Background
The three characteristics that I would wish to measure in this lab from visual observations are the color, number of moons and the diameter of each planet.
Objective
The purpose of this lab assignment is to understand more regarding the similarities and differences among planets and as well to be able to record, measure and analyze their characteristics.
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Hypothesis
The number of moons in terrestrial planets is more compared to Jovian planets which each planet having at least one moon.
Results
Using the Stellarium software and following the procedure as outlined in the laboratory assignment, the following observer results for the eight planets was obtained.
Planet | Color | Atmosphere (yes/no) | Surface Features | Rotation Speed | Any Moons |
| Mercury | Dark grey | No | Craters | Fast | No |
| Venus | White | Yes | Looks smooth | Slow | No |
| Earth | White/blue | Yes | Cloudy or Misty | Fast | 1 |
| Mars | Orange/ brown | No | Craters | Fast | 2 |
| Jupiter | White/Brown/Light Blue | Yes | Craters | Fast | 8 |
| Saturn | Light brown/white | Yes | Rings | Slow | 18 |
| Uranus | Grey/Light Blue | Yes | Rings and smooth | Slow | 10 |
| Neptune | Blue | Yes | Rings and cloudy | Slow | 7 |
Q1 In your opinion, which planet had the most distinct appearance?
Mars had the most distinct features as its appearance in terms of color was different from the blue I had initially imagined.
Q2: Which group of planets (terrestrial or Jovian) appear to have the most moons?
Jovian appear to have more moons than terrestrial.
Q3: Which group of planets (terrestrial or Jovian) appear to have the fastest rotation?
Terrestrial although Venus tended to be slow while Jupiter appeared to be fast.
Q4: Did you have any problem observing the rotation of any planet? If so, why do you think this was the case?
I faced some problem because I confused the moons moving with the rotation of the planets.
Q5: Compare your calculation with the planet radius information in the textbook (Chapter 6 or Appendix E). Is your calculated radius close to the known value?
The calculated radius of mars is not close to the known value as it was 0.05644
Conclusion
My hypothesis conflicted with my observation as no moon was observed in two planets. The assignment objective was meat because I have gained a concrete visual comprehension of planets thus, I can now identify them easily. Observing the various planets and discovering their different colors and surface features was the part of the assignment that interesting.
