Planets in the solar system
Mercury facts
Mercury is a small planet which orbits closer to the sun than any
other planet in our solar system. It is very hot and features a barren,
crater covered surface which looks similar to Earth's moon.
The surface of Mercury is very similar to our moon. It has a barren,
rocky surface covered with many craters.Being so close to the Sun, the
daytime temperature on Mercury is scorching - reaching over 400 Degrees
Celsius.
At night, however, without an atmosphere to hold the heat in, the
temperatures plummet, dropping to -180 Degrees Celsius. Mercury has a
very low surface gravity.
Mercury has no atmosphere which means there is no wind or weather to
speak of. There is also no water on the surface of Mercury, it is
possible however that there could be water underneath the surface.
Likewise, there is no air on the surface but it could be trapped
underneath.
Mars facts
Mars, or the Red Planet as it is sometimes known, has a dusty, rocky
surface and a thin atmosphere. Its relatively calm conditions and close
proximity to earth make it the most likely destination for future planet
exploration by humans.It has already been visited by a number of Mars
Rovers in successful (and unsuccessful) robotic missions.
These highly advanced robots gather samples and record important
scientific data for scientists back on Earth to study.
Mars is nicknamed the red planet because it is covered with rust-like
dust. Even the atmosphere is a pinkish red, coloured by tiny particles
of dust thrown up from the surface.
Mars experiences violent dust storms which continually change its
surface. Mars has many massive volcanoes and is home to Olympus Mons,
the largest volcano in our solar system.
It stands 21km high and is 600km across the base. Mars has a very
thin atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxide.
It is not thick enough to trap the sun's heat like Venus, so the
planet is very cold. Temperatures range from -120 Degrees Celsius on
winter nights to 25 Degrees Celsius in the summer.
Mars has many channels, plains and canyons on the surface which could
have been caused by water erosion in the past. Mars has very weak
gravity which cannot hold on to the atmosphere well. The polar ice caps
consist of frozen Co2 (dry ice) which lies over a layer of ice.
Saturn facts
Perhaps the most beautiful planet in our solar system (other than
earth of course) due to its spectacular ring system, Saturn is a gas
giant that features many extreme physical features and atmospheric
conditions.
Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system and is
another gas giant. Saturn has a small rocky core covered with liquid
gas.It is surrounded by a system of rings that stretch out into space
for thousands of kilometres.
The rings are made up of millions of ice crystals, some as big as
houses and others as small as specks of dust.
Saturn is very light as it is made up of more hydrogen than helium so
it is less dense. If we could fit Saturn into a bathtub it would float
(but that would have to be one big bathtub!)
Like Jupiter, Saturn has many moons which surround it. Saturn is not
a peaceful planet. Storm winds race around the atmosphere at 800kmp/h.
Saturn has a very strong magnetic field which traps energy particles
resulting in high levels of radiation.
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