1. Solar System Planets

2. Mercury Closet to the sun Smallest planet
Takes 88 Earth days to orbit the sun
Rotates real slow; once every 59 Earth days
Has an iron core, rocky mantle, & thin crust; like Earth

3. Venus 2nd planet from the sun
Brightest object in sky besides the sun & moon
Has phases like the moon but does not have a moon
6th largest planet
Has iron core like Earth
Rotates slowly; 1 day ~ 243 Earth days

4. Earth 3rd planet from the sun Atmosphere contains 21% oxygen
71% of surface is water
Called the “blue planet”
Carbon is found all through the Earth’s crust
5th largest planet
Iron inner core, liquid outer core

5. Mars 4th planet from the sun Has similar tilt which gives it 4 seasons
Has many same natural features as Earth
Reddish color (due to rust)
Began gathering data in the 1970’s
Has dust storms
Evidence there used to be water on the planet

6. Jupiter Largest planet in the solar system
Great red spot is a large storm
320 x’s more massive than Earth
Gravity is stronger than the Earth’s
No surface, mostly gases of hydrogen & helium mixed w/other gases
Radiates more energy than it receives from sunlight
Spins on its axis every 10 hours

7. Saturn Rings are small particles orbiting the planet
60 moons orbit Saturn
Referred to as a “gas giant”
6th planet from the sun
100 x’s as massive as Earth
Low density
Nicknamed “jewel of the solar system”

8. Uranus 7th planet from the sun 3rd largest planet Tipped on its side
Takes 84 years to circle the sun
Hard rocky core surrounded by gases
Not a surface you could stand on
Has bluish-green color

9. Neptune 8th planet from the sun Smallest of the gas giants
50 x’s size of Earth
Upper atmosphere reaches 1,000 ° F
Methane give Neptune its blue color
Has several moons

10. Pluto No longer considered a planet Discovered in 1930
2006, scientists said it is not a planet
Pluto is frozen & dark
Pluto crosses the orbit of Neptune
2015, New Horizons Probe visited Pluto