The planets of the Solar System can be divided into two majorclasses, terrestrial and Jovian planets, but each planet has their owninteresting characteristics. With the Stellarium planetarium software,you can get a close up view of the planets and see their features foryourself.

In this part of the project, use a computer simulation to examinethe physical characteristics of planets of the Solar System. Please readthrough the assignment background information and follow the stepslisted in the lab assignment instructions. You will be asked to form ahypothesis, state the lab objective, record your measurements andcalculations, and answer each of the lab questions.

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Module 03 – Physical Characteristics of Planets

Theplanets of the Solar System can be divided into two major classes,terrestrial and Jovian planets, but each planet has their owninteresting characteristics. With the Stellarium planetarium software,you can get a close up view of the planets and see their features foryourself.

Background Question – Describe three characteristics of a planet that you think you could measure from visual observations.

Object:Explain the purpose of this laboratory assignment in your own words.What do you think you will accomplish or learn from this exercise?

Hypothesis:Write a simple hypothesis connected to planetary features that you willbe able to test using the Stellarium software (for example, Jovianplanets have faster rotation period than terrestrial planets)

Procedure:

• Openthe Stellarium software. Open the location window (F6) and change theplanet to the Sun. This will change our observing location to the centerof our Solar System.
• Open the Sky and Viewing options window(F4). Under the “Sky” tab, uncheck the Atmosphere, Stars, and Dynamiceye adaption. Check “Show planet markers” and “Show planet orbits”.
• Select the Landscape tab and uncheck “Show ground”.
• Openthe Search window (F3) and enter in Mercury. The view should shift suchthat the Mercury is in the center of the screen. As long as Mercury isactively select, it will remain in your field of view as you advancetime.
• In the table below, make note of the visible features ofMercury. This can include over color, surface features such as cratersor ice caps, presence of an atmosphere and cloud structure, and anyvisible moons orbiting the planet. You can also advance time and try toobserve in the planet has a faster or slow rotation.
• Repeat your observer with each of the eight planets. You can use the Search window (F3) to shift your view to each planet.
• We can use the small angle formula to find the physical diameter of aplanet. Select one planet and record its angular size in arcseconds anddistance from the observer (Distance displayed in units of millions ofkm). The physical size of an astronomical object is equal to the angularsize times the object’s distance divided by 206, 265 ( similar formulacan be found in the textbook on page 29).
• Continue using Stellarium to test your individual hypothesis. If you need further direction, please ask your instructor.

|Planet|	|Color|	|Atmosphere (yes/no)|	|Surface Features|	|Rotation Speed|	|Any Moons|

Q1 In your opinion, which planet had the most distinct appearance?

Q2: Which group of planets (terrestrial or Jovian) appear to have the most moons?

Q3: Which group of planets (terrestrial or Jovian) appear to have the fastest rotation?

Q4: Did you have any problem observing the rotation of any planet? If so, why do you think this was the case?

Q5:Compare your calculation with the planet radius information in thetextbook (Chapter 6 or Appendix E). Is your calculated radius close tothe known value?

Conclusion: In 1-2 paragraphs, explain ifyour observations and data support or conflict with your hypothesis andif you have met your assignment objective. Was there any portion of theassignment that was particularly interesting or difficult?