Science topic - the 8 planets

1. …………………………………………………………………
SCIENCE ..
By: Kurtnee Love B. Mallo

2. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
Mercury
The smallest planet in our solar system and nearest to the Sun, Mercury
is only slightly larger tan Earth's Moon. From the surface of Mercury, the
Sun would appear more than three times as large as it does when viewed
from Earth, and the sunlight would be as much as seven times brighter.
Despite its proximity to the Sun, Mercury is not the hottest planet in our
solar system – that title belongs to nearby Venus, thanks to its dense
atmosphere.

3. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
10 Need-to-Know Things About Mercury
1.)SMALLEST
Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system—only slightly larger than Earth's Moon.
2.)INSIDER
It is the closest planet to the Sun at a distance of about 36 million miles (58 million kilometers) or 0.39
AU.
3.)LONG DAYS, SHORT YEARS
One day on Mercury (the time it takes for Mercury to rotate or spin once with respect to the stars) takes
59 Earth days. One day-night cycle on Mercury takes 175.97 Earth days. Mercury makes a complete orbit
around the Sun (a year in Mercury time) in just 88 Earth days.
4.)ROUGH SURFACE
Mercury is a rocky planet, also known as a terrestrial planet. Mercury has a solid, cratered surface,
much like the Earth's moon.

4. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
5.)CAN'T BREATHE IT
Mercury's thin atmosphere, or exosphere, is composed mostly of oxygen (O2), sodium (Na), hydrogen
(H2), helium (He), and potassium (K). Atoms that are blasted off the surface by the solar wind and
micrometeoroid impacts create Mercury's exosphere.
6.)MOONLESS
Mercury has no moons.
7.)RINGLESS
There are no rings around Mercury.
8.)TOUGH PLACE TO LIVE
No evidence for life has been found on Mercury. Daytime Temperatures can reach 430 degrees Celsius
(800 degrees Fahrenheit) and drop to -180 degrees Celsius (-290 degrees Fahrenheit) at night. It is unlikely
life (as we know it) could survive on this planet.

5. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
9.)BIG SUN
Standing on Mercury's surface at its closest approach to the Sun, our star would appear
more than three times larger than it does on Earth.
10.)ROBOTIC VISITORS
The two spacecraft of ESA-JAXA's BepiColombo are en route to Mercury. NASA's
Mariner 10 was the first mission to explore Mercury. NASA's MESSENGER was the first to
orbit the innermost planet.
Did You Know?
Because of Mercury's elliptical—egg-shaped—orbit and sluggish rotation, the morning Sun
appears to rise briefly, set and rise again from some parts of the planet's surface. The same
thing happens in reverse at sunset.
Reference:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mercury/overview/

6. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
Venus
Similar in size and structure to Earth, Venus has been called Earth's
twin. These are not identical twins, however – there are radical
differences between the two worlds. Venus has a thick, toxic
atmosphere filled with carbon dioxide and it’s perpetually shrouded
in thick, yellowish clouds of mostly sulfuric acid that trap heat,
causing a runaway greenhouse effect. It’s the hottest planet in our
solar system, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun. Venus has
crushing air pressure at its surface – more than 90 times that of Earth
– similar to the pressure you'd encounter a mile below the ocean on
Earth.

7. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
Venus
Venus was the first planet to be explored by a spacecraft –
NASA’s Mariner 2 successfully flew by and scanned the cloud-
covered world on Dec. 14, 1962. Since then, numerous
spacecraft from the U.S. and other space agencies have explored
Venus, including NASA’s Magellan, which mapped the planet's
surface with radar. The former Soviet Union is the only nation to
land on the surface of Venus to date, though the spacecraft did
not survive long in the harsh environment.

8. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
10 Need-to-Know Things About Venus
1.)EARTH-SIZED
If the sun were as tall as a typical front door, the Earth and Venus would each be about the size
of a nickel.
2.)SECOND ROCK
Venus orbits our Sun, a star. Venus is the second closest planet to the sun at a distance of about
67 million miles (108 million km).
3.)A DAY LONGER THAN A YEAR
One day on Venus lasts 243 Earth days because Venus spins backwards, with its sun rising in the
west and setting in the east.
4.)DIVERSE TERRAIN
Venus' solid surface is a volcanic landscape covered with extensive plains featuring high volcanic
mountains and vast ridged plateaus.

9. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
5.)MOONLESS AND RINGLESS
Venus has no moons and no rings.
6.)GREENHOUSE EFFECT
The planet’s surface temperature is about 900 degrees Fahrenheit (465 degrees Celsius)—hot enough
to melt lead.
7.)WATER ON VENUS
Many scientists believe water once existed on the surface. Future Venus explorers will search for
evidence of an ancient ocean.
8.)MANY VISITORS
More than 40 spacecraft have explored Venus. The ‘90s Magellan mission mapped the planet's
surface and Akatsuki is currently orbiting Venus.

10. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
9.)LIFE ON VENUS
Venus’ extreme temperatures and acidic clouds make it an unlikely place for life as we know it.
10.)SUPER ROTATING ATMOSPHERE
While the surface rotates slowly, the winds blow at hurricane force, sending clouds completely
around the planet every five days.
Did You Know?
The Soviet Union’s Venera 13 survived the intense heat and crushing pressure of Venus’ surface for more
than two hours. Engineers from several nations are currently studying methods to extend the life of
robotic spacecraft in the extreme environment.
Reference:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus/overview/

11. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Our home planet is the third planet from the Sun, and the only place
we know of so far that’s inhabited by living things.
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.
The name Earth is at least 1,000 years old. All of the planets, except
for Earth, were named after Greek and Roman gods and goddesses.
However, the name Earth is a Germanic word, which simply means
“the ground.”

12. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
10 Need-to-Know Things About Our Home Planet
1.)MEASURING UP
If the Sun were as tall as a typical front door, Earth would be the size of a nickel.
2.)THIRD ROCK
Earth orbits our Sun, a star. Earth is the third planet from the Sun at a distance of about 93 million
miles (150 million km).
3.)AS THE WORLD TURNS
A day on Earth is 24 hours. Earth makes a complete orbit around the sun (a year in Earth time) in
about 365 days.
4.)WE'RE ON IT
Earth is a rocky planet with a solid and dynamic surface of mountains, canyons, plains and more.
Most of our planet is covered in water.

13. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
5.)BREATHE EASY
Earth's atmosphere is 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen and 1 percent other ingredients—the
perfect balance to breathe and live.
6.)OUR COSMIC COMPANION
Earth has one moon.
7.)RINGLESS
Earth has no rings.
8.)ORBITAL SCIENCE
Many orbiting spacecraft study the Earth from above as a whole system—observing the atmosphere,
ocean, glaciers, and the solid earth.
9.)HOME, SWEET HOME
Earth is the perfect place for life as we know it.

14. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
10.)PROTECTIVE SHIELD
Our atmosphere protects us from incoming meteoroids, most of which break up in our atmosphere
before they can strike the surface.
Did You Know?
Laika the dog was the first Earthling to orbit Earth aboard the Soviet Union's Sputnik 2 in 1957. She did
not survive the trip. A few years later, the next two Soviet space dogs—Belka and Strelka—became the
first living creatures to return from space alive—paving the way for future human explorers.
Reference:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/earth/overview/

15. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
Mars
The fourth planet from the Sun, Mars is a dusty, cold, desert world with a
very thin atmosphere. This dynamic planet has seasons, polar ice caps,
canyons, extinct volcanoes, and evidence that it was even more active in
the past.
Mars is one of the most explored bodies in our solar system, and it's the
only planet where we've sent rovers to roam the alien landscape. NASA
currently has three spacecraft in orbit, and it has one rover and one lander
on the surface. NASA launched the next-generation Perseverance rover to
Mars on July 30, 2020. India and ESA have spacecraft in orbit above Mars.
These robotic explorers have found lots of evidence that Mars was much
wetter and warmer, with a thicker atmosphere, billions of years ago.

16. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
10 Need-to-Know Things About Mars
1.)SMALL PLANET
If the Sun were as tall as a typical front door, Earth would be the size of a dime, and
Mars would be about as big as an aspirin tablet.
2.)FOURTH ROCK
Mars orbits our Sun, a star. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun at an average
distance of about 228 million km (142 million miles) or 1.52 AU.
3.)LONGER DAYS
One day on Mars takes a little over 24 hours. Mars makes a complete orbit around the
Sun (a year in Martian time) in 687 Earth days.
4.)RUGGED TERRAIN
Mars is a rocky planet. Its solid surface has been altered by volcanoes, impacts, winds,
crustal movement and chemical reactions.

17. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
5.)BRING A SPACESUIT
Mars has a thin atmosphere made up mostly of carbon dioxide (CO2), argon (Ar), nitrogen (N2), and
a small amount of oxygen and water vapor.
6.)TWO MOONS
Mars has two moons named Phobos and Deimos.
7.)RINGLESS
There are no rings around Mars.
8.)MANY MISSIONS
Several missions have visited this planet, from flybys and orbiters to rovers on the surface.The first
true Mars mission success was the Mariner 4 flyby in 1965.
9.)TOUGH PLACE FOR LIFE
At this time, Mars' surface cannot support life as we know it. Current missions are determining Mars'
past and future potential for life.

18. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
10.)RUSTY PLANET
Mars is known as the Red Planet because iron minerals in the Martian soil oxidize, or rust,
causing the soil and atmosphere to look red.
Reference:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mercury/overview/

19. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
Jupiter
Jupiter has a long history surprising scientists—all the way back to 1610
when Galileo Galilei found the first moons beyond Earth. That discovery
changed the way we see the universe.
Fifth in line from the Sun, Jupiter is, by far, the largest planet in the solar
system – more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined.
Jupiter's familiar stripes and swirls are actually cold, windy clouds of
ammonia and water, floating in an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium.
Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot is a giant storm bigger than Earth that
has raged for hundreds of years.
One spacecraft — NASA's Juno orbiter — is currently exploring this giant
world.

20. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
10 Need-to-Know Things About Jupiter
1.)THE GRANDEST PLANET
Eleven Earths could fit across Jupiter’s equator. If Earth were the size of a grape, Jupiter would be
the size of a basketball.
2.)FIFTH PLANET FROM OUR STAR
Jupiter orbits about 484 million miles (778 million kilometers) or 5.2 Astronomical Units (AU) from
our Sun (Earth is one AU from the Sun).
3.)SHORT DAY/LONG YEAR
Jupiter rotates once about every 10 hours (a Jovian day), but takes about 12 Earth years to
complete one orbit of the Sun (a Jovian year).
4.)WHAT'S INSIDE
Jupiter is a gas giant and so lacks an Earth-like surface. If it has a solid inner core at all, it’s likely
only about the size of Earth.

21. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
5.)MASSIVE WORLD, LIGHT ELEMENTS
Jupiter's atmosphere is made up mostly of hydrogen (H2) and helium (He).
6.)WORLDS GALORE
Jupiter has more than 75 moons.
7.)RINGED WORLD
In 1979 the Voyager mission discovered Jupiter’s faint ring system. All four giant planets in our solar
system have ring systems.
8.)EXPLORING JUPITER
Nine spacecraft have visited Jupiter. Seven flew by and two have orbited the gas giant. Juno, the most
recent, arrived at Jupiter in 2016.
9.)INGREDIENTS FOR LIFE
Jupiter cannot support life as we know it. But some of Jupiter's moons have oceans beneath their
crusts that might support life.

22. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
10.)SUPER STORM
Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a gigantic storm that’s about twice the size of Earth and
has raged for over a century.
Did You Know?
There are no rockets powerful enough to hurl a spacecraft into the outer solar system
and beyond. In 1962, scientists calculated how to use Jupiter's intense gravity to hurl
spacecraft into the farthest regions of the solar system. We've been traveling farther
and faster ever since.
Reference:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/jupiter/overview/

23. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the
second largest planet in our solar
system.Adorned with thousands of beautiful
ringlets, Saturn is unique among the planets. It
is not the only planet to have rings—made of
chunks of ice and rock—but none are as
spectacular or as complicated as Saturn's.
Like fellow gas giant Jupiter, Saturn is a
massive ball made mostly of hydrogen and
helium.

24. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
10 Need-to-Know Things About Saturn
1.)A COLOSSAL PLANET
Nine Earths side by side would almost span Saturn’s diameter. That doesn’t include Saturn’s
rings.
2.)IN DIM LIGHT
Saturn is the sixth planet from our Sun (a star) and orbits at a distance of about 886 million
miles (1.4 billion kilometers) from the Sun.
3.)SHORT DAY, LONG YEAR
Saturn takes about 10.7 hours (no one knows precisely) to rotate on its axis once—a Saturn
“day”—and 29 Earth years to orbit the sun.
4.)GAS GIANT
Saturn is a gas-giant planet and therefore does not have a solid surface like Earth’s. But it
might have a solid core somewhere in there.

25. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
5.)HOT AIR
Saturn's atmosphere is made up mostly of hydrogen (H2) and helium (He).
6.)MINI SOLAR SYSTEM
Saturn has 53 known moons with an additional 29 moons awaiting confirmation of their
discovery—that is a total of 82 moons.
7.)GLORIOUS RINGS
Saturn has the most spectacular ring system, with seven rings and several gaps and
divisions between them.
8.)RARE DESTINATION
Few missions have visited Saturn: Pioneer 11 and Voyagers 1 and 2 flew by; But Cassini
orbited Saturn 294 times from 2004 to 2017.
9.)LIFELESS BEHEMOTH
Saturn cannot support life as we know it, but some of Saturn's moons have conditions that
might support life.

26. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
10)ADD A DASH OF EARTH
About two tons of Saturn’s mass came from Earth—the Cassini spacecraft was intentionally
vaporized in Saturn’s atmosphere in 2017.
Did You Know?
Twice every 29 and a half years the great planet Saturn appears ringless. Earthlings cannot see
Saturn's rings when the rings are edge-on as viewed from the Earth. They are barely visible
through powerful telescopes.
Reference:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/saturn/overview/

27. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
Uranus
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. It was two years
later that the object was universally accepted as a new planet, in part
because of observations by astronomer Johann Elert Bode. Herschel
tried unsuccessfully to name his discovery Georgium Sidus after King
George III. Instead the scientific community accepted Bode's
suggestion to name it Uranus, the Greek god of the sky, as suggested
by Bode.

28. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
10 Need-to-Know Things About Uranus
1.)HUGE
Uranus is about four times wider than Earth. If Earth were a large apple, Uranus would be the
size of a basketball.
2.)SEVENTH WANDERER
Uranus orbits our Sun, a star, and is the seventh planet from the Sun at a distance of about 1.8
billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers).
3.)SHORT-ISH DAY, LONGISH YEAR
Uranus takes about 17 hours to rotate once (a Uranian day), and about 84 Earth years to
complete an orbit of the Sun (a Uranian year)
4.)ICE GIANT
Uranus is an ice giant. Most of its mass is a hot, dense fluid of "icy" materials – water, methane
and ammonia – above a small rocky core.

29. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
5.)GASSY
Uranus has an atmosphere made mostly of molecular hydrogen and atomic helium, with a small
amount of methane.
6.)MANY MOONS
Uranus has 27 known moons, and they are named after characters from the works of William
Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.
7.)THE OTHER RINGED WORLD
Uranus has 13 known rings. The inner rings are narrow and dark and the outer rings are brightly
colored.
8.)A BIT LONELY
Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to fly by Uranus. No spacecraft has orbited this distant planet to
study it at length and up close.
9.)LIFELESS
Uranus cannot support life as we know it.

30. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
10.)ONE COOL FACT
Like Venus, Uranus rotates east to west. But Uranus is unique in that it rotates on its side.
Did You Know?
Uranus' unique sideways rotation makes for weird seasons. The planet's north pole experiences 21
years of nighttime in winter, 21 years of daytime in summer and 42 years of day and night in the
spring and fall.
Reference:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/uranus/overview/

31. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
Neptune
Dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds, ice giant Neptune
is the eighth and most distant planet in our solar system.More
than 30 times as far from the Sun as Earth, Neptune is the only
planet in our solar system not visible to the naked eye and the
first predicted by mathematics before its discovery. In 2011
Neptune completed its first 165-year orbit since its discovery in
1846.
NASA's Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have visited Neptune
up close. It flew past in 1989 on its way out of the solar system.

32. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
10 Need-to-Know Things About Neptune
1.)GIANT
Neptune is about four times wider than Earth. If Earth were a large apple, Neptune would be the
size of a basketball.
2.)EIGHTH WANDERER
Neptune orbits our Sun, a star, and is the eighth planet from the Sun at a distance of about 2.8
billion miles (4.5 billion kilometers).
3.)SHORT DAY, LONG YEAR
Neptune takes about 16 hours to rotate once (a Neptunian day), and about 165 Earth years to
orbit the sun (a Neptunian year).
4.)ICE GIANT
Neptune is an ice giant. Most of its mass is a hot, dense fluid of "icy" materials – water, methane
and ammonia – above a small rocky core.

33. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus
5.)GASSY
Neptune's atmosphere is made up mostly of molecular hydrogen, atomic helium and methane.
6.)MOONS
Neptune has 14 known moons which are named after sea gods and nymphs in Greek mythology.
7.)FAINT RINGS
Neptune has at least five main rings and four more ring arcs, which are clumps of dust and debris
likely formed by the gravity of a nearby moon.
8.)ONE VOYAGE THERE
Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have visited Neptune. No spacecraft has orbited this distant planet
to study it at length and up close.
9.)LIFELESS
Neptune cannot support life as we know it.

34. Science Topic - The 8 Planets
Mars
Earth
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
Neptune
Mercury
Venus 10.)ONE COOL FACT
Because of dwarf planet Pluto’s elliptical orbit, Pluto is sometimes closer to the Sun (and us)
than Neptune is.
Did You Know?
Neptune is our solar system's windiest world. Winds whip clouds of frozen methane across the
planet at speeds of more than 2,000 km/h (1,200 mph)—close to the top speed of a U.S. Navy F/A-
18 Hornet fighter jet. Earth's most powerful winds hit only about 400 km/h (250 mph).
Reference:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/neptune/overview/