1. Planets in the Solar System Earth Science Chapter 3

2. The Planets There are nine planets in our solar system. They each rotate around the sun in an elliptical orbit. The nine planets are: 1.Venus6. Saturn 2.Mercury7. Uranus 3.Earth8. Neptune 4.Mars 9. Pluto 5.Jupiter

3. Mercury -Planet closest to the sun -One of the hottest planets -Rocky, cratered surface -Steep cliffs -Extremely thin atmosphere

4. Venus -2 nd planet from the sun -Thick cloud cover -Greenhouse effect -Retrograde rotation -Vast plains -High mountains

5. Earth -3 rd planet from the sun -Atmosphere of oxygen and nitrogen -Contains living things -Earth’s surface is 97% water

6. Mars -4 th planet from the sun -Polar ice caps -Pink sky -Rust-colored surface -Explored by Vikings 1 and 2 -Has two tiny moons

7. Jupiter -5 th planet form the sun -Great red spot -Magnetosphere -Extremely high temperatures -Explored by Voyagers 1 and 2 -Has moons called Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto

8. Saturn -6 th planet from the sun -Has many rings and ringlets -Spins rapidly on axis -Made mainly of hydrogen and helium gases -Titan, the only moon with substantial atmosphere

9. Uranus -7 th planet from the sun -Rotates on its side -Has a greenish-blue color -Has 9 known rings surrounding it -Has 15 moons

10. Neptune - 8 th planet from the sun -Mathematician’s planet -Has thick cloud cover -Has rocky core surrounded by slush of water and frozen methane

11. Pluto -9 th planet from the sun -Smallest and least massive planet -Made of various ices -Coldest planet -Possibly a double planet