About the Planets in our solar system
8
Planets
Terrestrial Worlds
MERCURY
Mercury is the smallest planet in our Solar System and the closest planet to the Sun. Its surface is covered with craters, rocky plains, and cliffs created by ancient impacts and geological activity. Despite being closest to the Sun, Mercury is not the hottest planet because it has almost no atmosphere to trap heat. Temperatures can change dramatically between day and night, making Mercury one of the most extreme worlds in our Solar System. Its short year lasts only 88 Earth days, meaning it completes an orbit around the Sun faster than any other planet.
VENUS
Venus is the second planet from the Sun and is similar in size and structure to Earth, but its environment is incredibly harsh. Its thick atmosphere is made mostly of carbon dioxide and is covered by clouds of sulfuric acid, creating an extreme greenhouse effect that makes Venus the hottest planet in the Solar System. The surface is a rocky landscape filled with mountains, valleys, volcanoes, and vast plains. Venus also rotates very slowly and in the opposite direction of most planets, meaning the Sun would appear to rise in the west and set in the east.
EARTH
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only world currently known to support life. It has vast oceans, continents, mountains, deserts, and a diverse atmosphere that provides the conditions necessary for life to exist. About 71% of Earth’s surface is covered by water, while its atmosphere is made mostly of nitrogen and oxygen. Earth also has one natural satellite, the Moon, which influences ocean tides and helps stabilize the planet’s rotation. With its protective atmosphere and magnetic field, Earth is a unique and remarkable world in our Solar System.
MARS
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is often called the Red Planet because iron minerals in its soil give the surface its reddish color. Mars is a cold, rocky world with enormous volcanoes, deep canyons, dusty plains, and polar ice caps. It has a thin atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxide and experiences powerful dust storms that can sometimes cover much of the planet. Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos, and scientists continue to study the planet for evidence that it may have once had conditions capable of supporting life.
Ring Systems & Cloud Dynamics
Dive into the complex ring structures, atmospheric phenomena, and magnetic fields of the solar system's largest planets.
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Track the Great Red Spot and other massive storms within Jupiter's turbulent hydrogen-helium atmosphere.
Study Saturn's iconic ring system, composed of countless ice particles, and its diverse moon network.
Investigate Uranus's unique axial tilt, faint ring system, and frigid methane atmosphere.
Explore Neptune's supersonic winds, dynamic dark spots, and its deep blue methane clouds.