The Solar System

Hi, friends. I was just reading a book on our Solar family. So, I decided to share some information with you. I hope you find it interesting and informative.

THE SOLAR SYSTEM: The family of the sun

MERCURY: The Planet Nearest to the Sun

Mercury is the first of the nine planets in our Solar System and the closest to the sun. It is named after the wing-footed Roman God. Its entire surface is airless, though many different gases surround the planet. Mercury is also a place of extreme temperatures. Its hottest temperature is 400oC and its coldest is -175oC. Mercury takes 88 Earth days to go around the Sun once, which gives it a very short year. But it takes 1,146 hours to complete one rotation on its axis, so it has a very long day.

VENUS: A Morning and Evening Star

Venus is known as the morning and evening star because it is seen in the sky at pre-dawn and just after sunset. It is named after the Roman Goddess of love and beauty. It is completely covered by thick clouds. The temperature on the Venusian surface reaches about 464oC Venus is closest to the earth in size. Venus does not have a moon.

MARS: The Red Planet

Mars is the fourth planet in the Solar system. It is named after the Roman God of War. Since the planet is red in colour, it is known as the ‘red planet’. The reason Mars appears red is that the planet’s soil contains a lot of rusted iron. Its atmosphere is mainly made up of carbon dioxide and other gases. Two small moons, Phobos and Deimos, orbit Mars. Mars takes 687 Earth days to go around the Sun and it spins on its Axis once every 24 hours and 37 minutes. Mars has the largest volcano in the Solar System, Olympus Mons.

JUPITER: The King of Planets

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. The Romans named the planet after the King of Gods. The planet Jupiter is primarily composed of hydrogen with a small proportion of helium. Jupiter has a faint planetary ring system. At least 63 moons orbit Jupiter and Ganymede is the largest of these moons. The Great Red Spot, a giant storm that is known to have existed on Jupiter. AstronomersHave found something very exciting on one of Jupiter’s moons, Europa. They believe that it has a huge ocean of water below its surface that may have simple forms of life in it.

SATURN: The Ringed Planet

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is named after the Roman god of agriculture. The planet Saturn is composed of hydrogen, with small proportions of helium and trace elements. The interior consists of a small core of rock and ice, surrounded by a thick layer of metallic hydrogen and a gaseous outer layer. Saturn has a prominent system of rings, consisting mostly of ice particles with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust. Sixty known moons orbit the planet. Titan, Saturn's largest and the Solar System's second largest moon is larger than the planet Mercury and is the only moon in the Solar System to possess a significant atmosphere.

URANUS: The Seventh Planet

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and is the third largest in the solar system. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1781. The atmosphere of Uranus is composed of 83% hydrogen, 15% helium, 2% methane and small amounts of acetylene and other hydrocarbons. Methane in the upper atmosphere absorbs red light, giving Uranus its blue-green color. Uranus orbits the Sun once every 84.01 Earth years. The length of a day on Uranus is 17 hours 14 minutes. Uranus has at least 21 moons. The two largest moons, Titania and Oberon, were discovered by William Herschel in 1787.

NEPTUNE: The Eighth Planet

Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of the sea. Neptune's atmosphere is primarily composed of hydrogen and helium along with traces of methane. The German astronomer Johann Galle discovered Neptune. It has 12 moons. Neptune also has rings.

- AISHANI SHAH