1. THE PLANETS OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

2. OUR SOLAR SYSTEM CONSISTS OF
The sun
Eight official planets
At least three "dwarf planets"
Comets and asteroids

3. THE SUN THE STAR AT THE CENTER OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
The largest object in the solar system
One hundred and nine Earths would be required to fit across the Sun's disk, and its interior could hold over 1.3 million Earths
The Sun's outer visible layer is called the photosphere and has a temperature of 6,000°C (11,000°F)

4. MERCURY About the same size as the Moon
Closest planet to the Sun, about 58 million kilometers from the Sun
Makes one complete orbit around the Sun every days
Rotates on its axis very slowly compared to Earth. It completes one rotation in about 58 days and 15 minutes
Is covered with mountains,
craters, ridges and valleys.

5. MERCURY Q & A What is Mercury’s average nightly temperature?
Temperature ranges from 425 degrees in the day to -170 degrees at night

6. VENUS
The closest planet to the Earth, about the same size as the Earth
2nd planet in order from the Sun, about 108 million kilometers from the Sun
Makes one complete orbit around the Sun every days
Rotates on its axis more slowly than any other planet, it completes one rotation in about 243 days and 24 minutes
Is the brightest object in our sky, besides the Sun and Moon.

7. VENUS Q & A How did Venus get its name?
The Romans named the five planets they could visible see after their most important gods. Venus, the brightest planet is named after the Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility

8. EARTH
3rd planet in order from the Sun, It is about 150 million kilometers from the Sun
Makes one complete orbit around the Sun every days
Rotates on its axis about the same speed as Mars (just a little slower). It completes one rotation in about 23 hours and 56 minutes.
Is mostly covered by water (75%)
Has a total of 1 moon

9. EARTH Q & A Why is Earth called the “Blue Planet”?
Earth is around 70 % water and when viewed from space it appears mostly blue.

10. MARS THE RED PLANET
Its mass (weight) is 1/10th of the Earth, its diameter is 1/2 that of earth
4th planet from the Sun, it is about 228 million kilometers from the Sun
Makes one complete orbit around the Sun every days
Rotates on its axis about the same speed as the Earth. It completes one rotation in about 24 hours and 37 minutes.
Has seasons similar to our planet, but they last much longer
Has a total of 2 moons

11. MARS Q & A What are the gases in the atmosphere on Mars?
The atmosphere mostly consists of Carbon Dioxide, 95%, there is also Argon and Nitrogen. Mars has a very thin atmosphere.

12. JUPITER
The largest planet, its mass (weight) is over 320 times that of the Earth, its diameter is over 10 times earths
5th planet in order from the Sun, it is about 780 million kilometers from the Sun
Makes one complete orbit around the Sun every years
Rotates on its axis faster than any other planet, it completes one rotation in about 9 hours and 50 minutes
Is one of the brightest planets
Has a total of 16 moons

13. JUPITER Q & A What is special about Jupiter?
The thing that is special about Jupiter is that it has a big red spot. The big red spot is a storm. Jupiter is cold and rocky.

14. SATURN
2nd largest planets, its mass (weight) is over 95 times that of the Earth, its diameter is over 10 times that of our planet
6th planet in order from the Sun, It is about 1.4 billion kilometers from the Sun
Makes one complete orbit around the Sun every years
Rotates on its axis at a very fast speed, it completes one rotation in about 10 hours and 39 minutes
Is known for the many rings that go around it
Has a total of 21 moons

15. SATURN Q & A Does Saturn have seasons?
Yes, Saturn has seasons, like the planet Earth, buts Saturn’s season’s last over 7 years. There is also hurricanes and very cold air on Saturn.

16. URANUS
Composed mainly of hydrogen and helium gases, its mass (weight) is over 14 times that of the Earth, its diameter is 4 times that of Earth
7th planet in order from the Sun, it is about 2.9 billion kilometers from the Sun
Makes one complete orbit around the Sun every 84 years
Rotates on its axis about the same speed as the Neptune, it completes one rotation in about 17 hours and 14 minutes
Can sometimes be seen with the naked eye
Has a 15 moons

17. URANUS Q & A What are the most interesting features of Uranus?
The planets is a blue-green color because of methane gas in the atmosphere. It may have lower %’s of light elements and a greater % of water. Also Uranus’s atmosphere is mainly hydrogen and methane.

18. NEPTUNE
Very similar to Uranus in size, its mass (weight) is over 17 times that of the Earth, its diameter is 4 times that of earth
8th planet in order from the Sun, it is about 4.5 billion kilometers from the Sun
Makes one complete orbit around the Sun every years
Rotates on its axis about the same speed as Uranus, it completes one rotation in about 18 hours and 26 minutes
Has a weather system that is very active, some storms with winds of 400 miles per hour have lasted for hundreds of years on its surface
Has a total of 8 moons

19. NEPTUNE Q & A What are 3 facts about Neptune?
Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun
Neptune is the coldest planet
Had a great dark spot on the same latitude line as Jupiter's Great red storm

20. PLUTO
Is known now as a dwarf planet, its mass (weight) is 1/500th that of the Earth, its diameter is about 1/6 that of our planet
It is about 5.9 billion kilometers from the Sun
Makes one complete orbit around the Sun every 248 years
Rotates on its axis slowly when compared to Earth, it completes one rotation in about 6 days and 9 minutes
Is sometimes known as a double-planet because it has a moon (Charon) that orbits it
Has a total of 1 moon

21. PLUTO Q & A Why is Pluto now considered a dwarf planet?
It was declassified because of its strange elliptical orbit as opposed to all the other planets’ orbits which are circular, Pluto’s orbit is the only planet which is elliptical (like and oval) around the sun