Ice giant

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ice-giant

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What are ice giants?Ice giants are big planets like Uranus and Neptune that are made mostly of frozen gases such as water, ammonia, and methane, instead of mostly hydrogen and helium.
2. How are Uranus and Neptune different from Jupiter and Saturn?Uranus and Neptune have only about 20% hydrogen and helium, while Jupiter and Saturn have more than 90%. The rest of their mass is made of heavier ices, which makes them colder and different in structure.

Protoplanetary Disk: A rotating disk of dense gas and dust surrounding a newly formed star, from which planets eventually form.
Core Accretion Model: A theory proposing that giant planets form from a solid core that grows large enough to gravitationally capture a gaseous envelope.
Magnetohydrodynamics: The study of the dynamics of electrically conducting fluids, such as plasmas, liquid metals, and salt water, in the presence of magnetic fields.