Our Solar System

J U P I T E R N E P T U U R A N S M A R S E A R T H V E N U S S A T U R N M E R C U Y

J U S T N A C H O S E D U C A T U P M O T H E R S E R V D V E R Y M Y

The Sun The largest object – 99.86% of the total solar system mass. Over 1.3 million Earths could fit inside of it. The outer layer has a temperature of 6,000oC. The core has a temperature of 15,000,000oC. It is 4.6 billion years old. It will burn out in about 5 billion years from now.

Mercury Mercury goes around the sun once every 88 Earth days, faster than any other planet. The Romans named it Mercury in honor of the swift messenger of their gods. The sky over this planet is black even during the day because of it’s lack of atmosphere. Stars would be visible from the surface during the day time. The temperature on the planet ranges from 430oC during the day down to –170oC at night.

Venus Venus is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and the Moon, and is often mistaken for a star in the early morning or evening sky. The atmosphere of Venus is a very hot and heavy mixture of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid. Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system, only second to the sun, because of its runaway greenhouse effect. Venus rotates on it’s axis backwards – the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east.

Earth is the largest terrestrial planet. Earth's axis is tilted by about 23.5o, compared to the orbital plane. This tilt and Earth's motion around the sun causes the change of the seasons. About 71% of Earth's surface is covered by water, most of it in the oceans. Earth is the only planet in the universe known to have life. The region containing life extends from the bottom of the deepest ocean to a few kilometers into the atmosphere.

The average temperature is about –55oC, ranging from –140oC to 20oC. Mars Planet Mars is named after the Roman god of war, and March was named after Mars. Mars has a thin atmosphere and permanent ice caps at both poles composed of water ice and solid carbon dioxide. Olympus Mons is the largest volcano in the solar system – three times the height of Mount Everest. The average temperature is about –55oC, ranging from –140oC to 20oC. Mars’ Atmosphere – 95.3% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, with trace amounts of oxygen and water.

Jupiter Jupiter is a giant ball of gas and liquid with little, if any, solid surface. Jupiter rotates faster than any other planet, taking 9 hours 56 minutes to spin around once on its axis. The planet completes one orbit in 4,333 Earth days, or almost 12 Earth years. Named for the ruler of the Roman gods, Jupiter is large enough to hold more than 1300 Earths. Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a swirling mass of gas resembling a hurricane. It’s widest diameter is about three times that of Earth.

Saturn Saturn has been called the ‘jewel of the solar system’ because of its beautiful rings. It is named after the Roman god of agriculture. This planet is made up mostly of gas, including hydrogen, helium, and methane. It doesn't have a solid surface. Saturn has thousands of rings made of up billions of particles of ice and rock. Each ring orbits at a different speed around the planet. Super-fast winds in the upper atmosphere, combined with heat rising from within the planet's interior, cause the yellow and gold bands we see.

Uranus is named after a Roman god who was the father of the Titans. Uranus has no solid surface. Its atmosphere gets thicker and thicker until it is squished into liquid. Uranus is extremely cold at the cloud tops, but composed of a layer of 'superheated' water, ammonia, and methane below. This planet’s axis of rotation is tilted nearly 98°. At times, the north pole points toward the Sun while at other times the south pole does. Seasons on Uranus can last more than 20 years

Neptune has at least 8 satellites (moons) and several rings around it. Neptune's surface is covered by thick clouds. Below this is a region of heavily compressed gases that eventually blend into a liquid layer. This layer surrounds the planet's central core made of rock and ice. Neptune rotates on it’s axis very quickly, about once every 16 hours and 7 minutes, and takes 165 years to go around the sun once. Neptune has clouds made of methane ice crystals and the methane in it’s atmosphere gives Neptune it’s bluish color. Neptune has at least 8 satellites (moons) and several rings around it.