{ The Solar System The 8 Planets (AND THE SUN!)

THE 8 PLANETS: 1. Mercury 2. Venus 3. Earth 4. Mars 5. Jupiter 6. Saturn 7. Venus 8. Neptune (9.) the SUN The 8 Planets The 8 Planets

Mercury Mercury is the SMALLEST planet and is the closest planet to the sun! * If you could stand on the surface of Mercury when it is closest to the sun, the sun would appear 3 times as large as it does when viewed from Earth!

Venus Venus is similar to the size and structure of Earth but its atmosphere traps heat and is toxic. It has a permanent layer of clouds that traps heat, creating surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead. Venus spends slowly in the opposite direction of the other planets.

Earth Earth is the ONLY planet that inhabits life! All the things we need to survive exist under a think layer of atmosphere that separates us from the cold, airless void of space.

Mars Mars is a cold desert world. It is half the size of Earth and has the same amount of dry land. Like Earth, Mars has seasons, polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons and weather, but its atmosphere is too thin for liquid water to exist for long on the surface.

Jupiter Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System! It has dozens of moons and resembles a star. The planet’s swirling cloud stripes are formed from massive storms such as the Great Red Spot.

Saturn Saturn has thousands of ringlets. The rings around Saturn are made of chunks of ice and rock. It is made up of a massive ball of hydrogen and helium.

Uranus Uranus has 13 rings! It is the only planet whose equator is nearly at right angles to its orbit. Uranus is blue in color because its methane.

Neptune Neptune has 6 rings! It is a dark and cold planet, and is the last of the hydrogen and helium gas planets in our solar system. In 2011, Neptune completed its first orbit since its discovery in 1846.

The SUN The Sun is actually a star! It is a hot ball of glowing gases at the heart of our solar system. If we did not have the sun, there would be no life on Earth!