The Solar System

Front 1

The Sun

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The Sun, the star at the center of our solar system, is about 5 billion years old. The closest star to Earth, it is 145 million kilometers, Our Sun supports life on Earth and affects the seasons, climate, weather, currrents in the ocean, and circulation of the air in the atmosphere. The ionized gas in the Sun is held together by gravitational attraction, which produces immense internal pressure and high temperatures.

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Jupiter

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Jupiter, the fifth planet, is the largest, containing two-thirds of the planetary mass of our solar system. Jupiter is like a small sun with its own miniature solar system; it is composed of hydrogen and helium and has 16 moons. In December 1995, NASAS's Galileo spacecraft arrived at Jupiter and deployed a probe into the Jovian atmosphere. It revealed that the atmosphere is much drier than expected.

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Venus

Back 3

Venus, the second planet in the solar system, is known throughout history as both the evening and the morning star. It is Earth's closest planetary neighbor and is similar to Earth in size, mass, composition, and distance from the Sun. Its atmosphere consists mainly of carbon dioxide with persistent sulfuric acid clouds. Venus rotates in a direction opposite of Earth, it means that Sun rising in the west and setting in the east.

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Earth

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Earth is the third planet from the Sun, the first largest planet in the solar system, and the only planet known to harbor life. it has only one satellite; the Moon. An ocean of air that consists of 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, and 1 percent other constituents. Water cover its surface at least 70 percent. Water vapor in the atmosphere is responsible for much of Earth's weather.

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Mars

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Mars is the fourth planet, the Red planet. It's red because of rusty iron in the ground. Like Earth, Mars has seasons, polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons, and weather. It has a very thin atmosphere made of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon. Its most remarkable geological characteristic is the largest volcanic mountain, Olympus Mons. Mars has 2 moons.

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Saturn

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Saturn, the sixth planet, is a giant, gaseous planet with an intriguing atmosphere. The rings we see are made of groups of tiny ringlets that surround Saturn. They’re made of chunks of ice and rock. It is mostly a ball of hydrogen and helium. It could have 18 moons.

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Uranus

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Uranus, the seventh planet, is made of water, methane, and ammonia fluids above a small rocky center. Its atmosphere is made of hydrogen and helium like Jupiter and Saturn, but it also has methane. The methane makes Uranus blue. Uranus also has faint rings. The inner rings are narrow and dark. The outer rings are brightly colored and easier to see. Uranus has 15 moons.

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Neptune

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Neptune, the eighth planet and the smallest of the giant gas planets. It is dark, cold, and very windy. It's made of a thick soup of water, ammonia, and methane over an Earth-sized solid center. Its atmosphere is made of hydrogen, helium, and methane. The methane gives Neptune the same blue color as Uranus. Neptune has six rings, but they're very hard to see.

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Mercury

Back 9

Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system. It’s just a little bigger than Earth’s moon. It is the closest planet to the sun, but it’s actually not the hottest. Venus is hotter. It has a solid surface that is covered with craters. It has a thin atmosphere, and it doesn’t have any moons. Mercury likes to keep things simple. A day on Mercury is not like a day here on Earth. Because Mercury has a slow spin and short year, it takes a long time for the sun to rise and set there. Mercury only has one sunrise every 180 Earth days!