The Solar System

THE SPACE & BEYOND BLOG
OUR SOLAR SYSTEM’S PLANETS

A guide to our solar system’s eight planets
The planets of our solar system are fascinating worlds,
divided into two categories: terrestrial and jovian. The
terrestrial planets are small, rocky worlds and include
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The jovian planets are gas
giants and consist of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
The order of the planets in our solar system, starting closest
to the sun and working outward is: Mercury, Venus, Earth,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Here is a short
guide to our solar system’s planets and fun facts about
them!
MERCURY
The innermost planet is the smallest in the solar system – it’s

just a little larger than Earth’s Moon! It has such a high
density that more than half of it must be made out of iron
and nickel. The planet’s surface shows lots of craters, most
dating from the age of heavy bombardment that
characterized the solar system about 4 billion years ago. On
Mercury, you would either freeze or roast; the highest
surface temperature is 870° F, while the lowest temperature
is -300° F.
VENUS
Of all the planets, Venus most resembles Earth. The two

have nearly the same size and density; however, Venus’
surface bakes at a temperature of 800° Fahrenheit. Its
massive atmosphere of carbon dioxide traps solar radiation
and creates a runaway greenhouse effect. Venus is the
brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon, and is
covered with craters, mountains, volcanos and lava plains.
EARTH
Our home planet is about 93 million miles from the Sun. It

goes around the Sun in 365 and ¼ days; every four years, the
extra quarters add up to one whole day and we add a day to
the end of February, creating a leap year. From space, Earth
looks like the blue water world it is. About 70 percent of
Earth’s surface is covered with water, and 97 percent of that
water is in the salty oceans. The highest point on Earth’s
surface is Mount Everest on the border of Nepal and China,
at 29,035 feet.
MARS
Mars has long fascinated humans, largely because its

surface can be seen clearly from Earth. Spacecraft and rover
missions have revealed a nuanced world, where craters
share space with massive (albeit extinct) volcanoes, giant
canyons and dry channels. There’s little doubt that liquid
water once existed on the martian surface, and many
wonder if life might have followed! Rust in the soil creates
the Red Planet’s signature color. The lowest surface
temperature on Mars is -190° F, while the hottest
temperature is 90° F.
JUPITER
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, with a

diameter of 89,000 miles. Eleven Earths would fit side by side
across the face of it! It takes Jupiter 12 Earth years to go
around the Sun once, but only takes 10 hours to spin on its
axis one time. Jupiter’s atmosphere is mostly made of
hydrogen and helium, and the colorful cloud bands we see
are actually cloud layers. The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is a
gigantic storm that’s been around for almost 400 years. The
average temperature at the top of Jupiter’s clouds is -244° F.
SATURN
Saturn is the second-largest planet in the solar system, with

a diameter of 74,900 kilometers. It does not have a solid
surface and the atmosphere is mostly made of hydrogen
and helium, like Jupiter. Saturn also has beautiful bands like
Jupiter, but they are hidden by haze and smog. The average
temperature on Saturn is -300° F. Saturn’s ring system is the
largest of all the planets and are made of ice and rock
particles – some as big as a minivan!
URANUS
Uranus is the third-largest planet in the solar system. About

four Earths would fit side-by-side across its face. Uranus has
an average temperature of -350° F and does not have a solid
surface. The planet goes around the Sun once every 84 Earth
years.
NEPTUNE
Neptune is slightly smaller than Uranus and orbits at a

distance of 2.8 billion miles, 30 times farther than Earth. Like
other gas-giant planets, Neptune’s “surface” is the top of its
deep atmosphere. This contains hydrogen, helium and
methane, giving the planet its blue color. Six narrow rings
encircle Neptune. Because some places have more particles
than others, Neptune’s rings form arcs around the planet.
The average temperature is -370° F.

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THE SPACE & BEYOND BLOG

OUR SOLAR SYSTEM’S PLANETS

The innermost planet is the smallest in the solar system – it’s

Of all the planets, Venus most resembles Earth. The two

Our home planet is about 93 million miles from the Sun. It

Mars has long fascinated humans, largely because its

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, with a

Saturn is the second-largest planet in the solar system, with

Uranus is the third-largest planet in the solar system. About

Neptune is slightly smaller than Uranus and orbits at a

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