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The Sun
Our solar system follows a heliocentric model. All of the planets revolve around the sun.
The name of the solar system relates to the word sol. Sol means sun.
The sun is a main sequence star made of hydrogen and helium gases at temperatures close to 11,000℉.
The sun is 93 million miles from Earth.
Mercury
Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system, only slightly larger than Earth’s moon. It is closest to the sun.
This planet has no water, zero moons, and a very thin atmosphere.
It has extreme temperatures and is the fastest planet. It travels at a speed of nearly 29 miles per second! It only takes 88 days to orbit the sun.
Large asteroid craters cover Mercury’s surface.
Mariner 10 was the first NASA spacecraft to fly by Mercury in 1973.
Venus
Venus is the second closest planet to the sun. It is most similar to Earth in size and structure.
The air pressure is extremely high, more than 90 times that of Earth.
Although Mercury is closer to the sun, Venus’ thick atmosphere filled with carbon dioxide creates a greenhouse effect. Venus is the hottest planet. Clous of yellow sulfuric acid hang in the sky. Lead could melt on the 900℉ surface.
Venus rotates on its axis in the opposite direction of Earth. The sun rises in the west.
It takes 225 days for Venus to orbit the sun.
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the sun. It is one of four terrestrial planets that revolve closest to the sun. Terrestrial planets contain rock and metal. Earth is the only one with water on its surface.
It takes 365 days to orbit the sun. It takes 24 hours to orbit on its axis. The sun rises in the east.
The atmosphere is only 21% oxygen, the perfect amount for life. Nitrogen makes up 78% of the atmosphere.
Earth has one moon and an atmosphere that protects it from meteoroids.
The first picture of Earth by Voyager 1 shows Earth as a pale blue dot.
Mars
Mars is known as the red planet. Its surface is rocky with red dust, volcanoes, craters, and canyons.
Mars is 1/2 the size of Earth with a similar amount of daylight.
It has a thin atmosphere with a small amount of water vapor.
One year on Mars is 687 days.
Mars has two moons named Phobos and Deimos.
NASA has two rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance, exploring the surface of Mars.
Jupiter
Jupiter is the gas planet that is closest to the sun. It is the biggest of the planets, more than twice as massive as all other planets combined!
The famous Great Red Spot is a storm that has been churning for more than a century. Its beautiful stripes are clouds of ammonia and water in the midst of its hydrogen and helium gases.
One Jupiter year is 12 Earth years!
It spins on its axis about once every 10 hours.
Jupiter has more than 75 moons. Ganymede tops the charts as its largest moon.
NASA’s Juno orbiter is currently exploring this gas giant.
Saturn
Saturn was the first planet observed to have rings. The rings consist of ice, rock, and dust. There are thousands of them.
Saturn is made up mostly of hydrogen and helium, like the stars.
One Saturn year is equal to 29 Earth years.
Saturn has 82 moons orbiting around it like a mini solar system.
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft orbited Saturn 294 times before it vaporized into the planet’s atmosphere on purpose.
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun. It revolves around the center of the solar system at a distance of 1.8 billion miles from the sun.
It takes about 84 Earth years to revolve around the sun.
It is known as an ice giant with a temperature of about -371℉.
It is about four times wider than Earth, the size of a basketball if Earth were an apple.
It is covered in a thick, blue-green fog and rotates at nearly a 90° angle.
Uranus has 27 moons and 13 rings.
Neptune
Neptune is the farthest planet from the sun. Mathematical calculations predicted its discovery.
Beyond this ice planet, there are dwarf planets. One of the dwarf planets is named Pluto.
It takes 165 Earth years to orbit the sun but rotates on its axis faster than Earth! Supersonic winds are present on Neptune. A day on Neptune is 16 Earth hours.
Like Uranus, a blue-green fog surrounds it. The color is due to the methane found in its atmosphere.
Neptune has 14 known moons. It cannot be viewed without a telescope.