The document provides an overview of the eight planets in our solar system, highlighting key characteristics of each. Mercury is noted as the closest and densest planet, Venus is described as Earth’s twin with a hellish surface, Earth is unique for having liquid water, Mars is called the red planet, Jupiter is known for its moons, Saturn is the second-largest planet, Uranus was the first planet discovered with a telescope, and Neptune is the most distant and coldest planet. Each planet is accompanied by relevant external links for further information.

1. THE 8 PLANETS
IN OUR SOLAR
SYSTEM

2. Mercury is the closest
planet to the Sun, but it
does not have the
highest temperatures.
It is the second densest
planet of the Solar
System, but also the
smallest planet. The
structure of Mercury
makes it the most
similar planet to Earth.
https://nineplanets.org
MERCURY

3. VENUS It's a cloud-swaddled planet
named for a love goddess,
and often called Earth’s twin.
But pull up a bit closer, and
Venus turns hellish. Our
nearest planetary neighbor,
the second planet from the
Sun, has a surface hot
enough to melt lead. The
atmosphere is so thick that,
from the surface, the Sun is
just a smear of light.
https://science.nasa.gov/venus

4. https://science.nasa.gov/earth/facts
EARTH While Earth is only the fifth
largest planet in the solar
system, it is the only world
in our solar system with
liquid water on the surface.
Just slightly larger than
nearby Venus, Earth is the
biggest of the four planets
closest to the Sun, all of
which are made of rock and
metal.

5. MARS Mars is a cold
desert world. It is
half the size of
Earth. Mars is
sometimes called
the Red Planet. It's
red because of
rusty iron in the
ground.
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-
about-mars/en/

6. JUPITER Jupiter has a
long history of
surprising
scientists – all
the way back to
1610 when Galileo
Galilei found the
first moons
beyond Earth.
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-
about-jupiter/en/

7. SATURN
Saturn is the
sixth planet
from the Sun
and the
second-
largest
planet in our
solar system.
https://science.nasa.gov/saturn/facts

8. URANUS It was the first
planet found with the
aid of a telescope,
Uranus was
discovered in 1781 by
astronomer William
Herschel, although he
originally thought it
was either a comet or
a star.
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/
all-about-uranus/en/

9. NEPTUNE Dark, cold, and
whipped by
supersonic
winds, ice giant
Neptune is the
eighth and most
distant planet in
our solar
system.
https://science.nasa.gov/neptune/
facts