Solar System: Welcome to this article which will be about the planets of our solar system. Explore the planets with me and maybe you’ll find some new things that you didn’t know before.
Introduction to the Planets?
In our Planetary group, there are eight planets that circle the sun. The inward four planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. These planets are also called the terrestrial planets because they have solid surfaces. The external four planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. These planets are also called the gas giants because they have gaseous surfaces.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the planets in our Solar System:
Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and it has a very thin atmosphere. It is made up of rocks and metals and has a very cratered surface. Mercury doesn’t have any moons. Venus is the second planet from the sun and is sometimes called Earth’s sister planet because it is similar in size to Earth. However, that’s where the similarities end. Venus has a very thick atmosphere made up of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid clouds. It also has a very hot surface with temperatures reaching up to 465 degrees Celsius! Venus doesn’t have any moons either.
Earth is the third planet from the sun and is the only planet that we know of that supports life. It has a moderate atmosphere made up of nitrogen and oxygen with just the right amount of greenhouse gases to keep us warm but not too hot. Earth has one moon – our beloved Moon! Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and is often called the Red Planet because of its reddish color due to iron oxide on its surface
Venus?
Venus is the second planet from the Sun and the hottest. It’s named after the Roman goddess of adoration and magnificence. Venus is covered in thick clouds that contain sulfuric acid. It’s also very dry, with almost no water on its surface. The atmospheric pressure is 90 times that of Earth’s, making it the most habitable planet in our solar system for humans. However, Venus’ dense atmosphere creates a greenhouse effect that makes the surface temperature hot enough to melt lead.
Earth?
The Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the main cosmic body known to hold onto life. According to radiometric dating estimates, it is 4.54 billion years old, making it slightly younger than the Universe itself. The Earth’s gravity interacts with other objects in space, especially the Sun and the Moon, which is why these bodies are said to orbit around it. The Earth revolves around the Sun in 365.24 days, a period known as an Earth year. During this time, it also rotates on its axis about 366.26 times relative to distant stars. This gives rise to day and night cycles caused by the Earth’s axial tilt of 23.5 degrees relative to its orbital plane with respect to the Sun (causing seasons on Earth).
The moon orbits around Earth every 27.3 days and is tidally locked to it, meaning that one side of the moon always faces us. The dark side of the moon is often referred to as “the far side” because it can’t be seen from Earth without special equipment. The diameter of Earth is 12,742 kilometers, making it slightly larger than Venus (12,104 kilometers) but smaller than Mars (6,779 kilometers). It has an iron core surrounded by a mantle of silicate rocks, which are in turn surrounded by a thin crust of solidified lava. Earth’s atmosphere consists mostly of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), argon (0.93%), and carbon dioxide
Mars?
Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, is often referred to as the Red Planet due to its reddish appearance. It is a small planet, with a diameter of only 4,220 miles.Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are thought to be captured asteroids.
The Martian day is only 40 minutes longer than an Earth day, and the Martian year is 687 Earth days long. Mars has seasons like Earth, but they are twice as long because of its longer year. The temperature on Mars varies widely from place to place and season to season, but it is generally much colder than Earth.
Mars is home to the biggest well of lava in the nearby planet group, Olympus Mons. This volcano is so large that if it were on Earth, it would cover all of Japan! The Valles Marineris canyon system on Mars is also very large. If it were on Earth, it would stretch from New York City to Los Angeles!
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the biggest in the Planetary group. It is a gas goliath with a mass one-thousandth that of the Sun, yet over twice that of the multitude of different planets in the Planetary group consolidated. Jupiter has been known to cosmologists since vestige. It is named following the Roman god Jupiter. When viewed from Earth, Jupiter can be bright enough to cast shadows, and is on average the third-brightest object in the night sky after Venus and the Moon.
Jupiter appears as a very bright, pale star to the naked eye. Under optimal seeing conditions and using binoculars or a small telescope, one can resolve its disk into four main stripes parallel to its equator: two light-colored bands (the Northern and Southern Equatorial Belts) separated by two dark ones (the North and South Temperate Belts). The belts are regions where different altitudes of clouds are present, caused by variations in atmospheric pressure. The Great Red Spot is a large storm that has existed for at least 300 years and possibly longer than 400 years. It is located 22° south of Jupiter’s equator in a region called the South Equatorial Belt.
etc.
There are many other planets in our solar system beyond the ones we have discussed so far. There are thousands of planets orbiting other stars, and new planets are being discovered all the time. Some of the more notable planets in our solar system include:
Mercury: The smallest and closest planet to the sun. It has a very thin atmosphere and is covered in craters.
Venus: The second planet from the sun. It is similar in size to Earth but has a very dense atmosphere that makes it extremely hot.
Mars: The fourth planet from the sun. It is known as the “red planet” due to its red surface. It has a thin atmosphere and is home to the largest volcano in our solar system, Olympus Mons.
Jupiter: The fifth planet from the sun and the largest in our solar system. It has a thick atmosphere and is home to several moons, including Io, Europa, and Ganymede.
Saturn: The sixth planet from the sun. It is best known for its beautiful rings made up of ice and dust particles. It also has several moons, including Titan and Enceladus.
Uranus: The seventh planet from the sun. It is unique because it orbits on its side meaning that it experiences extreme seasons. It has several moons, including Miranda and Titania.