1. The Solar System
By Mr. C.

2. The Inner Planets
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars

3. The Outer Planets
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune

4. Mercury Mercury is the closest planet to the sun.
88 day orbit (year); 59 days to rotate (day)
-300 F (facing away from the Sun) to 800 F (facing the Sun)
It has an extremely thin atmosphere, thus many craters like our moon

5. Venus The hottest planet, yes even hotter than Mercury
Rotates (Spins) in opposite direction
Almost same size as Earth
Its day, the time it takes to rotate one time, is longer than its year, time to orbit the Sun

6. Earth Earth is apprx 4.5 billion years old
It is the only planet with life.
It is made up of 70% water
8 minutes from sunlight
The world is not round. It is an oblate spheroid, flattened at the poles and bulging at the equator.

7. Mars The “Red Planet” When iron rusts, it turns red
Frozen water at poles (not liquid)
2 weird looking moons
Tallest volcano, Olympus Mons (15 miles high, which is 3 times Mt. Everest)

8. Jupiter Largest planet (1,000 Earths)
Great Red Spot is a storm as big as Earth
Most moons (67 so far and climbing)
Shortest day (10 hours)

9. Saturn Rings made of ice and rocks go outwards 45,000 miles
Very light planet – can float on water
Titan, a moon that is larger than Mercury
29+ years to orbit the Sun

10. Uranus
The “Sideways Planet”
Voyager 2 (1986)
83% hydrogen, 15% helium

11. Neptune The cold, stormy, windy planet
Voyager 2 took 12 years to reach it
>1,000 mph winds
Methane gas = blue color
165 years to orbit the Sun

12. Pluto Pluto is only a dwarf planet
Another dwarf planet, Eris, is even further
It is very cold there.

13. References Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001
Microsoft Office clipart

14. The End