Remember that you're making up a planet, not telling about one that already exists.
AU stands for 'astronomical unit,' which is the average distance between Earth and the Sun (about 98 million miles). Keep in mind that the farther from the Sun your planet is, the colder it will be! Also, gas giants like Jupiter or Saturn tend to form farther away from the Sun.
Instructions from activity:
Design Your Own Outer Planet For this activity, you will design and describe a new outer planet. You must answer a series of questions and describe your planet in detail. Once all questions have been answered, you will create a scientific journal entry from the point of view of another astronomer discovering your planet. This journal entry must include all of the answers to the questions, but should be written as if these details are being discovered for the first time.
Step 1: Answer Questions about Your Planet Make sure to write down the answers to these questions. Writing them down separately will make it easier for you to write the journal entry later on.
How many AU is your planet from the Sun?
Does this planet have a solid surface or is it a gas giant? If it has a solid surface, give the details.
Describe the atmosphere.
Describe the color(s).
Does this planet have rings? If so, are they massive like Saturn’s or almost unnoticeable like Jupiter’s?
Are there any moons that accompany this planet and if so, how many?
How many degrees does your planet tilt?
What is the diameter of your planet (in miles)?
How long is one full rotation of your planet? (in minutes, hours, Earth days, or Earth years)
How long does it take for your planet to complete an orbit around the Sun (in Earth years)?
Step 2: Write a Scientific Journal Entry Now it’s time to “discover” your planet! Use your answers to the questions in Step 1 to help you describe the planet in detail. They do not have to be described in the same order as the questions were listed; they can be mixed up to reflect how an astronomer might slowly learn about a planet’s components and aspects. As this journal entry is written from the point of view of the “discoverer” of the planet, you must include the name of the planet and explain why you chose that name. Your journal entry must be at least two paragraphs long. To complete this activity, submit a word processing document with your answers to the questions in Step 1, and a separate document with your journal entry from Step 2.