Download The Eight Planets - Arcanum

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The Eight Planets
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There are eight planets in our solar system. Mercury is closest to the sun. Neptune is farthest from
the sun. Read the chart to learn more about the planets. Then answer the questions.
Average distance Time it takes to Number of
Fast fact
from the sun*
orbit the sun** moons***
Mercury
36 million miles
88 days
0
Mercury is the smallest planet.
Venus
67 million miles
225 days
0
From Earth, this bright planet is often
mistaken for a star.
Earth
93 million miles
365 days
1
Earth is the only planet known to support
life.
Mars
142 million miles
687 days
2
Iron-rich dust and rock give Mars a red
surface and pink sky.
Jupiter
484 million miles
4,333 days
50
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar
system.
Saturn
886 million miles
10,756 days
53
Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is bigger
than the planet Mercury.
Uranus
1.8 billion miles
30,687 days
27
Uranus was the first planet to be
discovered with a telescope.
Neptune
2.8 billion miles
60,190 days
13
A white cloud known as Scooter circles
the planet every 16 hours.
*a planet’s distance from the sun changes over the course of its orbit.
**Length of a year, in earth days
Source: solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets
Planet
*** number of confirmed moons
1. W
hich planet is the farthest from the sun? ___________________________________________________
About how far from the sun is that planet?___________________________________________________
2. W hich planet has 27 moons? _______________________________________________________________
3. T
he amount of time a planet takes to orbit the sun is a year on that planet. Which planet has
the shortest year?_________________________________________________________________________
4. How long does it take Saturn to orbit the sun? _______________________________________________
5. About how much closer to the sun is Mercury than Earth is? __________________________________
6. W hich planet was the first to be discovered with a telescope? _________________________________
7. W hich planet takes the longest to orbit the sun? ___________________ What is the reason for this?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Bonus: Most of the planets are named after gods or goddesses from Roman myths. Come up with
a new name for one planet, and explain on the back of this page why you chose that name.
© 2012 TIME For Kids, timeforkids.com, Edition 5–6. This page may be photocopied for use with students. • Vol. 3, No. 5 • October 5, 2012
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