The Planets

Rachel Schaefer Grade 4

Sun Pluto Neptune Uranus Saturn

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The Sun
The sun is the largest object in our solar system, and is the closest star to Planet Earth. The sun is so big, that 1,300,000 Earths could fit inside of it. The sun is much too hot for anything to live on, but life on Earth would not be possible without it. The heat from the sun makes plants grow and keeps animals and people healthy with Vitamin D. The temperature on the surface of the sun is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit!

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Mercury
Mercury is the hottest planet because it is the closest planet to the sun. Mercury has no moons, and only takes 59 days to orbit the sun. Because it orbits the Sun so quickly, Mercury was named after the messenger of the mythical Roman gods. The distance between Mercury and Earth is 57,000,000 miles!

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Venus
Venus is the second planet from the sun and, just like Mercury, is very hot; at coolest, it is 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The surface is covered in lava flows and very strong winds. Venus is sometimes called the sister planet of Earth because they are so similar in size have similar physical features, such as the young craters and chemical compositions.

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Earth
Earth is the third planet from the sun and is, as far as we know, the only planet that can support intelligent life. Because of the existence of water, and the multiple levels of gasses that make up the atmosphere, the surface of Earth is protected from the harsh effects of the Sun and outer space. Earth is the densest planet in our solar system, and takes 365 days to orbit the sun.

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Mars
Mars is nicknamed the Red Planet for its red appearance due to the high iron content in the rocks. Mars is the fourth planet from the sun, and has two moons, named Phobos and Deimos. Scientists have sent many satellites and rovers to explore to see if the theory that life could exist on Mars is possible. It takes one year and 320 days for Mars to make one trip around the Sun.

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Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun, and is by far the largest planet. Earth could fit inside Jupiter over 763 times! Jupiter is made up of gaseous material and does not have any solid surfaces. Jupiter has 32 moons orbiting around it, and takes 11.9 Earth years to orbit the Sun.

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Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and is easily recognized by the rings around it. The rings are actually bits of ice and rock that are orbiting Saturn very quickly. Saturn also has eighteen moons that are in orbit around it, and it takes 29 years to orbit the sun. Saturn is the last planet that is visible from Earth without a telescope.

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Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and is composed mostly of rock and ice. Because it is so far from Earth, only one spacecraft has ever been sent to visit it. Although it is hard to see, Uranus has rings around it similar to those of Saturn, as well as 27 moons orbiting it.

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Neptune
Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and is one of the gas planets. The blue color is due to the methane gas that absorbs all red light that hits it. Neptune was named after the mythical Roman god of the sea. Neptune is the fourth largest planet and has 13 moons.

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Pluto
Since 2006, Pluto has been disqualified as a planet, and been renamed a dwarf planet due to the fact that it orbits the Sun in an elipse, or oval shape. One orbit around the sun takes 249 years. Since its discovery in 1930, humans have not yet observed one full orbit of Pluto. Pluto has very low temperatures, due to its distance from the Sun; the average temperature is around 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Work Cited
Image of sun on slide 2 from http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/News111312m6flare.html, http://www.universetoday.com/65356/how-many-earths-can-fit-in-the-sun/ Information on Sun : http://nineplanets.org/sol.html Image of Mercury, Slide 3: http://www.planetsforkids.org/planet-mercury.html Information on Mercury: http://www.planetsforkids.org/planet-mercury.html Image of Venus, Slide 4: http://science.nasa.gov/venus-transit/ Information on Venus: http://nineplanets.org/venus.html Image of Earth, Slide 5: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/photography/photos/milestones-spacephotography/earth-full-view/ Information on Earth: http://nineplanets.org/earth.html

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Work Cited (Continued)

Image of Mars, Slide 6: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/planetary/mars/marsglobe1.jpg Information on Mars: http://www.planetsforkids.org/planet-mars.html http://nineplanets.org/mars.html Image of Jupiter, Slide 7: http://astrophysics.pro/astrophysics/jupiter-the-earths-giant-protector/ Information on Jupiter: http://nineplanets.org/jupiter.html Image of Saturn, Slide 8: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/planetary /saturn/saturn.jpg Information on Saturn: http://www.planetsforkids.org/planet-saturn.html Image of Uranus, Slide 9: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/image /uranus_voy2.jpg Information on Uranus: http://nineplanets.org/uranus.html Image of Neptune, Slide 10: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Neptune Information on Neptune: http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html Image of Pluto, Slide 11: http://topnews.in/usa/files/Pluto.jpg Information on Pluto: http://nineplanets.org/pluto.html

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