Planets

In our solar system, nine planets circle around our Sun. The Sun sits in the middle while the planets travel in circular paths (called orbits) around it. These nine planets travel in the same direction (counter- clockwise looking down from the Sun's north pole). The picture on the right shows the different paths and positions of each plane.

THE SOLAR SYSTEM IS MADE UP OF TWO PARTS:

The inner solar system contains Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. These four planets are closest to the Sun.

The outer solar system contains Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

The inner planets are separated from the outer planets by the Asteroid Belt.These nine planets are grouped in many different ways. Two easy groupings are composition (what they are made up of) and size.

COMPOSITIONROCKY PLANETS (Mercury - Venus - Earth - Mars - Pluto)The rocky planets are mostly made up of rock and metal. These planets are very heavy and move slowly. They also do not have rings and very few moons.GAS PLANETS (Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus - Neptune)The gas planets are mostly made up of gases (hydrogen and helium). These planets are light for their sizes (just like a big air balloon) and move quickly. They have rings and lots of moons.

SIZESMALL PLANETS (Mercury - Venus - Earth - Mars - Pluto)The small planets have diameters less than 13000 km across. Mercury and Pluto are sometimes referred to as lesser planets because they are so tiny.GIANT PLANETS (Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus - Neptune)The giant planets have diameters greater than 48000 km. The giant planets are sometimes also referred to as gas giants.

MERCURY Mercury is the planet closest to our Sun, and it is the eighth largest of the nine planets.

Mercury is a small, rocky planet - much like our Moon. It is covered with craters and has changed very little from when it was first formed.Mercury takes 59 days to make a rotation but only 88 days to circle the Sun. That means that there are fewer than 2 days in a year! Many astronomers believe that Mercury might be the core of what was once a much larger planet -- it appears to be a huge ball of iron covered by a thin layer of rock.

VENUS Venus is the brightest planet in our sky and can sometimes be seen with the naked eye if you know where to look. It is the solar system's brightest planet -- yellow clouds of sulfuric acid reflect the sun's light.Venus is the second planet from the Sun, and the sixth largest of all the nine planets. Venus' hot temperature is due to what we call "the Greenhouse Effect." The large amount of carbon dioxide in Venus' atmosphere acts like a blanket. The heat gets trapped underneath the thick layer of clouds. Because the heat has nowhere to go, Venus gets hotter and stays hot.

EARTHEarth is the only planet whose English name does not derive from Greek or Roman mythology. The name comes from Old English and Germanic language. There are, of course, hundreds of other names for the planet in other languages.Earth, of course, can be studied without the aid of spacecraft. It was not until the twentieth century that we had maps of the entire planet. Pictures of our planet taken from space are very important! They are a big help in predicting the weather - especially in tracking and predicting hurricanes. They are also extraordinarily beautiful.

MARSMars is the god of War. In Greek mythology, he is known as Ares. The planet probably got this name due to its red color; Mars is sometimes referred to as the "Red Planet." The name of the month March derives from Mars. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest of the nine planets. Mars comes in second place (Earth being in first) for having the most highly varied and interesting terrain of any of the terrestrial planets.

JUPITERJupiter (a.k.a. "Jove") was the King of the Roman Gods and the patron of the Roman state. To the ancient Greeks, he was known as Zeus, ruler of the Greek Gods and Mount Olympus.

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and by far the largest of all nine planets. Jupiter is more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined - It's 318 times bigger than the Earth!

Jupiter does not have a solid surface due to its gaseous composition. The swirls and bands we see when looking at Jupiter are the tops of clouds high in its atmosphere.

SATURNIn Roman mythology, Saturn is the god of agriculture. He is known as Cronus in Greek mythology. Cronus was the father of Zeus (Jupiter). Saturn is the root of the English word "Saturday."

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun, and the second largest of the nine planets. Like Jupiter, Saturn has bands (left). Saturn's bands, however, are much fainter. The bands are also much wider near the equator.

URANUSUranus is the ancient Greek God of the Heavens - the earliest supreme god. He was the father of Cronus (also known as Saturn in Roman mythology) and of the Cyclopes and Titans (predecessors of the Olympian gods).Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and the third largest of the nine planets (in size). Uranus is larger in size but smaller in weight than Neptune.

NEPTUNEIn Roman mythology Neptune was the god of the Sea. He is known as Poseidon in Greek mythology. The planet was probably named after the sea gods because of its deep blue color.Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the fourth largest (by size) of the nine planets. Neptune is smaller in size but it's heavier than Uranus.

Neptune's blue color is the result of a gas called "methane" in its atmosphere. Like the other gas planets, Neptune has rapid winds trapped in "bands" of latitude and large storms. Neptune's winds are the fastest in the solar system, reaching 2000 km/hour!

PLUTOIn Roman mythology, Pluto is the god of the underworld. In Greek mythology, he is known as Hades, ruler of the underworld. The planet received this name perhaps because it's so far from the Sun that it is in perpetual darkness. Pluto used to be the farthest planet from the Sun (usually) and by far the smallest of the nine planets. Pluto is smaller than seven of the solar system's moons! Now it's officially not a planet at all, just a "dwarf planet.

To date, not much is known about the planet, Pluto. Most of the information we have is largely based on speculation and inference. Its moon, Charon, helps scientists with various calculations relating to the properties and characteristics of Pluto.Pluto is so far away that even the Hubble Space Telescope can make out only the largest features on its surface. This is why available pictures look so blocky and ambiguous.

SPRING MONTESSORI ACADEMYIriga City

Submitted by:

BETTINA PAULINE L. FRANCIA Grade VI

Submitted to:

JO MAREELEN L. CARMELO Teacher