What is a Solar system?
This blog post will help you to understand the solar system and the planet’s features.
Sun
The Sun is located at the center of the solar system, and all the planets revolve around the Sun. This solar system was formed 4.5 billion years ago.
Now, 8 planets exist in the solar system.
All these 8 planets revolve around their axis and the sun.
Let’s learn about each element of the solar system, one by one.
Sun! The Sun is the star of the solar system. Sun is a giant heat ball that emits heat and light. Sun’s strong gravitational force holds all small and big planets in the solar system.
The core of the sun is the hottest part of the entire solar system. It emits more than 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. That’s incredible!
Sun formed 4.5 billion years ago. As a giant gas ball, the Sun emits infrared radiation too. Sun is formed mainly by hydrogen and helium.
Sunlight is the most important thing on Earth, without sunlight no humans, or plants can survive on Earth.
For your convenience, we have embedded YouTube video from our subsidiary channel. Please do watch!
Now, Let’s study Mercury planet!
Mercury
Mercury! Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system and the closest planet to the sun.
One Earth year on Mercury planet is just 88 days. Well, it means it takes 88 Earth days for Mercury to finish one full rotation around the sun.
With a radius of 2440 kilometers, Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system.
The atmosphere on Mercury planet is not favorable. Day temperature reaches 430 degrees centigrade. Night temperature reaches 180 degrees centigrade.
An interesting fact is, that even though it’s the nearest planet to the sun, it’s not the hottest planet.
- No life exists on Mercury.
- No moon exist
- Mercury does not have any ring.
- Now let’s study Venus!
Venus
Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system and the second planet from the sun.
Venus’s planet size and mass are almost equivalent to its neighbor planet Earth.
Venus does not have rings, and it does not have a moon either.
The atmosphere on Venus is not suitable for habitants. Venus is surrounded by sulfuric acid clouds and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The foul clouds surrounding Venus smell like rotten eggs.
The distance between the sun and Venus is around 108 million kilometers.
Now let’s learn about the third planet, which is the Earth.
Earth
- Earth is our home planet and we live on Earth.
- Earth is 5th largest planet in the solar system. Earth has a favorable environment for human beings, plants, and animals. Earth’s atmosphere mainly has oxygen, nitrogen, and some other gases.
- Over 70% of the Earth’s surface is occupied by water and roughly 30% by land.
Earth does not have a ring but the Earth has a moon.
Earth is our home planet we live on Earth. Life exists on Earth.
- Earth takes 365 days to spin around the sun.
- Earth has one moon.
- Earth does not have any rings.
Moon
Moon is Earth’s natural satellite. The distance between the moon and the Earth is approximately 238,000 miles. The moon is formed billions of years ago.
The moon is tidally locked with Earth, so we can see only one side of the moon. The other side of the moon is not visible.
Like Earth, the moon also has a day and night side.
Now let’s study the Mars planet.
Mars
Mars is the seventh-largest planet in the solar system. After Earth, Mars is the most explored planet in the solar system.
Mars is also called a red planet, as it seems red. Mars is approximately 50% smaller than Earth.
Like the Earth, Mars does not have a ring. But it has two moons.
The distance between the Sun and Mars is approximately 228 million kilometers. The diameter of Mars is approximately 6790 Kilometers.
Mars completes one rotation around its axis in 24.6 hours, slightly more time compared to the Earth’s rotation.
Rotation around its axis = 24.6 Hrs.
Rotation around the sun = 687 Earth days
Mars takes 687 Earth days to finish one full rotation around the sun.
Jupiter
Now let’s understand more about Jupiter planet. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.
It’s massive and almost 1000 times bigger than Earth. Wow!! Jupiter has a ring, and it has several moons.
Jupiter completes one full rotation around its axis in 10 hours, so one day at Jupiter is just 10 hours.
1 full rotation of Jupitor = 10 Earth Hours
To make one full finish rotation around the sun, Jupiter takes 12 earth years. Wow!
To finish one rotation around the sun = 12 earth years.
Jupiter is also known as the largest ocean in the solar system, but instead of water Jupiter’s Ocean has hydrogen. Largest ocean (of Hydrogen) in the solar system.
Now let’s study Saturn planet.
Saturn
Saturn is the second-largest planet in the solar system.
It is the 6th planet from the sun in the solar system.
Saturn is a big gas giant. Saturn has a thick atmosphere of hydrogen and helium and not have a solid surface like Mars and Earth.
Planet Type- Gas Giant
1 day at Saturn is approximately 10 to 11 Earth hours. It takes 29 Earth years to finish one rotation around the sun! Wow.
No life exists on Saturn as the climate is not favorable.
Saturn has 7 rings and 53 moons.
Now let’s study about 7th planet of the solar system that is Uranus.
Uranus
Uranus is the 3rd largest planet in the solar system.
Uranus is known as an ice giant as it’s very cold and windy. Uranus atmosphere has helium, hydrogen, and methane.
Uranus is 4 times bigger than Earth.
No life exists on Uranus as the atmosphere at Uranus is not favorable.
The distance between Sun and Uranus is 2.9 billion kilometers and the diameter of Uranus is more than 51,000 Kilometers.
Uranus completes one full rotation around its axis in 17 Earth hours.
Uranus takes 84 years to finish one full rotation around the Sun.. that’s a long time.
Now it’s time to study about 08th planet of the solar system that is Neptune.
Neptune
Lots of similarities exist between Neptune and Uranus. Like Uranus, Neptune is also a big ice giant. Neptune’s atmosphere also has hydrogen, helium, and methane.
Neptune completes one full rotation around its axis in 16 Earth hours.
Neptune takes 165 Earth years to finish one full rotation around the Sun. Wow, it’s the longest time to orbit the Sun.
The distance between Neptune and the Sun is approximately 4.5 billion kilometers. It’s double the distance between Uranus and the Sun.
The diameter of Neptune is around 49528 kilometers.
No human beings or plants can survive in Neptune as the atmosphere is not favorable.
We hope you understand the importance of Sun in the solar system and overall information about solar system.