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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.