Planets in the Solar System

Our solar system is a small part of the thousands of galaxies surrounding the universe. The solar system consists of the sun, planets, asteroids and several other bodies roaming around each other. Many people are still not sure about the number of planets in the solar system. There were nine planets till 2006 but Pluto was taken out from the list and now only 8 remain. There are about 140 floating bodies known as natural satellites, also called moons. Have a look at interesting facts about the solar system.

Names of Planets in Order From the Sun

The Sun is considered to be the brightest star in our solar system and all the other eight planets are in line with the sun. The system is divided in two parts, the inner solar system which consists of the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, satellites, floating bodies and asteroids. The outer system is made up of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and comets.

Sun
It is the brightest star man has ever seen. A huge bundle of energy for humans. The sun has been the center of attention in the solar system since man started understanding astronomy. Its size is around 864,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers) and if the sun was an empty ball it could fill more than a million earths inside it. But the sun isn't hollow, it is filled with hot gases and is home to a number of nuclear fusion reactions. These reactions generate energy by converting hydrogen into helium. The temperature of the sun is about 10,000°F (5,500°C) on its exterior surface and inside the core its 28 million°F (15.5 million°C).

Mercury
Mercury is the smallest and the closest to the sun. It is 43 million miles away from the sun. Mercury's temperature can reach up to 800°F (430°C), but because it has no atmosphere it is unable to retain the heat, so the temperature drops down to -280°F (-170°C). You can see mercury, 13 times every 100 years. Astronomers can watch Mercury passing across the Sun, this phenomenon occurs between May 8 to November 10. This event is called a transit. Mercury has no atmosphere, but has a hard surface like the Earth's moon. Mercury is the second smallest planet in the solar system.

Venus
Often called the twin sister of Earth. Venus and Earth are similar in size, composition, distance from the sun and mass. The atmosphere of Venus is often covered with thick ever-changing atmosphere. The temperatures are so high that they are enough to melt lead and the surface pressure is 90 times that of the earth. Due to many similarities that it shares with our planet and also a unique way in which its clouds reflect sunlight, Venus appears to be one of the brightest planets. The atmosphere of Venus consists of carbon dioxide and clouds of sulfuric acid. This thick atmosphere traps the Sun's heat resulting in the temperature to rise till 880°F (470°C). The surface is filled with a thousand volcanoes whose size is larger than 12 miles.

Earth
Our homeland, the only planet in the solar system where life can sustain. A thin layer of earth's atmosphere separates us from the unlivable vacuum of space. You find water, land and air on earth. Earth is the third planet from the sun and the fifth largest from the solar system. The atmosphere consists of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% of other natural gases. The ozone layer present in the earth protects human life from the harmful UV rays coming from the sun. The moon is the natural satellite of the earth.

Mars
Popularly known as the "Red Planet", Mars has a rocky surface very much similar to the earth. The surface crust of Mars differs from that of earth. Earth's crust has sliding plates that toil against each other or are unevenly spread in the sea floor, while the crust of Mars seems to be vertical, with hot lava which pushes upwards from the crust to the surface. Space researchers believe that water existed on Mars 3.5 billion years ago. Currently, the temperature of planet Mars is too cold to allow water transformation. Mars also consists of some volcanic mountains and two small moons surround Mars which go by the names - Phobos and Deimos.

Jupiter
The largest and one of the most popular planets of the solar system, Jupiter also has four planet sized moons. On January 7, 1610, Galileo discovered four moons circling around planet Jupiter. The four moons are now called Lo, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. In a group they are known as Galilean satellites. Jupiter and the sun have a similar atmosphere. Jupiter also consists of hydrogen and helium and if you go deep into its atmosphere the temperature increases. Jupiter is one of the planets with rings, the other being Saturn. The rings were discovered in 1979 by NASA and it was found that all the three rings are made of small dark particles. The rings of Jupiter is only visible when they are back lit by the sun.

Saturn
Like Jupiter, Saturn is also made of hydrogen and helium. The rings of Saturn are one of the most complex and researched objects in the solar system. The rings are mostly made of water ice and other particles. There are strong winds traveling in the upper atmosphere of Saturn, which go up to a height of 1,600 feet per second. These winds which are mixed with heat coming from the planet make the golden bands visible in the planet's atmosphere. Saturn is known to have 52 natural satellites or moons. The largest moon of Saturn is called Titan and it is the second largest moon after Ganymede.

Uranus
This blue planet has some of the brightest clouds with 11 rings, it is the seventh planet from the sun and contains a large amount of gases in its atmosphere. The major part is composed of hydrogen and helium and small amounts of water and ammonia are found. The blue-green color is because of methane, as sunlight passes through clouds, methane absorbs the red color of the light allowing the blue portion to go thus we see a blue green color. The major part of atmosphere consists of water, methane and ammonia. Due to the position and the atmosphere of Uranus, its rings are vertical with its orbital path. There are 11 rings surrounding planet Uranus. Uranus has 27 satellites or moons.

Neptune
The eighth planet in the solar system, Neptune is not visible to the naked eye. Its atmosphere is slowly becoming like water and other forms of ice. The blue color is the result of methane gas present in the atmosphere. Neptune also has strong winds in its atmosphere which are stronger than Jupiter and earth. The planet has 6 rings and 13 moons.

Pluto (No longer considered as a Planet)
We were introduced to the concept of dwarf planets in 2006 and Pluto was stripped of its title as a planet and named a dwarf planet in the same year by IAU. The temperature of this small planet is -375°F (-215°C). The atmosphere consists of a mixture of frozen nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide. Pluto is known to have three moons - Hydra, Nix and Charon.

So there you are, I have reached the end of this informative article. I hope you enjoyed reading about the planets in the solar system. There are still some strong opinions about Pluto being re-inducted in the planet list, but as of now it is considered as a dwarf planet.