The Planets in the Solar System

Mercury
1 Orbit of Sun 87.969 Days
1 Rotation 58.6461 Days
Mass 5% of Earth
Volume 5% of Earth
Distance From Sun 57 million kilometers
Maximum Temperature 465°C
Minimum Temperature -184°C
Atmosphere Hydrogen, Helium

Mercury means:
Mercury was the Roman version of the god Hermes. He was the messenger for the other gods, and for this
reason Mercury is often depicted in pictures with winged sandals. In addition to delivering messages, he was
also the protector of travelers and merchants.
The Planet:
Mercury is so close to the Sun and so small that it has only a very small atmosphere. It has been blown away
by the Sun's solar winds. That means that there is almost no air on Mercury.
Mercury is a world of extremes. Because it is so close to the Sun a visitor could easily cook to death.
However, because mercury spins so slowly it gets very cold in the night time, which means a visitor could also
freeze to death.
Moons:
Mercury has no moons.

Venus
1 Orbit of Sun 224.701 Days
1 Rotation 243.16 Days
Mass 81% of Earth
Volume 86% of Earth
Distance From Sun 107 million kilometers
Average Temperature 449°C
Atmosphere carbon dioxide, nitrogen,

Venus means:
Venus was the Roman goddess of love and beauty. In Greek her name was Aphrodite.
The Planet:
Venus is a hostile planet. Its thick cloud cover makes it impossible to see the surface, and traps much of the
Sun's heat. This extra heat gives Venus the hottest average temperature of all the planets.
Because Venus and the Earth are the same size, scientists call Venus Earth's sister planet. For a long time
most scientists thought that Venus had plants, animals, and possibly even people. However, because Venus is
so hot, we now know that it is impossible for anything to live there.
Moons:
Venus has no moons.
 Earth
1 Orbit of Sun 365.3 Days
1 Rotation 23hour 56min
Mass 13,200,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000
Pounds
Volume -
Distance From Sun 150 million kilometers
Average Temperature 7.2°C
Atmosphere nitrogen, oxygen, argon

Earth means:
Her name in Greek was Gaea. Earth was the mother of the mountains, valleys, streams and all other land
formations. She was married to Uranus.
The Planet:
Our planet is an oasis of life in an otherwise desolate universe. The Earth's temperature, weather, atmosphere
and many other factors are just right to keep us alive.
Moons:
The Earth has one moon. Its name is "The Moon". Some say it's "Luna" but it is just the Latin word for moon.

Mars
1 Orbit of Sun 686.98 Days
1 Rotation 24hour 37min
Mass 10% of Earth
Volume 15% of Earth
Distance From Sun 229 million kilometers
Maximum 36°C
Temperature
Minimum -123°C
Temperature
Atmosphere carbon dioxide, nitrogen,
argon

Mars means:
Mars was the Roman god of war and agriculture.
The Planet:
Mars is also known as the Red Planet
because of the “Iron Oxide” on its surface.
Mars has much higher mountains and far
deeper canyons than the Earth. Mars'
biggest canyon would stretch from New
York City to Los Angeles on the Earth.
That makes the Grand Canyon look tiny. It
also has the Solar System's biggest
volcano called Olympus Mons.
Moons:
Mars has two moons, their names are
Deimos and Phobos. Olympus Mons – the biggest volcano in the Solar
System
 Jupiter
1 Orbit of Sun 4332.59 Days
1 Rotation 9 hour 55 min
Mass 317 times more than Earth
Volume 1318 times more than Earth
Distance From Sun 777 million kilometers
Average Temperature -153°C
(-244° F)
Atmosphere hydrogen, helium, methane

Jupiter means:
Jupiter, known as Zeus in Greece. He is the King of the Gods and ruler of Mt. Olympus.
The Planet:
It is the biggest planet in the Solar System. Jupiter's great red spot is where a giant storm has been raging for
at least 300 years. Its super hurricane winds blow across an area larger than the Earth. Jupiter has 3 rings but
they appear faint.
This giant planet has no solid surface. Under its atmosphere
is a large liquid ocean of hydrogen and water.
Moons:
Jupiter has 62 moons, 50 official and 12 unofficial. The four
largest and most well-known were discovered by Galileo in
the year 1610. Their names are Io, Europa, Ganymede and
Callisto.

