by:

Zarif Saabab
Planets
In our
Solar
System


Diameter: 4,880 km
Distance to Sun:
57,910,000 km (0.38 AU)
Orbital Period: 88 Days
Surface Area: 75,000,000
km2
Number of Moons: 0
Axial Tilt: 0.01º
Mercury is currently the
smallest planet in the so-
lar system. It is the also
the closest planet to the
sun. The time it takes for
one whole axial rotation
is 58 Earth days so within
two-axial rotation a whole
Mercurial year would pass.
Mercury can be mainly seen
in the sky during dawn or
dusk.
The name of the plan-
et comes from a Roman

are not very well known.
The rst known observa-
tion of Mercury was over
5,000 years ago by an an-
cient civilization called the
Sumerians. Mercury has
an incredibly small axial
tilt being basically at right
angles to the Sun, so that
the Sun is always over the
equator at any time of its
year.
1
Mercury
Diameter: 12,100 km
Distance to Sun:
108,200,000 km (0.72 AU)
Orbital Period: 225 Days
Surface Area:
460,000,000 km2
Number of Moons: 0
Axial Tilt: 177.3º
Venus is the second plan-
et from the Sun and is the
closest planet to Earth,
with the closest distance
being 38,200,000 km. The
time it takes to make one
whole axial rotation is 243
Earth days, so that it takes

temperate is 470ºC making
it the hottest planet in the
solar system. Its surface
is manly rocky and hard
with numerous volcanoes
all over the planet. Venus
is the hottest planet in
the solar system because
its thick atmosphere and
green house gases traps
huge amounts of heat from
the Sun. The Babylonians
were the rst to record
observations of the planet
over 3,600 years ago.
2
Venus
Diameter: 12,756 km
Distance to Sun:
149,600,000 km (1 AU)
Orbital Period: 365 Days
Surface Area:
510,000,000 km2
Number of Moons: 1
Axial Tilt: 23.4º
Earth, the third planet
from the Sun and the only
planet in this solar system
that can support life. Earth
is also the largest of the

planet by shielding harmful
UV rays from the Sun. More
than three quarters of the
Earths surface is covered
with water, which include
rivers, lakes, seas, oceans,
glaciers, and ice caps. The
lowest temperature ever
recorded on Earth is –89ºC
and the highest is 58ºC,
with an average tempera-
ture of 22ºC. The surface
ranges from tall moun-
tains to deep valleys, but
mainly covered with wa-
ter. Over 3,000 years ago
early Greek philosophers
thought that Earth was a
at dish. Earth has only
one moon called Luna, and
its pull of gravity is what
causes the rise and fall of
the oceans called tides.
3
Earth
Diameter: 6,780 km
Distance to Sun:
227,940,000 km (1.52 AU)
Orbital Period:
687 Earth Days

comprised of carbon diox-
ide with small amounts of
nitrogen and argon, with
small traces of oxygen and
carbon monoxide and wa-
ter vapor.
The surface is comprised
of mainly Iron Oxide in
the form of dust and rock
as well as many big vol-
canoes, deep valleys, and
large plains. Water in the
form of ice can be found on
the north polar ice cap of
Mars, features resembling
riverbeds, estuaries and
shorelines have led scien-
tist to speculate whether
life ever existed on Mars.
Many space probes, landers
and rovers were sent to
Mars but none of them
reported any signs of life
on the planet. Over 4,000
years ago ancient Egyptian
astronomers were the rst
to observe Mars.
4
Mars
Diameter: 142,984 km

Jove. The atmosphere is
mostly of hydrogen, hydro-
gen sulde and some he-
lium along traces of meth-
ane, water vapor, ammonia
and other gases. Due to its
huge gravitational pull Ju-
piter has over 60 known
natural satellites that orbit
around it.
Jupiter like the other gas
giants is a very cold planet
with the lowest tempera-
ture being –170ºC and
the highest temperature
being –110ºC, but has an
average temperature of
–163ºC. Jupiter has a small
molten core although there
is no clear surface that can
be seen as it is surround-
ed by many different lay-
ers of metallic, liquid, and
gaseous hydrogen as well
as other gases. Jupiter is
in fact so heavy that it is
twice as heavy than all the
other planets put togeth-
er, but is still only 1/1000
the mass of the Sun. Jupi-

nearly as bright as the oth-
er planets closer to Earth.
The name comes from the
Roman god of farming,
civilization, and prosperity.
Its atmosphere much like
that of Jupiter comprises of
mainly hydrogen and small
amounts of helium as well
as trace elements of meth-
ane, water vapor, and am-
monia. The most distinc-
tive quality of Saturn is
its rings that surround the
planet in its equator, these
rings are made of billions of
ice and rock particles that
reect sunlight to sparkle.
The surface temperatures,
much like Jupiter are very
cold with the lowest tem-
perature being –190ºC and
the highest being –120ºC,
with an average tempera-
ture of –130ºC. It does
have a solid molten core
at a depth of 52,300 km
below the surface that is
surrounded by layers of
metallic and molecular hy-

axial rotation is 17.2 Earth
hours. Uranus is the one
of two planets that cannot
be seen by the naked eye,
and have been discovered
by the use of telescopes.
The name for Uranus does
not come from the Romans
but in fact comes from the
Greek god of the heavens,
had the name come from
the Romans it would have
been called ‘Caelus’. Its at-
mosphere is quite similar
to that of Jupiter and Sat-
urn as it mainly contains
hydrogen as well as some
helium and methane with
traces of ammonia. The tilt
of axis is almost at right
angles to the Sun so that it
seems like the entire plan-
et is on its side.
Its surface temperature is
colder than both Jupiter
and Saturn with the lowest
temperature being –214ºC
and the highest tempera-
ture being –200ºC, it has
an average temperature

The eighth planet, Nep-
tune is the furthest and
last planet in our solar
system it is also the sec-
ond ice giant. Neptune is
also the coldest planet in
the solar system being so
far away from the Sun. Its
lowest temperature goes
down to –223ºC and the
highest being –218ºC but
has an average of –218ºC.
Its axial rotation is about
16.1 hours making it slow-
er than that of Uranus but
its orbit around the Sun is
double that of Uranus. Nep-
tune also cannot be seen
with the naked eye and a
telescope is needed to see
the planet with its distinc-
tive characteristics. The
name comes from the Ro-
man god of the sea partly
due to the distinctive dark
blue hue of the planet. Its
atmosphere is again most-
ly hydrogen with some he-
lium and traces of methane
and ethane. The fastest

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