4.  Mercury is the planet nearest to the sun.  Mercury is a little bit larger than the Earth’s moon.  It has no atmosphere (means almost no air)  The surface of Mercury that faces the sun can reach 800 degrees Fahrenheit.  At night it can plummet to -300 degrees Fahrenheit.  The surface is covered with craters.  Mercury has NO moons

6.  Venus is 2 nd from the sun.  Venus is in many ways Earth's sister planet.  Venus is made up of almost the exact same types of materials as the Earth and in about the same amounts. Venus has volcanoes, mountains and sand, just like Earth.  Venus is very dry and has very little water left on.  The temperatures on Venus can reach almost 900 degrees Fahrenheit

8.  Earth is the 3 rd planet from the sun.  It has one moon  It is the 5 th largest planet in our Solar System.  The Earth’s atmosphere is composed of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen,0.03 carbon dioxide and traces of other gases.  About30% of Earth’s surface is covered with land, while 70% is covered by oceans.  The Earth’s temperature, weather and atmosphere are just right to keep us alive.

10.  Mars is the 4 th planet from the sun.  Mars is called the red planet.  Mars is half the size of Earth  It has a dry rocky surface and a very thin atmosphere.  The north and south poles are covered by ice caps, which are composed of frozen water and carbon dioxide.  Olympus Mons is the largest volcano in our Solar System.  Mars has two tiny moon.

12.  Jupiter is the 5 th planet from the sun.  Is a gas giant and the biggest planet in our Solar System.  Jupiter is so big that all the other planets could fit inside Jupiter.  Jupiter has a thick atmosphere.  It has dozens of moons and a dark, barely visible ring.  The huge red spot is a long-lasting storm.

14.  Saturn is the 6 th planet from the sun.  It is a gas giant and the second biggest planet in our Solar System.  Saturn is made mostly of hydrogen and helium gas.  It has beautiful rings that are made mostly of ice chunks and some rock.  Saturn has dozens of moons.  Saturn is visible without a telescope.

16.  Uranus is the 7 th planet from the sun.  The huge icy planet is covered with clouds.  It has a belt of 11 rings and has 22 moons.  Uranus’ blue color is caused by methane in its atmosphere.  Uranus’ rotational axis is strongly tilted on its side.  Uranus rotates on its side, this gives causes extreme seasons.

17. Earth

18.  Neptune is the 8 th planet from the sun.  This giant gas planet is orbited by eight moons.  Neptune’s blue color is caused by methane in its atmosphere.  Neptune has long lasting seasons due to its rotational axis, which is tilted.  Neptune’s poles are in constant darkness or it has sunlight for 40 years at a time.