Solar System

The Solar
System
A GP research paper
Index
1. What is the Solar
System?
2. The Sun
3. All the 8 planets of our
Solar System
4. More stuff (Asteroids,
Comets, Asteroid Belt
and Kuiper Belt)
5. Dwarf Planets
What is the Solar System?
The Solar System is
the gravitationally bound
planetary system of the Sun and
the objects that orbit it.
The planetary system around the Sun contain eight

planets. The first four planets, Mercury, Venus,
Earth and Mars are terrestrial planets, being
mostly composed of rock and metal.
Beyond the asteroid belt, there are more four giant
planets, which are much larger and more massive
than the terrestrial planets. Jupiter and Saturn,
the two largest planets of our Solar System are
composed of mainly hydrogen and helium, hence
they are known as 'Gas Giants'. Uranus and Neptune
are known as 'Ice Giants' since they are composed
of substances with higher melting points, such as
such as water, ammonia, and methane.
All eight planets have nearly circular orbits that lie
near the plane of Earth's orbit.
The Sun
The Sun is a star made out of hydrogen and helium held

together by its own gravity. It holds the solar system
together, keeping everything in its orbit.
It is the also the largest object in our solar system,

before Jupiter.
The hottest part of the Sun is its core, where

temperatures top 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15
million degrees Celsius). The Sun’s activity, from its
powerful eruptions to the steady stream of charged
particles it sends out, influences the nature of space
throughout the solar system.
Mercury
Mercury is the smallest planet, being 74.8 million km², in

the Solar System and the closest to the Sun.
Its orbit around the Sun takes 88 Earth days, while a day
on the planet lasts about 59 days. The planet has no
natural satellites.
Mercury's surface temperatures are both extremely hot

and cold. Since the planet is very close to the Sun,
temperatures at day can reach of 430°C. Without an
atmosphere to retain that heat at night, temperatures
can be as low as -180°C.
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. The planet is

460.2 million km² in size. The planet's orbit takes 225
days and the length of a day on the planet is 243 days.
Venus is also known as Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet

as it is almost as large and has a similar composition.
The planet has no natural satellites.
The atmosphere of Venus consists mainly of carbon

dioxide, and, at the planet’s surface is the densest and
hottest of the atmospheres of the four terrestrial
planets, the average surface temperature being 452°C.
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only known
habitable place in the universe. It is 510.1 million km² in
size. Earth is also known as the 'Blue Planet' due to being
over 71% covered in water. Therefore from outer space it
appears blue.
A day on the planet lasts about 24 hours, while its orbit

takes about 365 days.
The Earth's atmosphere is made up of approximately

78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, with small amounts of
other gases such as carbon dioxide, neon, and hydrogen.
The natural satelite of the Earth is The Moon.
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-
smallest(144.8 million km²) planet in the Solar System,
larger only than Mercury.
A day on Mars is about 24.6 hours and a year is about 678
days.
Mars has two natural satelites, Phobos and Deimos. Mars
is known as the Red Planet because iron minerals in the
soil oxidize, causing the soil and atmosphere to look red.
The atmosphere of Mars is much thinner than Earth's
and contains more than 95% carbon dioxide and much
less than 1% oxygen.
Temperatures on Mars average about -81 degrees F.
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest(61.42
billion km²) planet in the Solar System.
It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times
that of all the other planets in the Solar System added up, and
a bit less than one one-thousandth the mass of the Sun.
A day on Jupiter is about 10 hours and a year is about 12 years.
Jupiter is primarily composed of hydrogen, followed by helium,

which constitutes a quarter of its mass and a tenth of its
volume.
The planet has 53 named moons. Scientists have discovered

