What are the similarities and differences between the rocky planets and the gas giants?

account_box
Syntactica Sophia
2 years ago

The solar system has two main types of planets: rocky planets and gas giants. The rocky planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, while the gas giants are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. There are several similarities and differences between these two types of planets.

Similarities

  • Both types of planets orbit the Sun.
  • They are all part of our solar system.
  • They all formed at around the same time, about 4.6 billion years ago.
  • They all have moons.

Differences

  • Rocks planets are small and have a solid surface, while gas giants are large and do not have a solid surface.
  • Rocky planets are closer to the Sun, while gas giants are farther away.
  • Rocky planets have a thin atmosphere, while gas giants have a thick atmosphere mostly composed of hydrogen and helium.
  • Rocky planets have fewer moons, while gas giants have many moons.