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The Sun
• The sun is the biggest,
brightest, and hottest
object in the solar
system.
• The sun is an ordinary
star.
• The sun is made of
about 70% hydrogen
and 28% helium.
Mercury
Mercury
Mercury, the planet nearest the Sun, is the second smallest planet in our solar system.
It is only slightly larger than the Earth's moon. This tiny planet does not have any
rings•or Mercury
moons.
is solid and is
covered with craters.
• Mercury has almost no
atmosphere.
• Mercury is the eighth
largest planet.
evidence of
craters
Venus
VENUS
Venus is one of the brightest objects in our sky,
so it is clearly visible to the naked eye.
It can be tricky to spot because it is always
near the Sun.
It rises and sets with the Sun each day.
Earth
• Earth is the fifth largest planet and the third from
the sun.
• Liquid covers 71 percent of the Earth’s surface.
• The Earth has one moon.
Mars
• Mars is the fourth
planet from the sun.
• Mars has a thin
atmosphere that
contains mostly
carbon dioxide.
• Mars has two small
moons.
Jupiter
Jupiter, the fifth planet from the Sun, is the largest planet in our solar system.
Jupiter is so big that over 1,000 planets the size of Earth could fit into it.
It has over 60 moons and 2 rings. Can life exist on Jupiter's moon, Europa?
• The Great Red Spot, a
huge storm of swirling
gas that has lasted for
hundreds of years.
• Jupiter does not have a
solid surface. The
planet is a ball of
liquid surrounded by
gas.
Saturn
Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, is the second largest planet in our solar system.
It is often called the ringed planet because many rings of dust and rocks surround it.
Saturn also has over 31 moons.
• Saturn is the second largest planet and the sixth from
the sun.
• Saturn is made of materials that are lighter than water.
If you could fit Saturn in a lake, it would float!
Titan is a moon of Saturn that may have some
Conditions necessary for life! The picture on
the left shows an artist’s drawing of how Titan
might have looked when the Cassini-Huygen’s
probe dropped into its atmosphere in Dec., 2004.
Uranus
Uranus is a very unusual planet because it sits on its side with north and south
poles sticking out the sides. It rotates around this axis, making it look like a ball
rolling around in a circle around the Sun.
• Uranus is the third
largest planet and the
seventh from the sun.
• Uranus is one of the
giant gas planets.
• Uranus is blue-green
because of the
methane in its
atmosphere.
Neptune
• Neptune is the fourth
largest planet and the
eight from the sun.
• Because of the orbits,
from 1979 to 1999,
Neptune was the ninth
planet.
• Like Uranus, the
methane gives
Neptune its color.