26 more. But those 26 moons do not have official names.
Scientists now think Jupiter has 79 moons.
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-
largest planet in our solar system, after Jupiter. A day on
Saturn is 10 hours and a year is 29 years.
The planet's most notable feature is its prominent ring

system, which is composed mainly of ice particles, with a
smaller amount of rocky debris and dust.
Hydrogen makes up nearly all of the atmosphere, with

lesser amounts of helium and much lesser quantities of
methane and ammonia. Saturn also has clouds made of
ammonia ice crystals.
At least 83 moons are known to orbit Saturn, of which 53

are officially named.
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It is 8.083 billion

km² in size.
A day on the planet is 17 hours and a year on Uranus is 84

years.
Uranus rotates at a nearly 90-degree angle from the plane

of its orbit. This unique tilt makes Uranus appear to spin on
its side. The planet has 27 known moons.
Uranus' atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium, with a

small amount of methane and traces of water and
ammonia. The methane gives Uranus its blue color.
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest
known planet in the Solar System. Neptune has 14 known
moons.
A day on the planet is 16 hours and a year on Uranus is 165

years.
Neptune's thick atmosphere is mostly hydrogen, with

smaller amounts of helium and methane. It is the
absorption of red light by methane which gives Neptune its
very blue coloration. .
More Stuff
Asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of
the inner Solar System. Sizes and
shapes of asteroids vary
significantly, ranging from 1-meter
rocks to a dwarf planet almost
1000 km in diameter; they are
rocky, metallic or icy bodies with
no atmosphere.
Comet
Comets are frozen leftovers from
the formation of the solar system
composed of dust, rock, and ices.
They range from a few miles to
tens of miles wide, but as they
orbit closer to the Sun, they heat
up and spew gases and dust into a
glowing head that can be larger
than a planet. This material forms
a tail that stretches millions of
miles.
The Asteroid Belt
The asteroid belt is a donut-shaped region

in the Solar System, centered on the Sun
and inbetweenthe space between the
orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It
contains many solid irregularly shaped
bodies called asteroids or minor planets.
The Kuiper Belt
Similar to the asteroid belt, the
Kuiper Belt is a region of leftovers
from the solar system's early
history. Like the asteroid belt, it
has also been shaped by a giant
planet, although it's more of a
thick disk (like a donut) than a thin
belt.
Dwarf Planets
There are three conditions for an object in the Solar System to be
considered a planet:
The object must be in orbit around the Sun.

The object must be massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity.
It must have cleared the neighborhood around its orbit (Meaning the
object's orbit should not overlap with any other planet's orbit).
Objects that meet the first and second criterias but not the third
criterias are considered to be dwarf planets.
A dwarf planet is a small planetary-mass object that is in direct
orbit of the Sun, smaller than any of the eight classical planets but
still a world in its own right. The prototypical dwarf planet is Pluto.
Ceres Pluto
Bibliography
Google
Wikipedia
NASA

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The Solar

The planetary system around the Sun contain eight

The Sun is a star made out of hydrogen and helium held

It is the also the largest object in our solar system,

The hottest part of the Sun is its core, where

Mercury is the smallest planet, being 74.8 million km², in

Mercury's surface temperatures are both extremely hot

Venus is the second planet from the Sun. The planet is

Venus is also known as Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet

The atmosphere of Venus consists mainly of carbon

A day on the planet lasts about 24 hours, while its orbit

The Earth's atmosphere is made up of approximately

A day on Jupiter is about 10 hours and a year is about 12 years.

Jupiter is primarily composed of hydrogen, followed by helium,

The planet has 53 named moons. Scientists have discovered

The planet's most notable feature is its prominent ring

Hydrogen makes up nearly all of the atmosphere, with

At least 83 moons are known to orbit Saturn, of which 53

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It is 8.083 billion

A day on the planet is 17 hours and a year on Uranus is 84

Uranus rotates at a nearly 90-degree angle from the plane

Uranus' atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium, with a

A day on the planet is 16 hours and a year on Uranus is 165

Neptune's thick atmosphere is mostly hydrogen, with

The asteroid belt is a donut-shaped region

The object must be in orbit around the Sun.

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