Planets

 

 

9

Named after the winged messenger of the gods, Mercury is a small planet that rotates
quickly. It is a barren planet that has a surface that ranges between two extremes –
frigid and burning temperatures – because it has no atmosphere to hold in the heat when
the planet is facing away from the Sun.

Venus is an interesting planet with the hottest temperatures of any planet in our Solar
System at more than 460°C. Some astronomers actually believed that Venus used to be like
Earth with oceans and a habitable environment until the planet’s atmosphere underwent an
out of control greenhouse effect. The massive amounts of carbon dioxide in its
atmosphere is mostly responsible for the planet’s raging temperatures.

Earth is the densest planet in our Solar System as well as the fifth largest planet. Not
only is 70% of the Earth’s surface covered with water, but the planet is also in the
perfect spot – in the center of the hypothetical habitable zone – to support life.

Roughly half the size of Earth, Mars is famous for its red color and the speculation it has sparked about life on other planets. The red color is caused by iron oxide – rust – on the planet’s surface.

Jupiter’s size is almost unbelievable. It is possible to fit 1321 Earths inside of
Jupiter. Despite its size, Jupiter is not very dense. The planet is comprised almost
entirely of gas with what astronomers believe is a liquid metal core. The only reason
it is the most massive planet is because it is so much larger than any of the other
planets.

Saturn is best known for its ring system, which is composed of rocks, dust, and other materials. However, the planet is also the second largest in our Solar System. Our view of Saturn’s rings is always changing and sometimes they seem to disappear in the planet’s orbit around the Sun.

Here’s a picture of Uranus taken by Voyager 2. Uranus is an ice giant meaning it has
more “ices,” such as methane and ammonia, in its atmosphere than other gas giants like
Jupiter have. Ice giants are a subcategory of gas giants. The methane is also what gives
Uranus its blue color

Neptune is also an ice giant. All of the gas giants have intense storms, but Neptune has

the fastest winds of any planet in our Solar System. The winds on Neptune can reach up
to 24,000 kilometers per hour. In comparison, the top winds on Earth only reach a little
more than 250 kilometers per hour in the strongest hurricanes.