Our Planets

The Sun  Location: Center of the solar system  Rotation: 24 hours at the equator, 35 hours at the poles  Revolution: The sun has a very small orbit around the absolute center (barycenter) of our solar system The Sun (and our solar system) orbit around the Milky Way Galaxy – 230 million year orbit  Atmosphere: photosphere, chromosphere, corona  Surface: no surface, ball of gas made up of hydrogen and helium  The temperature at the Sun’s core is about 15 million degrees Celsius

Mercury  Smallest planet in the solar system A little larger than our Moon  1 st planet from the Sun 58 million km or 0.39 AU  Rotation: 59 Earth days  Revolution: 88 Earth days  Atmosphere: cannot retain an atmosphere What is does have is primarily oxygen, sodium, hydrogen and helium  Surface: solid, cratered surface (like our Moon)  Moons: No moons  Interesting Facts: Daytime temperatures can reach 800 degrees Fahrenheit (430 degrees Celsius) and drop to -290 degrees Fahrenheit (-180 degrees Celsius) at night

Venus  A little smaller than Earth  2 nd planet from the Sun 108 million km or 0.72 AU  Rotation: 243 Earth days  Revolution: 225 Earth days  Atmosphere: TOXIC! Carbon dioxide, nitrogen, sulfuric acid clouds  Surface: volcanic surface with few craters  Moons: No moons  Interesting Facts: A day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus Venus spins backwards (retrograde rotation) when compared to the other planets. This means that the sun rises in the west and sets in the east on Venus

Earth  If the Sun were as tall as a typical front door the Earth would be the size of a Nickel  3 rd planet from the Sun 150 million km or 1.0 AU  Rotation: 24 hours  Revolution: 365 days  Atmosphere: nitrogen and oxygen  Surface: solid and dynamic surface of mountains, valleys, canyons, plains OCEANS!  Moons: 1 moon  Interesting Facts: Earth’s atmosphere allows life on the planet Earth is the only known planet to harbor life

Mars  If the Sun were as tall as a typical front door, Mars would be the size of an aspirin tablet  4 th planet from the Sun 228 million km or 1.52 AU  Rotation: A little over 24 Earth hours  Revolution: 687 Earth days  Atmosphere: thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon  Surface: Mars' solid surface has been altered by volcanoes, impacts, and atmospheric effects such as dust storms  Moons: 2 moons (Phobos & Deimos)  Interesting Facts: Call the Red Planet because iron minerals in the Martian soil oxidize (rust) to create a red appearance Home to the largest known mountain (volcano) in the entire solar system – three times higher than Mt. Everest!

Jupiter  If the Sun were as tall as a typical front door, Jupiter would be the size of a basketball (largest planet)  5 th planet from the Sun 778 million km or 5.2 AU  Rotation: 10 Earth hours  Revolution: 4,333 Earth days (12 years)  Atmosphere: mostly hydrogen and helium  Surface: no solid surface predicted that Jupiter has a solid core about the size of the Earth  Moons: 50 known moons and an additional 17 waiting on confirmation (67 moons total!)  Rings: 3 rings  Interesting Facts: Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is an atmospheric storm (the size of Earth) that has been rotating around Jupiter for more than 300 years

Saturn  If the Sun were as tall as a typical front door, Saturn would be a little smaller than a basketball.  6 th planet from the Sun 1.4 billion km or 9.5 AU  Rotation: 10.7 Earth hours  Revolution: 29 Earth years  Atmosphere: mostly hydrogen and helium Ammonia ice near the top of the clouds  Surface: no solid surface  Moons: 53 known moons with 9 moons awaiting confirmation  Rings: 7 rings  Interesting Facts: Has an amazing ring system – seven major rings of rock and ice Gaps between the rings are caused by gravitational affects of its moons

Uranus  If the Sun were as tall as a typical front door, Uranus would be the size of a baseball  7 th planet from the Sun 2.9 billion km or AU  Rotation: 17 Earth hours  Revolution: 84 Earth years  Atmosphere: hydrogen, helium and small amounts of methane  Surface: Uranus is an ice giant. Most of the planet's mass is made up of a hot dense fluid of "icy" materials – water, methane, and ammonia – above a small rocky core.  Moons: 27 moons  Rings: 13 rings  Interesting Facts: Methane gas gives the planet its blue glow Known as the sideways planet – rotates on its side so it appears to spin horizontally Has a retrograde rotation (like Venus)

Neptune  If the Sun were as tall as a typical front door, Neptune would be slightly smaller than a baseball  8 th planet from the Sun 4.5 billion km or AU  Rotation: 16 Earth hours  Revolution: 165 Earth years  Atmosphere: hydrogen, helium and small amounts of methane  Surface: Sister ice giant to Uranus. Mostly made of a very thick, very hot combination of water, ammonia, and methane over a possible heavier, approximately Earth-sized, solid core.  Moons: 13 moons with 1 awaiting confirmation  Rings: 6 rings  Interesting Facts: Methane in the atmosphere gives Neptune its blue glow Neptune just made its first full orbit around the Sun since it was discovered in 1846

Pluto  If the Sun were as tall as a typical front door, Pluto would be the size of a head of a pin  9 th “planet” from the Sun (actually a DWARF planet) 5.9 billion km or AU  Rotation: About 6.39 Earth days  Revolution: 248 Earth years  Atmosphere: Pluto has a thin atmospheres that expands when it comes closer to the sun and collapses as it moves farther away.  Surface: Dwarf planets are solid rocky and/or icy bodies. The amount of rock vs. ice depends on their location in the solar system.  Moons: 5 moons  Interesting Facts: Pluto crosses orbits with Neptune for about 20 years in each orbit Pluto’s rotational axis is tipped so far over that its north pole is actually South of its orbital plane.