What is the solar system?
The solar system is one great family, involving the sun and 8 unique planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
The planets travel around the sun in a big circle, held together by the force of the Sun's gravity. Each planet has their own special characteristic(s) that make them stand out from each other.
An easy way to remember the order of these planets is by remembering this easy phrase:
My
Very
Eager
Mother
Just
Served
Us
Nachos.
Mercury
Size: Radius of 1,516 miles (2,440 kilometers)
Distance from the sun: 36 million miles (58 million kilometers/0.4 astronomical units)
Fun Facts:
- Has no moons
- Smallest planet in our solar system
- Slightly larger than Earth’s moon
Venus
Size: Diameter of about 7,521 miles(12,104 kilometers)
Distance from the sun: 67 million miles (108 million kilometers/0.72 astronomical units)
Fun Facts:
- Hottest planet in our solar system
- Sometimes called Earth’s twin
- Only planet named after a female god, the ancient Roman goddess of love and beauty(Aphrodite)
Earth
Size: Diameter of 7926 miles(12,760 kilometers)
Distance from the sun: 93 million miles (150 million kilometers/1 astronomical unit)
Fun Facts:
- Only world in our solar system with liquid water on the surface
- Takes about eighth minutes for light from the sun to reach our planet
- The name Earth is a Germanic word meaning “the ground”
Mars
Size:Radius of 2,106 miles (3,390 kilometers)
Distance from the sun: 142 million miles (228 million kilometers/1.5 astronomical units)
Fun Facts:
- Half the size of Earth
- Has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos
- Home to the largest volcano in the solar system
Jupiter
Size:Radius of 43,440.7 miles
Distance from the sun: 484 million miles (778 million kilometers/5.2 astronomical units)
Fun Facts:
- Twice as massive as all the other planets combined
- Oldest planet
- Has the shortest day in the solar system(10.5 hours)
Saturn
Size: Diameter of about 74,898 miles (about 120,536 kilometers)
Distance from the sun: 889.8 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers)
Fun Facts:
- Some of Saturn’s moons have conditions that might support life
- Has 53 known moons
- About two tons of Saturn’s mass came from Earth
Uranus
Size: Diameter of 31,763 miles (51,118 kilometers)
Distance from the sun: 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers/19 astronomical units)
Fun Facts:
- Appears to spin sideways
- Very cold and windy planet
- A day on Uranus takes about 17 hours
Neptune
Size: Diameter of 30,775 miles (49,528 kilometers)
Distance from the sun: 2.8 billion miles (4.5 billion kilometers/30 astronomical units)
Fun Facts:
- Also experiences seasons, however each of the four seasons lasts for over 40 years as its year is very long(165 Earth years)
- 16 known moons
- Most distant planet from the sun(30 times farther from the Sun than Earth)