Saturn

Diameter: 74,900 miles (120,500 km)

Orbit: 29.5 Earth years
Day: About 10.5 Earth hours

Saturn means:
Saturn was the god of agriculture; he
was called Cronus by the Greeks.
The Planet:
The sixth planet from the sun is known most for its rings. The rings are made of ice and rock. Scientists are not
yet sure how they formed. The gaseous planet is mostly hydrogen and helium. It has numerous moons.
Moons:
Saturn has 53 official moons and 9 provisional (unofficial) moons. The most well-known of Saturn's moons is
probably Titan. It is the second largest moon in the Solar System next to Jupiter's Ganymede. Titan is larger
than the planet Mercury.
Saturn has several hundred rings. However, it is not the only planet with rings. Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune
also have rings.
 Uranus
Orbit: 84 Earth years
Day: 18 Earth hours
Uranus means:
Uranus was the lord of the skies and husband of Earth. He was also the king of
the gods until his son Saturn overthrew him.
The Planet:
Uranus is the seventh closest planet to the Sun and the third largest and fourth
heaviest of the planets. It diameter (50,000km) is four times that of earth with a
mass over 14 times that of earth. The blue color of Uranus is because of the
gas Methane.
Uranus is very odd. Unlike all the other planets and most of the moons in our
Solar System, Uranus spins on its side. It is believed that long ago a very large
object smashed into this planet. The crash was so powerful that it completely
changed the direction of Uranus' spin.
Uranus's Rings
Uranus has the second most extensive ring system of the solar system after Saturn. They are comprised of ice
and some darker material which results in them being much darker than the rings of Saturn.
Uranus and Man
Uranus, under clear dark skies, is actually visible to the naked eye. However, it is very dim and its 84-year
periodicity means that it moves slowly across the sky.
To date Uranus has been visited only once - by the Voyager 2 spacecraft.
Moons:
Uranus has 21 moons. Five of these moons are large and the rest are smaller. The largest moon is Titania,
followed by Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel and Miranda.

Neptune
Orbit: 165 Earth years
Day: 19 Earth hours
Neptune means:
Neptune was named after the God of the Ocean, in Greek,
Poseidon.

The Planet:
Neptune has a giant storm much like the storm on Jupiter.
This storm is often called The Great Dark Spot. We do not
know how long this storm has been active, because it is so far
away that we could not get a good view of Neptune until
modern times when we began to send robot explorers.
Neptune has six rings which circle the planet.
Moons:
Neptune has 13 moons that we know of. Because Neptune is so far away, it is difficult to see any of these
worlds. The first moon to be discovered was Triton. Triton was discovered by an amateur astronomer in
England named William Lassell only 17 days after Neptune was discovered in 1846.
Rotation of the Earth:

The Earth's axis is not straight

up and down, but tilted at an
angle of 23.5 degrees. The
rotation is what causes the
change from day to night. This
tilt is responsible for having
seasons. If the Earth were not
tilted, we would have the same
season all year long.

Revolution of the Earth:

The movement of the Earth

around the Sun in a fixed orbit is
called as revolving. One full orbit
around the sun is one revolution.
The Earth takes 365 ¼ days or 1
year to complete one revolution.
The Earth revolves around the
Sun because of gravity.

The Phases of the Moon

The phases of the Moon are the different ways the Moon looks from Earth over about a month.
As the Moon orbits around the Earth, the half of the Moon that faces the Sun will be lit up.
The different shapes of the lit portion of the Moon that can be seen from Earth are known as
phases of the Moon. Each phase repeats itself every 29.5 days.
 Eclipses
What is an Eclipse?
Sometimes during their orbits, the moon and the Earth form a line with the Sun. When this
happens, an eclipse occurs.
There are two kinds of eclipse - lunar and solar.
A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves between the Sun
and the moon, blocking part of the Sun's light from reaching the moon.
During a lunar eclipse, you will see the Earth's shadow on the moon.
(right) Moon turns red during a Lunar Eclipse

In a solar eclipse, the moon moves between the Earth

and the Sun. When this happens, part of the Sun's light is blocked.
The sky slowly gets dark as the moon moves in front of the Sun.
When the moon and Sun are in a perfect line, it is called a total
eclipse. These are very rare. Most people only see one in their
lifetime.
(right) The Moon covering the Sun in a total Solar Eclipse