Universe Project

Mercury

Mercury is the smallest planet in our Solar System and the one closest to the Sun. It doesn't have much of an atmosphere, so it gets really hot during the day and very cold at night. Mercury has lots of craters, making it look a bit like our Moon. It doesn't have any moons of its own. Even though it's the closest planet to the Sun, a year on Mercury (the time it takes to go around the Sun) is only 88 Earth days long. The planet also has huge cliffs and smooth plains, and it's made mostly of rock and metal.

Venus

Venus is the second planet from the Sun and is about the same size as Earth. It's known as the hottest planet in our Solar System because it has a thick atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxide, which traps heat. The surface of Venus is covered with volcanoes and mountains, and it has clouds of sulfuric acid. Unlike most planets, Venus spins in the opposite direction, so the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east there. A day on Venus (the time it takes to spin once) is longer than a year on Venus (the time it takes to go around the Sun). Venus doesn't have any moons.

Planet Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only one where we know life exists. It's just the right place for plants, animals, and people to live because it has air to breathe, water to drink, and land to live on. Earth has different places like forests, deserts, oceans, and mountains. We have one moon that makes the ocean tides go up and down. Earth spins around once every 24 hours, which gives us day and night, and it takes 365 days to go around the Sun, which gives us a year. About 70% of Earth's surface is covered in water, and it's home to many kinds of living things. We also have seasons (spring, summer, fall, and winter) because Earth is tilted as it goes around the Sun.

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is known as the "Red Planet" because of its reddish color. This color comes from iron in the soil. Mars is a cold desert world with a thin atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxide. It has the tallest volcano in the Solar System, called Olympus Mons, and a huge canyon named Valles Marineris. Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos. A day on Mars is just a little longer than a day on Earth, lasting about 24.6 hours. It takes Mars about 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun, so a year on Mars is almost twice as long as a year on Earth. Scientists are very interested in Mars because they think it might have had water and possibly even life a long time ago.

Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest one in our Solar System. It's so big that more than 1,300 Earths could fit inside it! Jupiter is a gas giant, which means it's mostly made of gas and doesn't have a solid surface like Earth. It has colorful clouds and a big red spot called the Great Red Spot, which is a giant storm that's been going on for hundreds of years. Jupiter has at least 79 moons, with four big ones named Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. A day on Jupiter is very short, lasting only about 10 hours, but it takes about 12 Earth years for Jupiter to go around the Sun once. Jupiter also has faint rings made of dust and small rocks. Scientists are very interested in Jupiter's moons because some of them might have oceans of water under their icy surfaces.

Neptune

Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest one in our Solar System. It's known for its beautiful blue color, which comes from the methane gas in its atmosphere. Neptune is a gas giant, like Jupiter and Saturn, meaning it doesn't have a solid surface. Neptune has very strong winds, the fastest in the Solar System, and sometimes has huge storms that can be seen from space. It has at least 14 moons, with the largest one named Triton. Triton is very cold and has geysers that shoot icy material into space. A day on Neptune lasts about 16 hours, but because it's so far from the Sun, it takes about 165 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun. Neptune also has faint rings made of dust and tiny particles. Scientists study Neptune to learn more about the outer parts of our Solar System.

Uranus

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and is unique because it rotates on its side. This means that it looks like it's rolling around the Sun! Uranus has a beautiful blue-green color because of the methane gas in its atmosphere. It's an ice giant, made mostly of icy materials along with gas, and it doesn't have a solid surface. Uranus has at least 27 moons, with some of the biggest named Titania, Oberon, and Miranda. A day on Uranus is about 17 hours long, but it takes 84 Earth years for Uranus to orbit the Sun once. The planet has faint rings made of dark, icy particles. Scientists find Uranus interesting because of its unusual tilt and its many moons. Studying Uranus helps us understand more about how our Solar System works.

Saturn

Saturn is a big, beautiful planet with rings made of ice and rocks that go around it like a hula hoop. It's really far away from Earth and is the sixth planet from the Sun. Saturn doesn't have a solid surface like Earth—instead, it's made mostly of gases like hydrogen and helium. Saturn has lots of moons, more than 80 of them! One of its moons, Titan, is very special because it has lakes of liquid methane and ethane on its surface. Saturn itself has colorful bands of clouds and sometimes big storms. A day on Saturn is about 10.7 hours long, which is shorter than a day on Earth. It takes almost 30 years for Saturn to go around the Sun once. Scientists love studying Saturn and its rings to learn more about how planets like ours form and work.