A JOURNEY THROUGH OUR SOLAR SYSTEM By: Vanessa Rossi

Our Nine Planets  Mercury  Venus  Earth  Mars  Jupiter  Saturn  Uranus  Neptune  Pluto

Our Planets At A Glance Mercury Venus Earth Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and because of this, it is very hot and often difficult to look at. It is a small rocky planet only slightly larger than our Moon. It also looks a lot like our Moon because it has lots of craters all over it. Mercury also has huge cliffs on its surface. Unlike many of the planets, Mercury doesn't have any moons. Venus is the second closest planet to the sun and is even hotter than Mercury even though it is further away. Venus is the sixth largest planet and is very similar to the Earth in mass and size. Venus turns the opposite way than all the other planets. It is a rocky planet which is surrounded by thick yellow clouds which are made up of sulphuric acid which is poisonous. Venus, like Mercury, has no moons and is usually visible with the naked eye because it is the brightest of all the planets. The Earth is the third closest planet to the sun and the fifth largest planet. It is small and rocky and as far as we know, the only planet that has life on it. About three quarters of the Earth's surface is covered with water and it is the only planet on which water can exist in liquid form on the surface. This is the reason that life can be sustained on it. The Earth is about billion years old. It is orbited by one moon.

Almost There…. MarsJupiter Saturn It is sometimes called 'The Red Planet'. Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and the seventh largest. It is a small rocky planet which is quite cold and lifeless. It has ice caps at both poles which is made up of carbon dioxide or what we call 'dry ice'. Mars is visible in the night sky with the naked eye. It has two tiny moons called Phobos (terror) and Deimos (panic). These moons orbit very close to Mars' surface. Jupiter is by far the largest of the nine planets and was named Jupiter after the King of the Roman Gods. It is more than twice as large as all the other planets combined - it's 318 times bigger than the Earth. Jupiter is a gas planet. One of its main features is the Great Red Spot which is an enormous oval of about 14000km by 35000km. It's big enough to swallow two or three of our planet Earths lying side by side! The swirls and bands which surround Jupiter are the tops of clouds high in its atmosphere. Jupiter is often the brightest "star" (second to Venus). It has four moons which you can see with a pair of binoculars. Saturn is the sixth farthest planet from the Sun and the second largest. It is another giant gas planet. People recognise Saturn because of its thousands of beautiful rings which are very bright. These rings are made up of lots of particles which circle Saturn at different speeds. They range in size from a couple of centimetres to several metres. You can see Saturn at night with the naked eye and it is easy to identify because it doesn't "twinkle" like stars do. Saturn has 18 known moons which is more than any other planet.

You’ve Made It!!! Uranus NeptunePluto The planet, Uranus, is the seventh planet from the sun and the third largest. It is a gas planet with a center that is made up of mostly rock and ice. Uranus has, like Jupiter and Saturn rings of particles which circle the planet. There are 11 known rings. Uranus spins differently from most planets because it seems to be tilted sideways instead of right side up. Uranus has 15 known moons. Uranus is quite difficult to see with the naked eye but is fairly easy to spot with binoculars (if you know exactly where to look). It looks like a small disc. Neptune is a deep blue-green in colour and was named for this after the Roman god of the sea. Like Uranus, the blue colour comes from the gas methane in its atmosphere. It is the eighth planet from the sun and the fourth largest. Neptune has 8 known moons, 7 small ones and one large one called 'Triton'. Neptune can be seen with binoculars but to see more than a very small disk you need to look at it through a large telescope. Because Pluto is the furthest planet from the sun, it is very dark and this was the reason it was given its name, after the Roman god of the underworld. It is also the smallest of the nine planets and the one which the scientist know the least about. They do know, however, that it is a small rocky planet and that like Uranus it looks like it is lying on it side. Pluto has one moon called Charon. You can see Pluto with a telescope but it is quite difficult to find without knowing exactly where to look.

It’s time to head back home to our own planet Earth! Hope you had fun on your journey through outer space!