Download Planets in the Solar System

Planets in the Solar System
Earth Science
Chapter 3
The Planets
There are nine planets in our solar system.
They each rotate around the sun in an
elliptical orbit. The nine planets are:
1. Venus
6. Saturn
2. Mercury
7. Uranus
3. Earth
8. Neptune
4. Mars
9. Pluto
5. Jupiter
Mercury
- Planet closest to the
sun
- One of the hottest
planets
- Rocky, cratered
surface
- Steep cliffs
- Extremely thin
atmosphere
Venus
- 2nd planet from the
sun
- Thick cloud cover
- Greenhouse effect
- Retrograde rotation
- Vast plains
- High mountains
Earth
- 3rd planet from the
sun
- Atmosphere of
oxygen and nitrogen
- Contains living things
- Earth’s surface is
97% water
Mars
- 4th planet from the
sun
- Polar ice caps
- Pink sky
- Rust-colored surface
- Explored by Vikings 1
and 2
- Has two tiny moons
Jupiter
- 5th planet form the
sun
- Great red spot
- Magnetosphere
- Extremely high
temperatures
- Explored by Voyagers
1 and 2
- Has moons called Io,
Europa, Ganymede
and Callisto
Saturn
- 6th planet from the
sun
- Has many rings and
ringlets
- Spins rapidly on axis
- Made mainly of
hydrogen and helium
gases
- Titan, the only moon
with substantial
atmosphere
Uranus
- 7th planet from the
sun
- Rotates on its side
- Has a greenish-blue
color
- Has 9 known rings
surrounding it
- Has 15 moons
Neptune
- 8th planet from the sun
- Mathematician’s
planet
- Has thick cloud cover
- Has rocky core
surrounded by slush
of water and frozen
methane
Pluto
- 9th planet from the
sun
- Smallest and least
massive planet
- Made of various ices
- Coldest planet
- Possibly a double
planet