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Exploring Our Solar System
by Conrad J. Storad
Imagine that you are on a
spaceship cruising through outer
space. You and your crew blasted
off weeks ago. The ship has
already traveled millions of miles
as you begin a years-long mission
to explore the solar system. Take
a quick look back to see where
you started. Look closely. Planet
Earth looks like a tiny, blue dot.
Humans have special feelings about this tiny, blue
planet. It is home. Think about it. Only a handful of
people have ever really been away from our planet.
They were the American astronauts who flew to the
moon as part of the nine Apollo missions between
1968 and 1972. Only 12 of those brave men actually walked on the moon. No human has ever been
back or even close to the moon since. And less than
600 people have ever been in orbit away from the
safety of Earth’s surface. But humans have big plans.
Humans are born to explore the unknown. It is part
of who we are.
I have some travel plans for you, my science-loving
readers. In months to come, I will take you on trips to
interesting parts of our solar system. You can enjoy
the trip from the safety of your home and travel via
the pages of this magazine. There is plenty to see and
much to learn!
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Solar system image by Harman Smith and Laura Generosa, graphic
artists and contractors to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Where to start? I think it is always best to start
at the beginning.
Earth is just one of eight planets that orbit Sol,
the star we call the sun. The four inner planets are
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Each is a relatively
small, dense and rocky planet. The outer planets are
much larger. They include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus
and Neptune. Each is primarily a massive ball of
dense gas.
Pluto is a small, rocky ball of ice and frozen
methane gas. It used to be known as the outermost
planet. But scientists changed their minds several
years ago. Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet. It
is one of hundreds or even thousands of such dwarfs
that orbit on the far edge of our solar system.
Earth is very special because it is our home.
Our planet has all the right conditions to support life
of many kinds. It is not too hot and not too cold. As
Goldilocks would say, the temperature here is “just
right.” So is the atmospheric pressure. And Earth is
made of just the right chemicals and materials to keep
living things happy and growing.
However, the conditions at other planetary locations
in our solar system are very different. Those conditions can be difficult to imagine. But scientists have
learned a lot about our solar neighborhood during the
past few decades.
Mercury
Venus
(Courtesy NASA/JPL)
(Courtesy NASA/JPL)
Mercury is the planet closest to the sun. It
receives tremendous amounts of solar radiation.
There is almost no atmosphere to help distribute this
energy evenly.
hurricane winds of up to 220 miles per hour. The air
pressure there is about 90 times of that found at sea
level on Earth.
You’ll need some super special gear to visit Venus.
Without it, you would be cooked, crushed and dissolved in minutes!
Solar system travel kit:
Would you like to know what you would weigh on
Mercury or Venus or on other planets in our solar
system? For example, if you weigh 150 pounds on
Earth, you will weigh: 56.7 pounds on Mercury or 136
pounds on Venus. Pack this nifty calculator from the
website below in your travel kit. It will be a handy tool
to help you prepare gear for your visits to all of these
new worlds:
www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight
Resources to learn more
about the solar system:
WEBSITES:
On the sunlit side of Mercury, the temperature rises
to 800 degrees Fahrenheit. That is hot enough to
melt lead into a gooey soup. A totally different world
exists on Mercury’s dark side. Temperatures there can
plunge to a frigid 280 degrees below zero. No other
planet is so different from one side to the other.
• Chain Reaction—solar system
—Arizona State University
chainreaction.asu.edu/solarsystem
Mercury does not have an atmosphere. There is nothing to protect the little planet’s surface from impacts
by meteorites or other space debris. Mercury is
pockmarked with craters as a result. It looks a lot like
Earth’s moon.
• NASA for Kids—kid-friendly solar system
solarsystem.nasa.gov/kids
Venus is the planet closest to Earth. This second
planet does not receive as much solar radiation as
Mercury. But Venus has a very thick atmosphere.
The layers include lots of carbon dioxide, a powerful
greenhouse gas.
The thick atmosphere on Venus traps heat from the sun.
As a result, the temperature on Venus can soar above
900 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s hotter than the sunny
side of Mercury, which is much closer to the Sun!
Thick clouds of sulfuric acid also wrap around Venus
like nasty blankets. Those clouds get blown around by
• Moon stuff for kids
lroc.sese.asu.edu/learn
• Fun views of the solar system
solarviews.com/eng/homepage.htm
Conrad J. Storad
The award-winning author and editor of more than
50 science and nature books for children and young
adults, Conrad J. Storad expertly draws young readers into his imaginative and entertaining “classroom”
to help them better understand and appreciate the
natural world.
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