2. By Chase Atkinson

3.  Mercury was named for a swift messenger god who wore winged sandals.  Mercury doesn’t have an atmosphere. This means there is no air.  Mercury is the 1 st planet from the Sun.

4.  You can see Venus shining low in the western sky at night.  Venus is almost the same size as Earth.  Venus is the 2 nd planet from the Sun.

5.  From space Earth looks like a ball covered with white clouds.  One year on Earth is 365 days long.  Earth is the 3 rd planet from the Sun.

6.  Mars was named for the Roman God of War.  Mars is about half the size of Earth.  Mars is the 4 th planet from the Sun.

7.  Jupiter is the largest planet.  If Jupiter was hollow, more than 1,000 planets the size of Earth could fit inside it.  Jupiter is the 5 th planet from the Sun.

8.  Saturn is nearly ten times the size of Earth.  From space, it looks like a shiny, golden globe.  Saturn is the 6 th planet from the Sun.

9.  Uranus’ light blue- green appearance is caused by the presence of methane gas clouds.  Uranus lies on its side, with the north pole facing the Sun.  Uranus is the 7 th planet from the Sun.

10.  Neptune has 4 or more rings which are very narrow and difficult to see.  Winds on the surface of Neptune reach 600 mph.  Neptune is the 8 th planet from the Sun.

11.  Pluto is a dwarf planet.  Pluto has one moon “Charon”.  Pluto is the 9 th planet from the Sun.