List of Solar System extremes

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/list-of-solar-system-extremes

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 is the venus atmospheric pressure?Surface pressure is about 92 times that of Earth's sea-level pressure
2. What makes Venus the hottest planet in our solar system?Venus has a very thick atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxide. This blanket traps sunlight and keeps the surface at about 867°F (464°C). The heat comes from the atmosphere, not just from being close to the Sun.
3. Why is the Moon so cold even though it is close to the Sun?The Moon has almost no atmosphere to keep heat in. In craters near its poles that never see sunlight, temperatures drop to about -399°F (-239°C). These cold spots can hold ice for billions of years.

Runaway Greenhouse Effect: A positive feedback loop where increasing atmospheric temperature leads to more heat trapping, causing extreme warming.
Plate Tectonics: The theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the mantle.
Astrobiology: The scientific study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe.