (Earth-like) and Jovian
(Jupiter-like).
What are terrestrial planets? What are their characteristics?
Terrestrial or Earth-like planets are made up of solid rocks. They are also called inner
planets because they are the closest to the sun among all the planets.
Mercury
Mercury is the planet closest to the sun. It is approximately
4,879 kmn in diameter and about 57.9 million km away from
the sun. The planet can be seen in the early morning or
early evening sky, thus it is sometimes called the morning
star. Mercury has no water and atmosphere. It rotates on its
axis in 58.65 Earth days and completes one revolution within 87.98 Earth days. Mercury has
no mnoon or satellite revolving around it.
Venus
The planet Venus is the second planet from the sun. Venus
is about 12,104 km in diameter and approximately 108
million km away from the sun. It is called Earth's sister
planet because it is almost as big as Earth. The
atmosphere in Venus is made up of carbon dioxide. The
heat from the sun cannot escape through the clouds and the layers of carbon dioxide. Thus,
the temperature in the planet reaches about 460°C, which is hot enough to melt lead,
making Venus the hottest planet. This is why Venus could never support life at all. Venus
rotates in a clockwise direction in 243.02 days and revolves around the sun every 223.7
Earth days. Venus, like Mercury, has no moon.
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the sun. It is the only planet
known to support life, thus it is called the living planet. Earth
is around 12, 756 km in diameter and about 150 million km
away from the sun. It revolves around the sun in a counter
clockwise direction in one year or 365.25 days. One
complete rotation is about 24 hours or one day. Earth has one moon named Luna that
revolves around it.
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. It is called the red
planet because its surface is covered with bright reddish
patches which are thought of to be deserts. Mars'
atmosphere is thinner than the earth. Mars has ice caps on
both its north and south poles. Mars is around 6794 km in
diameter and about 227.94 million km from the sun. It takes approximately 24 hours and 37
minutes for Mars to rotate on its axis and completes one revolution around the sun in 686.99
days, almost twice as the period of revolution of Earth. Two small moons, Deimos and
Phobos, revolve around Mars (San Pablo, 2017).
ASSESSMENT
Direction: choose the letter of the correct answer.
1) How is Earth similar to Mars?
A. Earth and Mars both have moons.
B. Earth and Mars are both gas giants.
C. Earth and Mars are both outer planets.
D. Earth and Mars can both support living things.
2) Why is Venus the hottest planet?
A. It is because of its reddish surface.
B. It is because Venus has no moons.
C. It is because Venus is the closest planet from the sun.
D. It is because the heat from the sun cannot escape through the clouds and the
layers of carbon dioxide.
3) Which of the following is TRUE about Mars?
A. Mars has three moons.
B. Mars is almost as big as the Earth.
C. Mars is the only planet to support life.
D. Mars' atmosphere is thinner than the Earth's
4) Why is Venus considered Earth's sister planet?
A. It is because they almost have the same size.
B. It is because they have the same number of moons.
C. It is because they have the same surface temperature.
D. It is because they have the same distance from the sun.
5) Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?
A. Mars is known as the red planet.
B. Earth rotates on its axis within 24 hours.
C. Venus has two moons, Deimos and Phobos.
D. Mercury is the nearest planet from the sun.
6) Which of the following information describes Mercury?
A. It is 4,879 km in diameter.
B. It is 6,794 km in diameter.
C. It is 12,756 km in diameter.
D. It is 12, 104 km in diameter.
7) Which of the following is NƠT true about terrestrial
planets?
A. Terrestrial planets have rings.
B. Terrestrial planets are also called inner planets.
C. Terrestrial planets are the four planets closest to the sun.
D. Terrestrial planets are the four planets made of solid rocks.
8) Why is the length of a day different from planet to planet?
A. It is because they rotate at the same time.
B. It is because they have different periods of rotation.
C. It is because they have different periods of revolution.
D. It is because they have the same periods of revolution.
9) Which of the following statements describes terrestrial planets?
A. Terrestrial planets are also called Jovian planets.
B. Terrestrial planets are also called Earth-like planets.
C. Terrestrial planets are the four planets farthest from the sun.
D. Terrestrial planets are the largest planets in the solar system.
10) Why does it take lesser time for Earth to revolve around the sun than Mars?
A. It is because Earth is larger than Mars.
B. It is because Earth has a thicker atmosphere than Mars.
C. It is because of the difference in their distance from the sun.
D. It is because Mars have greater number of moons than the
Earth.
REFERENCE
San Pablo, Jovita H. 2017. Real-Life Science 6. Abiva Publishing House Inc. pages 484-500
ANSWER KEY
1) A
2) D
3) D
4) A
5) C
6) A
7) A
8) B
9) B
10)C
