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Mercury
Length of Mercury Day: (1 rotation):
59 Earth Days
Length of Mercury Year: (1 revolution):
88 Earth Days
Mercury, the innermost planet of the
solar system and closest to the Sun, is a
little bigger than the Earth's Moon.
Mercury is also the smallest planet in
the Solar
System.
The surface of the planet is covered
with craters, like the Moon, but
temperatures there can reach over
800°F because Mercury is so close to
the Sun and rotates so slowly.
Venus
Venus is the second planet
from the Sun, and is Earth's
closest neighbor in the solar
system. They often call Venus
the “sister planet” to the
Earth! Venus is the brightest
object in the sky after the Sun
and the Moon, and sometimes looks like a bright star in the
morning or evening sky. The planet is slightly smaller than Earth,
and its interior is similar to Earth. We can't see the surface of Venus
from Earth, because it is covered with thick clouds that strongly
Length of Venus Day: (1 rotation):
reflect sunlight.
243 Earth Days
Length of Venus Year: (1 revolution):
224 Earth Days
Length of Earth Day: (1 rotation):
1 Earth Day
Length of Earth Year: (1 revolution):
365.25 Earth Days
Earth
Earth, our home planet, is a
beautiful blue and white ball
when seen from space. The
third planet from the Sun, it is
the largest of the inner planets.
Earth is the only planet known
to support life and to have
liquid water at the surface. Earth has a substantial atmosphere
and magnetic field, both of which are critical for sustaining life
on Earth. Earth is the innermost planet in the solar system with
a natural satellite – our Moon.
Mars
Length of Mars Day: (1 rotation):
1.1 Earth Days
Length of Mars Year: (1 revolution):
687 Earth Days
Mars, Earth's outer
neighbor, is the fourth planet
from the Sun. Mars' bright
appearance and reddish color
stand out in the night sky. The
reddish color is caused by rust
(iron oxide) in the soil.
Impressive surface features such as enormous volcanoes and
valleys are frequently obscured by huge dust storms. Some
other features of Mars are canyon systems, river beds,
cratered terrain, and dune fields.
Jupiter
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar
system and fifth from the Sun. When
approached from afar, its fantastic striped
atmosphere gradually reveals intriguing
clouds that move around the planet. Rich in
historical and cultural connections, Jupiter
is the site of recent comet impacts and
continuing scientific discovery.
Cloud details as small as 100 miles
(160 kilometers) across can be seen here.
The colorful, wavy cloud pattern to the
left of the Red Spot is a region of
extraordinarily complex end variable
wave motion.
Length of Jupiter Day: (1 rotation):
243 Earth Days
Length of Jupiter Year: (1 revolution):
4,329 Earth Days
Saturn
Saturn, the sixth planet from
the Sun, has the most spectacular
set of rings in the solar system.
We now know that Saturn has 62
moons in addition to its complex
ring system. Have you ever seen
the Southern or Northern Lights? Earth isn't the only planet that
puts on these beautiful light shows, which are also called the
"aurora". Aurora have been seen at both poles of Saturn, too, as
well as at the poles of Jupiter. These "curtains of light" sometimes
rise 1,200 miles (2,000 km) above the cloud tops near Saturn's
Length of Saturn Day: (1 rotation):
poles.
0.44 Earth Days
Length of Saturn Year: (1 revolution):
10,585 Earth Days
Uranus
Uranus, the seventh planet
from the Sun, has its spin axis
almost in the plane of its orbit
about the Sun. This produces
unusual seasons and also causes
unique magnetic and electric field
structures. Uranus has a faint ring system and 27 known moons. The plain
aquamarine face of Uranus confirms the fact that Uranus is covered with
clouds. The sameness of the planet's appearance shows that the planet's
atmosphere is mostly composed of one thing, methane. The planet
appears to be blue-green because the methane gas of the atmosphere
traps red light and does not allow that color to escape.
Length of Uranus Day: (1 rotation):
0.72 Earth Days
Length of Uranus Year: (1 revolution):
30.660 Earth Days
Length of Neptune Day: (1 rotation):
0.67 Earth Days
Length of Neptune Year: (1 revolution):
60,152 Earth Days
Neptune
Neptune, the eighth and
furthest planet from the Sun, is a
very cold place. Its bluish color is
caused by small amounts of
methane gas in its atmosphere. The
planet has 13 moons and a very
narrow, faint ring system.
Neptune's atmosphere shows a
striped pattern of clouds. This cloud pattern is very similar to that of
Jupiter and Saturn. Neptune even has a Great Dark Spot similar to
Jupiter's Great Red Spot. The Great Dark Spot of Neptune is thought
to be a hole, similar to the hole in the ozone layer on Earth, in the
methane cloud deck of Neptune.
Dwarf
Planets
There are currently five official dwarf
planets. Pluto, formerly the smallest of
the nine "traditional" planets, was
demoted to dwarf planet status. Ceres,
the largest asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, was
also declared a dwarf planet. The three other (for now!) dwarf planets are Eris,
Makemake, and Haumea. Pluto, Makemake, and Haumea orbit the Sun on the
frozen fringes of our Solar System in the Kuiper Belt. Eris, also a TransNeptunian Object, is even further from the Sun.
A Pneumonic Device to Remember the Order of the Planets:
My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nachos
(Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)
What IS a Planet?
As of 2006, a planet is defined by three criteria:
1) It is a celestial body that orbits the Sun.
2) It is massive enough that its own gravity causes it to form a
spherical shape.
3) It has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.
Under this definition our solar system has eight planets:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Because Pluto resides in an area of space populated by
numerous other objects, it is no longer considered a planet. Pluto is
now designated as a dwarf planet, and it is the prototype of a class
of objects located beyond the orbit of Neptune.