The Solar System contains 8 planets orbiting the Sun. Mercury is the smallest planet and closest to the Sun. Venus has a toxic atmosphere that traps heat, making its surface hotter than Mercury's. Earth is the only known planet capable of sustaining life. Mars is a cold desert world about half the size of Earth. Jupiter is the largest planet and resembles a star, with massive storms like the Great Red Spot in its atmosphere. Saturn is notable for its extensive ring system composed of ice and rock. Uranus has a unique rotation on its side and blue color due to methane in its atmosphere. Neptune is the farthest and coldest gas giant, taking over 160 years to orbit the Sun.

1. {
The Solar System
The 8 Planets (AND THE SUN!)

2. THE 8 PLANETS:
1. Mercury
2. Venus
3. Earth
4. Mars
5. Jupiter
6. Saturn
7. Venus
8. Neptune
(9.) the SUN
The 8 Planets

3. Mercury
Mercury is the SMALLEST planet
and is the closest planet to the
sun!
* If you could stand on the surface of Mercury when
it is closest to the sun, the sun would appear 3 times
as large as it does when viewed from Earth!

4. Venus
Venus is similar to the size and
structure of Earth but its
atmosphere traps heat and is toxic.
It has a permanent layer of clouds
that traps heat, creating surface
temperatures hot enough to melt
lead. Venus spends slowly in the
opposite direction of the other
planets.

5. Earth
Earth is the ONLY planet
that inhabits life!
All the things we need to
survive exist under a think
layer of atmosphere that
separates us from the
cold, airless void of
space.

6. Mars
Mars is a cold desert
world. It is half the size of
Earth and has the same
amount of dry land. Like
Earth, Mars has seasons,
polar ice caps,
volcanoes, canyons and
weather, but its
atmosphere is too thin for
liquid water to exist for
long on the surface.

7. Jupiter
Jupiter is the largest planet in
the Solar System! It has dozens
of moons and resembles a star.
The planet’s swirling cloud
stripes are formed from massive
storms such as the Great Red
Spot.

8. Saturn
Saturn has thousands of
ringlets. The rings around
Saturn are made of chunks
of ice and rock. It is made
up of a massive ball of
hydrogen and helium.

9. Uranus
Uranus has 13 rings!
It is the only planet
whose equator is
nearly at right
angles to its orbit.
Uranus is blue in
color because its
methane.

10. Neptune
Neptune has 6 rings! It is a
dark and cold planet, and is
the last of the hydrogen and
helium gas planets in our solar
system. In 2011, Neptune
completed its first orbit since
its discovery in 1846.

11. The SUN
The Sun is actually a
star! It is a hot ball of
glowing gases at the
heart of our solar
system. If we did not
have the sun, there
would be no life on
Earth!