A reliable refreshment featuring the basic facts of our beloved planets and the sun. Special addition: Planets Suite, Op. 32 composed by Gustav Holst.

2. Facts about… Slide Number
Mercury 3
Venus 4
Earth 5
Mars 6
Jupiter 7
Saturn 8
Uranus 9
Neptune 10
Pluto 11
The Sun 12

3. ☿ MERCURY ☿
• First planet from the Sun
• Has the most eccentric orbit of all planets – 0.21
• Takes 87.969 earth days to complete an orbit.
• Like the Moon and Venus, it exhibits phases as seen from Earth. Technically, it is brightest as seen from
Earth when it’s at full phase.

4. ♀ VENUS ♀
• Second planet from the Sun
• Orbits the Sun every 224.7 Earth days.
• After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky
• Sometimes called, “Earth’s sister planet” because of their similar size, gravity, and bulk composition
• Hottest planet in the Solar System

5. ♁ EARTH ♁
• Third planet from the sun
• The densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets of the System
• Largest of the solar system’s four terrestrial planets
• The only planet suitable for life…
• Unlike the other terrestrial planets, it has a distinct outer and inner core.
• Moon is the largest moon in the solar system

6. ♂ MARS ♂
• Fourth planet from the sun
• Second smallest planet in the solar system, after Mercury
• “Red Planet” – because the iron prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance
• Two known moons – Phobos and Deimos
• Best-known planet in culture

7. ♃ JUPITER ♃
• Fifth planet from the Sun
• Largest planet in the solar system
• Gas Giant – Primarily composed of hydrogen with ¼ of mass being helium.
• Has the Great Red Spot (giant storm)
• Has four large moons and at least 63 more
Aurora on Jupiter on the magnetosphere

8. ♄ SATURN ♄
• Sixth planet from the Sun
• Second largest planet in the solar system
• Best-known for its visible rings
• Titan, its largest and the solar system’s second largest moon, is the only moon to retain a substantial
atmosphere
• The only planet of the solar system that is less dense than water

9. ♅ URANUS ♅
• Seventh planet from the Sun
• Third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the system
• Placed in the category, “ice giants,” with Neptune because they are of differently composed of ice and
rock.
• Has a ring system, magnetosphere and numerous moons.
• Axis rotation is tilted sideways
• Never recognized as a planet by ancient observers because of its dimness and slow orbit

10. ♆ NEPTUNE ♆
• Eighth planet from the sun in the solar system.
• Fourth-largest planet by diameter and third-largest by mass.
• Among the gaseous planets in the solar system, it is the most dense.
• 17 times the mass of Earth and slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus
• The first planet found by mathematical prediction rather than by empirical observation.

11. ♇ PLUTO ♇
• Tenth planet from the Sun
• The largest object in the Kuiper belt
• Second most massive known dwarf planet
• It was originally classified as the ninth planet from the Sun.
• In 2006, the definition of being a planet excluded it from its status as a “planet”, changing it to a “dwarf
planet.”
• Five known moons (Nix, Hydra, Kerberos, and Styx), and Charon (the largest)

12. THE SUN
• The star at the center of the Solar System
• Consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields.
• About ¾ of its mass consists of hydrogen, while the rest is mostly helium.
• Mean distance of the Sun from the Earth is approximately 1 astronomical unit.